MOTHERING, CAREGIVING.

Encompassing Care.

Care| The meeting of a need.

Mother| A verb.

Woman| Used to refer to people/ persons that have been born biologically as a woman and identify in adulthood as a women.

The transition into caregiving creates change throughout an entire being, the physical body, psychology, our emotions, relationships, work and our environment. The magnitude of this evolution, also known as matresence is unlike anything previously experienced, and although matresence is seeded on- and alikened to adolescence, the evolution into motherhood brings with it it’s own unique revelations and challenges; navigated alongside caring for an developing baby.

During the cycles/ passages of mothering, a “mother is born’ along with her/ their baby, we birth a new identity, which is inseparable from body, mind or location, identity is rooted in all. It can feel a painful, awakening and confusing experience as we shift from who we were- in all aspects of our lives, into a space that is inclusive of the relationship we form with our children. Our bodies have physiologically expanded into a beautifully complex dynamic.

To capture the nuance and depth that is inherent to the experience of becoming a carer/ mother requires a shift away from understanding it through a singular lens- currently usually orientated towards the physical body and/ or the mind. Seen holistically- that is in a way that acknowledges interconnectedness- is a transformative light that encapsulates protean nature of caregiving allowing for inclusion and empowerment. Such an encompassing understanding of transitional roles, unifies and provides the most important opportunity to reveal the person underneath change.

By Helen Coutts.

30. 7. 2025.