
Matrescence
On Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Motherhood
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Narrated by:
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Lucy Jones
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By:
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Lucy Jones
About this listen
A New Statesman and Daily Mail BOOK OF THE YEAR
'The best book I've ever read about motherhood' Jude Rogers, Observer
'I kept scribbling in the margins: 'We need to know this stuff!'' Joanna Pocock, Spectator
A radical new examination of the transition into motherhood and how it affects the mind, brain and body
During pregnancy, childbirth, and early motherhood, women undergo a far-reaching physiological, psychological and social metamorphosis.
There is no other time in a human's life course that entails such dramatic change—other than adolescence. And yet this life-altering transition has been sorely neglected by science, medicine and philosophy. Its seismic effects go largely unrepresented across literature and the arts. Speaking about motherhood as anything other than a pastel-hued dream remains, for the most part, taboo.
In this ground-breaking, deeply personal investigation, acclaimed journalist and author Lucy Jones brings to light the emerging concept of 'matrescence'. Drawing on new research across various fields—neuroscience and evolutionary biology; psychoanalysis and existential therapy; sociology, economics and ecology—Jones shows how the changes in the maternal mind, brain and body are far more profound, wild and enduring than we have been led to believe. She reveals the dangerous consequences of our neglect of the maternal experience and interrogates the patriarchal and capitalist systems that have created the untenable situation mothers face today.
Here is an urgent examination of the modern institution of motherhood, which seeks to unshackle all parents from oppressive social norms. As it deepens our understanding of matrescence, it raises vital questions about motherhood and femininity; interdependence and individual identity; as well as about our relationships with each other and the living world.
Cover image: Pregnant Woman, 2008, by Louise Bourgeois © 2024 The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Photo: Cristopher Burke
©2024 Lucy Jones (P)2024 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“Wide-ranging and hugely ambitious…Marshalling memoir, science, sociology, and history, Jones argues that, outside of adolescence, there is no transformation as dramatic in a human’s life [as motherhood], in both its emotional and biological impacts.”—The New Yorker
“In this maddening journey of motherhood, I encourage everyone to let Matrescence be your soothing guide. From my early days of motherhood to a few years deep in the trenches, Lucy’s words and wisdom continues to guide and comfort me. Matrescence is the sister I never had but always longed for as I try to figure out how to mother in this world. It’s a fierce book, equally tender as it is sharp. It is my kind of bible that I will carry with me (and gift to others!) for a long time.”—Szilvia Molnar, author of The Nursery
“A beautiful contemplation of the extraordinary yet ordinary metamorphosis that adult humans undergo as they become mothers. I was entranced . . . a passionate and powerful maternal roar for change. Wonderful.”—Gaia Vince, award-winning journalist; author of Adventures in the Anthropocene
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And Baby Makes Three
- The Six-Step Plan for Preserving Marital Intimacy and Rekindling Romance After Baby Arrives
- By: John M. Gottman PhD, Julie Schwartz Gottman PhD
- Narrated by: Randye Kaye
- Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Having a baby is a joyous experience, but even the best relationships are strained during the transition from duo to trio. Lack of sleep, never-ending housework, and new fiscal concerns often lead to conflict, disappointment, and hurt feelings. In And Baby Makes Three, Love Lab™ experts John Gottman and Julie Schwartz Gottman teach couples the skills from their successful workshops, so partners can avoid the pitfalls of parenthood.
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More couple's therapy than adapting with new baby.
- By Bridget on 08-19-17
By: John M. Gottman PhD, and others
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In Each Other's Care
- A Guide to the Most Common Relationship Conflicts and How to Work Through Them
- By: Stan Tatkin PsyD MFT, Lin Chen
- Narrated by: Stan Tatkin PsyD MFT, Andrew Pike, Dagny Chika, and others
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Few things are more frustrating than repeating the same fight with your partner. Playing out the same disagreement about money, parenting, sex, or household chores may leave you exhausted, cut off from the person you want to feel close to. While conflict in any relationship is inevitable, healing is possible. With In Each Other's Care, Stan Tatkin shares a hands-on repair manual that will help you discover how arguments get triggered, why they keep happening, and what you can do to get better at communicating what you want without the drama.
