WE'RE BACK! | Why did nobody tell me this?

We’re back! And this time, we have a whole series dedicated to peeling back the curtain on motherhood. This isn’t a *“how to raise children”* series. It’s a series about **what happens to the woman raising them.** The things that change in our brains, our bodies, our relationships, our friendships, our identities and our sense of self. The things we weren’t prepared for. The things we thought were only happening to us. And the things that left us asking… **Why did nobody tell me this?** we’re starting with the question that inspired the whole thing: why are there so many parts of becoming a mother that nobody really prepares us for? We talk about **matrescence:** the enormous physical, psychological and identity shift that happens when we become mothers. We unpack some of the expectations we unknowingly carry about what a “good mother” should look like, and why so much of what we’ve normalised about motherhood might not actually be very normal at all. We talk about the gap between how motherhood can look from the outside and how it can feel on the inside. About being told you’re “brave” and “strong” while internally feeling anything but. About having all the support, knowledge and tools in the world and **still finding motherhood hard**. Kat shares a beautiful reflection on learning to respect Lilah’s pace and realising she needed to offer herself that same permission to stop expecting her own journey through motherhood to be linear and honour the season she was actually in. We also ask whether being “maternal” is something we instinctively become, or a skill we learn over time. And we talk about perhaps the strangest part of all: **motherhood is full of contradictions.** You can feel desperately lonely while never getting a moment alone. Need a break and miss them the second you get one. Want parts of your old life back while knowing you wouldn’t trade this one for anything. Plus, wet nappies, downloading sleep, hypothetical backflips and quite possibly the worst piece of breastfeeding advice we’ve ever heard. This is the beginning of a series about the things that happen to **us** when we become mothers. The things we wish someone had told us. 🎙️ **Why Did Nobody Tell Me This?** You can find more of us here:  **Our Online Psychology practice:** Did you know we have online appointments available with our amazing therapists Lisa or Maddie. Learn more here https://thepsychcollaborative.com.au ***The Thriving Therapists:*** To connect with a safe and supportive community of like-minded therapists, head to our Thriving Therapists Facebook group: https://m.facebook.com/groups/224252457083630/?ref=share&mibextid=S66gvF Or find us on our Instagram: https://instagram.com/thethrivingtherapists?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA== **The Psychology Sisters Instagram** https://www.instagram.com/thepsychologysisters/?hl=en **The Psych Collaborative instagram** https://www.instagram.com/thepsychcollaborative/?hl=en **Please note: this episode is for informational purposes only and does not replace personalised psychological advice.**