Understanding the changes that are occurring and honouring these with space, rest and support will ensure this journey of “becoming” the mother is a sacred rite of passage.

Words EMA TAYLOR

The voyage from maiden to mother is the biggest journey a woman will embark on. It’s a rite of passage that marks the beginning of a new you. While it is clear to see the monumental changes that occur physically to a woman’s body, did you know that equally great changes are occurring to her hormones, nervous system and brain? These big psychological shifts can result in a dichotomy of emotions: one minute overjoyed and feeling a love like never before to the next where anxiety, lack of confidence and overwhelm creep in. Instead of focusing on setting up a nursery and buying the right pram, we need to be preparing a woman for how she is going to feel as she moves through this season of life, and discuss what is happening to her and how she can best be supported. Understanding the changes that are occurring and truly honouring these with space, rest and solid support networks will ensure this journey of “becoming” the mother is as sacred as it should be.

Hormonal changes

One of the biggest biochemical changes that occur when a maiden becomes a mother is the hormonal shifts.

Healthy menstruating maidens have biphasic cycles; the first half is called the follicular phase and the second half is the luteal phase. The two main sex hormones oestrogen and progesterone ebb and flow throughout the two phases of the cycle like a beautiful dance; in the follicular phase, oestradiol (primary oestrogen made in reproductive years) is at its highest and in the luteal phase, progesterone is highest.

The body and brain become accustomed to the predictable cyclical pattern of these hormones, so when a woman becomes pregnant and experiences unparalleled surges of steroidal sex and pregnancy hormones it can cause an array of psychological, neurological and emotional changes for her.

During pregnancy there is a surge of oestriol (primary oestrogen when pregnant) and progesterone far greater than what a woman will experience at any other time throughout her life. Cortisol, one of the body’s “stress hormones” is three times higher and pregnancy-specific hormones hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), which is created by the growing placenta, and prolactin, which is responsible for creating breast milk, are also the highest they will ever be. The shift in oestrogen and hCG can increase levels of thyroidstimulating hormone and right before a woman gives birth, “the love hormone” oxytocin ramps up to prepare the woman’s body for labour.