Author Elizabeth Sarah Cassidy Highlights Matrescence as U.S. Enters Peak Birth Season

As America’s busiest birth season peaks, author Elizabeth Sarah Cassidy explores matrescence in her new book, Swaddled: Sage Stories to Wrap Mothers in Love.

CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES, August 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — # Author Elizabeth Sarah Cassidy Highlights Matrescence as U.S. Enters Peak Birth Season

**Award-winning author of *Swaddled* calls for greater recognition of the emotional and psychological transition into motherhood**

Every summer, millions of families prepare to welcome a new baby. Nurseries are decorated. Baby showers are planned. Birth announcements are shared. Tiny new lives are celebrated. According to award-winning author Elizabeth Sarah Cassidy, another significant transition is taking place at the same moment: the birth of a mother.

The timing coincides with one of the busiest periods for births in the United States. According to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, August and September consistently rank among the busiest birth months in the country, with August recording more than 322,000 births in 2023. More than 3.5 million babies are born in the United States each year.

While families celebrate the arrival of a child, Cassidy is working to increase awareness of the profound transformation experienced by women as they become mothers.

That transformation has a name: **matrescence**.

First coined by medical anthropologist Dana Raphael and gaining recognition among maternal health experts, matrescence describes the physical, emotional, psychological and social transition into motherhood. Much like adolescence marks the transition from childhood to adulthood, matrescence recognizes becoming a mother as a significant developmental transition rather than a single event.

Cassidy hopes to help bring the concept into everyday conversation.

“We have baby showers, birth announcements and first birthdays. We celebrate every milestone in a baby’s life, yet we rarely pause to acknowledge that another person has just been born—a mother,” said Cassidy. “That’s the heart of matrescence. It’s one of the most profound transformations a woman will ever experience, and I believe it deserves far more recognition, compassion and support.”

That perspective inspired Cassidy’s award-winning book, *Swaddled: Sage Stories to Wrap Mothers in Love*. The book shares personal stories from women navigating the emotional realities of motherhood, including joy, uncertainty, identity, grief, resilience and hope. The collection explores experiences that mothers may carry privately and provides a sense of connection throughout different stages of motherhood.

“I wanted mothers to feel wrapped in the same love they instinctively give everyone else,” Cassidy said. “Every woman deserves to know that she doesn’t have to navigate this psychological metamorphosis alone. She isn’t expected to become the perfect mother overnight. She is becoming. This book reinforces the journey.”

As conversations surrounding maternal mental health continue to grow, Cassidy believes greater understanding of matrescence could influence how families, employers, healthcare providers and communities support women throughout the transition into motherhood.

“Every baby deserves to be welcomed into the world. Every mother deserves to be welcomed into motherhood,” Cassidy said.

*Swaddled: Sage Stories to Wrap Mothers in Love* is an award-winning collection of stories examining the emotional landscape of motherhood through experiences of vulnerability, resilience, connection and hope.

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About the Author

Elizabeth Sarah Cassidy is a writer and advocate focused on expanding conversations around motherhood. Her debut book, *Swaddled: Sage Stories to Wrap Mothers in Love*, is a bestselling, award-winning collection centered on the emotional experiences and transitions associated with motherhood. Through storytelling and advocacy, Cassidy addresses maternal well-being, connection and the developmental transition into motherhood.

Additional information about Cassidy and *Swaddled* is available at SwaddledBySarah.com. The book is available through Amazon and other booksellers.

Media Opportunities

Cassidy is available for interviews and commentary on matrescence, motherhood, maternal mental health, caregiving, perfectionism, storytelling and the emotional transition into motherhood.

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Written By: EIN Presswire