Becoming a Mom: 5 Ways to Emotionally Prepare for This Life-Changing Experience

Motherhood: A deeper shift than we often expect

Becoming a mom isn’t just about welcoming a baby. It’s a profound inner transformation, often called matrescence — the birth of a mother.

This stage of life brings powerful emotions: love, joy, fatigue, doubt, guilt, even loneliness… and often, an overwhelming feeling of being lost.

➡️ Yet few women are mentally prepared for this emotional tidal wave. According to France’s public health agency, 1 in 5 women experiences symptoms of postpartum depression.

So how can you prepare your mind and emotions for motherhood using tools from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)?

🧠 1. Welcome all emotions — even the conflicting ones

You won’t just feel “happy.” And that’s okay. The joy of having a baby can exist alongside fear, sadness, anger or even regret. You’re allowed to not feel okay all the time.

💡 CBT tip: Every evening, take 5 minutes to write down your main emotion of the day and what triggered it.

➡️ The emotion tracker inside the MindDay app can help you reconnect with your feelings in real time.

🪞 2. Let go of the “perfect mom” myth

Society, family, social media… everyone seems to have an opinion on what kind of mother you should be.

But there is no such thing as a perfect mother. Only your way of being a mom.

👉 Write down the beliefs that weigh you down:

• “A good mother breastfeeds.”
• “I should be happy all the time.”
• “I shouldn’t need help.”

Then, reframe them in a more balanced way:

“I’m a good mother, even if I do things differently.”

🌱 Inside MindDay, you’ll find routines like “Freeing myself from external pressure” or “Connecting to my own needs” to help you build your own internal compass.

🧘‍♀️ 3. Schedule time for yourself — and protect it

This may sound unrealistic. But taking care of yourself is also taking care of your baby. Babies need present moms, not perfect ones.

💡 Before the birth, already plan:

• small breaks (naps, meditations, baths),
• your support network (partner, family, friends),
• enjoyable routines (journaling, shows, music).

➡️ In the MindDay app, you’ll find guided meditations, self-hypnosis, and writing exercises designed to help you unwind in just a few minutes.

💬 4. Ask for help — without guilt

Many moms don’t dare admit they’re struggling. But you don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Asking for help is not a weakness. It’s a strength.

👉 Consider early on:

• a postnatal check-in with a psychologist,
• joining a moms’ group or support circle,
• using a mental health app like MindDay, created by therapists and available anytime, anywhere.

🧠 Research shows women who receive emotional support during pregnancy are twice as likely to avoid postnatal mental health issues.

🌀 5. Accept that you can’t control everything

You can read all the books. Things still won’t go to plan. And that’s okay.

The goal isn’t to control everything — it’s to learn how to ride the wave with kindness and flexibility.

💡 Try these CBT techniques:

• “Worst-case scenario” journaling (and how you’d handle it).
• Anchoring phrases like “This too shall pass.”
• The 4-4-6 breathing method to calm anxiety.

🌬️ MindDay offers guided sessions to help manage stress and improve sleep — especially when life feels chaotic.

📲 MindDay: your mental health companion for new moms

MindDay is a psychology-based app rooted in CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) — designed for people going through big life transitions like motherhood.

✔️ 5-minute daily mental health routines
✔️ Guided self-therapy sessions
✔️ Stress + sleep support tools
✔️ Personal tracking & self-assessment tests

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