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I love Tatkin’s work and message.
- By Phil H on 07-04-23
By: Stan Tatkin PsyD MFT, and others
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Work Won't Love You Back
- How Devotion to Our Jobs Keeps Us Exploited, Exhausted, and Alone
- By: Sarah Jaffe
- Narrated by: Sarah Jaffe
- Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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You're told that if you "do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life." Whether it's working for "exposure" and "experience," or enduring poor treatment in the name of "being part of the family," all employees are pushed to make sacrifices for the privilege of being able to do what we love.
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Book is fully disinterested in male laborers
- By Jeremy Kean on 06-05-21
By: Sarah Jaffe
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Reclaiming Childbirth as a Rite of Passage
- Weaving Ancient Wisdom with Modern Knowledge
- By: Rachel Reed
- Narrated by: Rachel Reed
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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It’s time for a childbirth revolution. Childbirth has always been, and always will be, a significant rite of passage that transforms a woman into a mother. However, the modern approach to maternity care fails women, families, and care providers with outdated practices that center the needs of institutions rather than individuals. In this audiobook, Rachel Reed demonstrates how childbirth can be reclaimed to center women and support birth physiology.
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Life changing
- By Pamela on 01-13-22
By: Rachel Reed
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Able to Laugh
- Finding Joy Though the Struggle Is Real (From TikTok’s Much-Loved Interabled Couple!)
- By: Jade Reynolds, John Reynolds
- Narrated by: John Reynolds, Jade Reynolds
- Length: 4 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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When Jade unexpectedly suffered from a rare condition which left her paralysed and in a wheelchair at the age of twelve, she never imagined that she'd one day meet her husband John and that together they would take to social media to dispel the stigma surrounding disability, one story at a time. From questions about suffering and sex to family and faith, Jade and John speak honestly and humorously about life as an inter-able couple.
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I laughed, I cried, I was grateful to be an American
- By Liz W. on 10-08-24
By: Jade Reynolds, and others
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A Woman Is a Woman Until She Is a Mother
- Essays
- By: Anna Prushinskaya
- Narrated by: Xe Sands
- Length: 1 hr and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Anna Prushinskaya explores the deep life shifts of pregnancy, birth and motherhood in the United States, a world away from the author's Soviet homeland. Drawing from inspirations as various as midwife Ina May Gaskin, writer and activist Alice Walker, and frontierswoman Caroline Henderson, Prushinskaya captures the inherent togetherness of motherhood alongside its accompanying estrangement. She plumbs the deeper waters of compassion, memory and identity, as well as the humorous streams of motherhood as they run up against the realities of work and the ever-present eye of social media.
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Biased
- Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do
- By: Jennifer L. Eberhardt PhD
- Narrated by: Jennifer L. Eberhardt PhD
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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How do we talk about bias? How do we address racial disparities and inequities? What role do our institutions play in creating, maintaining, and magnifying those inequities? What role do we play? With a perspective that is at once scientific, investigative, and informed by personal experience, Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt offers us the language and courage we need to face one of the biggest and most troubling issues of our time. She exposes racial bias at all levels of society - in our neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and criminal justice system.
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hoped for more on why bias and how to avoid it
- By Pavan Ongole on 04-04-19
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Your Body in Balance
- The New Science of Food, Hormones, and Health
- By: Neal D. Barnard MD MD FACC, Lindsay Nixon
- Narrated by: Timothy Pabon
- Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Your Body in Balance provides step-by-step guidance for understanding what's at the root of your suffering - and what you can do to feel better fast. Few people realize that a simple food prescription can help you tackle all these and more by gently restoring your hormone balance, with benefits rivaling medications. Neal Barnard, MD, a leading authority on nutrition and health, offers insight into how dietary changes can alleviate years of stress, pain, and illness. What's more, he also provides delicious and easy-to-make hormone-balancing recipes.
