Matrescence, Motherhood Rage & the Making of a Mother with Dr Edna Lekgabe brought to you by Bugaboo

The Fourth Trimester Village is a four-part series exploring what it actually takes to navigate those first twelve weeks after birth — not just physically, but emotionally, socially and practically. Because we spend so much time preparing for birth, but not nearly enough time talking about what comes after.

Across four episodes I’m joined by:

• Dr Edna Lekgabe — perinatal and reproductive psychiatrist
• Heidi Barlow — women’s health physiotherapist
• Dr Nicole Gale — GP and lactation consultant
• Francesca Hung — sharing her honest postpartum experience

In this episode we cover:

• What matrescence actually is and why Edna calls it puberty 2.0
• The brain changes that happen in motherhood — and why they’re adaptations, not failings
• The hormonal cliff after birth and what’s actually happening in your body
• How to know when what you’re experiencing is more than matrescence
• Motherhood rage — the Venn diagram that explains it all
• The mental load, delegating whole domains and why “I did the swimming” doesn’t count
• Why isolation turns a hard season into a harmful one
• Practical systems for sleep, food and asking for help
• Type A personalities and why surrender is the only way through
• Matrescence, perimenopause and the threads you get to reclaim

About Dr Edna Lekgabe

Dr Edna Lekgabe is a perinatal and reproductive psychiatrist based in Melbourne, specialising in mental health for women across pregnancy, postpartum and beyond. She is a mother of two and one of the warmest and wisest voices in this space.