Resources & Articles by Matrescence

Why Does IVF Make Me Feel Like My Body Is Failing Me?

Why Does IVF Make Me Feel Like My Body Is Failing Me?

Written by Lauren Ratliff, LCSW, PMH-CLauren Ratliff is an Illinois-based certified perinatal therapist, mother of three, and founder of Matrescence Therapy.Learn more about Lauren updated 7/10/26 If failed IVF has left you feeling like your body is failing you,...

Why Is My Second Pregnancy Harder Than My First?

Why Is My Second Pregnancy Harder Than My First?

Written by Lauren Ratliff, LCSW, PMH-CLauren Ratliff is an Illinois-based certified perinatal therapist, mother of three, and founder of Matrescence Therapy.Learn more about Lauren updated 7/10/2026 If your second pregnancy feels harder than your first, you're not...

Bonding With Baby: Why Don’t I Feel Connected to My Baby?

Bonding With Baby: Why Don’t I Feel Connected to My Baby?

Written by Lauren Ratliff, LCSW, PMH-CLauren Ratliff is an Illinois-based certified perinatal therapist, mother of three, and founder & owner of Matrescence Therapy.Learn more about Lauren updated 7/9/2026 Bonding with a baby is the emotional connection that...

How Can I Cope with Perimenopause Symptoms?

How Can I Cope with Perimenopause Symptoms?

Written by Lauren Ratliff, LCSW, PMH-C Lauren Ratliff is an Illinois-based certified perinatal therapist, mother of three, and founder & owner of Matrescence Therapy. Learn more about LaurenUpdated: 7/9/2026 Perimenopause symptoms can feel like your body and...

When You Realize You’re Parenting Yourself Too

When You Realize You’re Parenting Yourself Too

There's a moment that catches many mothers off guard. You're doing something ordinary — comforting your child after a nightmare, telling them it's okay to cry, sitting with them through something hard without trying to fix it immediately — and something shifts.  A...

How to Cope With Daycare Drop-Off Guilt (Without Spiraling)

How to Cope With Daycare Drop-Off Guilt (Without Spiraling)

You held it together through the goodbye. You handed them over, said something cheerful, maybe waved from the door. You walked to your car with reasonable composure.  And then you sat in the driver's seat and fell apart — crying in a parking lot at 7:45 in the...

From Partners to Parents: Navigating the Shift Without Losing Each Other

From Partners to Parents: Navigating the Shift Without Losing Each Other

You knew it would be hard. Everyone told you — with that particular mix of warning and wistfulness that people use when they talk about new parenthood — that a baby changes everything. You nodded. You thought you understood. You had done the prenatal classes, read the...

Parenting While Healing: When Your Child Triggers Your Past

Parenting While Healing: When Your Child Triggers Your Past

There's a moment many parents recognize but rarely talk about. Your child does something ordinary — has a tantrum, talks back, cries in a way that won't stop, needs more than you feel you have — and something shifts inside you. Your heart rate climbs. Your chest...

Why Traditional Parenting Advice Doesn’t Work for Neurodivergent Moms

Why Traditional Parenting Advice Doesn’t Work for Neurodivergent Moms

You've read the books. You've followed the routines. You've tried the color-coded chore charts, the consistent bedtimes, the calm regulated voice, the carefully worded scripts for handling big emotions. And somehow, you still feel like you're failing. Not because you...

Why Moms Become the Default Parent (And How to Rebalance It)

Why Moms Become the Default Parent (And How to Rebalance It)

You're in a meeting. Your phone buzzes. The school is calling, and without even thinking about it, you step out to answer — because of course you do.  You're the one who knows the name of your child's teacher, the date of the next pediatrician appointment, the fact...

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