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Book is good but medical terms needed edited
- By Carol Ann R. on 02-23-20
By: Neal D. Barnard MD MD FACC, and others
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The Power of Character Strengths
- Appreciate and Ignite Your Positive Personality
- By: Ryan M. Niemiec, Robert E. McGrath
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Recent research shows that when you understand and activate your positive personality traits, you become more resilient, manage stress better, and find greater fulfillment in life. In The Power of Character Strengths: Appreciate and Ignite Your Positive Personality, you'll be expertly guided by leading authorities through your 24 strengths. You'll soon see all the ways these strengths are your best-kept secret for boosting your well-being. Discover how to appreciate what's best in you and champion strengths in the people you care about most.
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I liked the audiobook
- By Maksym on 09-07-23
By: Ryan M. Niemiec, and others
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You're Doing Great!
- And Other Reasons to Stay Alive
- By: Tom Papa
- Narrated by: Tom Papa
- Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Tom Papa is a little worried about you. You seem stressed, overworked, and, frankly, a little mixed up. Everyone is fighting an overwhelming feeling that things are getting worse, that we should be doing more, that we're not good enough. Well, life isn't perfect. There have always been problems, and there always will be. You can fight for the things you believe in, you can work really, really hard, but you shouldn't lose track of the fact that while you're doing all that, life is flying by at lightning-fast speed.
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Laughing While Walking Makes the Neighbors Think You're Crazy
- By PC737 on 07-10-20
By: Tom Papa
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How to Improve Your Marriage Without Talking About It
- By: Patricia Love, Steven Stosny
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Men are right. The "relationship talk" does not help. Dr. Patricia Love’s and Dr. Steven Stosny’s How to Improve Your Marriage Without Talking About It reveals the stunning truth about marital happiness: Love is not about better communication. It's about connection.
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Must read if your on the verge of loosing it all!
- By Chris on 07-19-15
By: Patricia Love, and others
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The Trauma Cleaner
- By: Sarah Krasnostein
- Narrated by: Rachael Tidd
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Before she was a trauma cleaner, Sandra Pankhurst was many things: husband and father, drag queen, gender reassignment patient, sex worker, small businesswoman, trophy wife... but as a little boy, raised in violence and excluded from the family home, she just wanted to belong. Now she believes her clients deserve no less. A man who bled quietly to death in his living room. Sarah Krasnostein has watched the extraordinary Sandra Pankhurst bring order and care to these, the living and the dead - and the book she has written is equally extraordinary.
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Beautiful, emotional, and perfectly narrated.
- By LitWitWineDine on 06-30-18
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The Secret Lives of Customers
- A Detective Story About Solving the Mystery of Customer Behavior
- By: David S Duncan
- Narrated by: David S Duncan, Terrence Kidd
- Length: 4 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Customers can be a mystery. Despite the availability of more data than ever before, everyone, from the CEO to salespeople in the field, struggles to understand who their customers really are, what they want, why they lose them, and how to regain them. To crack the case, start thinking like a market detective. David Scott Duncan shows how in his entertaining story of Tazza, a fictional chain of cafes with declining sales and leaders urgently seeking to understand why.
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Story with a valuable lesson
- By Arvin on 04-26-25
By: David S Duncan
Every mother should read this book!
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Medicine for early motherhood
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Moving
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Required Reading for All
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I loved it and I crave more!
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intelligence!
great reading, well- researched, thoughtful presentation, balanced view.
Highly recommended to all parents.
thoroughness
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Beyond happy I listened to this book!
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I felt seen & understood
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Every parent should read this.
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Must read for new mothers and mothers to be
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