No one ever told me about mommy brain. Or maybe they did. I don’t remember. I don’t quite recall the pains of childbirth either, so momnesia can’t be all bad, right?
Well, guess what—it’s not! Even though mommy brain might leave us feeling out of sorts at times, research continues to pile up about the positive ways women’s brains adapt to pregnancy and post-pregnancy. And, Mom, you’ll be reassured to learn these changes serve a powerful purpose in your parenting. Forget what you think you know about your mommy brain, and embrace these 3 ways to love it instead.
1. Admit it’s all in your head (and it’s amazing!).
The plasticity of women’s brains during pregnancy is similar to during adolescence. Mommy brain, pregnancy brain, baby brain, momnesia are non-medical terms used to describe the cognitive changes a woman goes through during and after pregnancy. Your brain is literally reorganizing its structure, functions, and neural connections to accommodate for your new role!
“It’s time to reduce focus on what is lost with motherhood and start paying attention to what is gained and how it is gained,” neuroscientist Dr. Clare McCormack explained on The Current radio program. “So changing that perspective is a really powerful thing, when you shift that focus and your thinking of pregnancy and adapting to parenthood as something that involves a lot of skill, something to wonder at.”
2. Lean into your upgraded abilities.
Between 50 and 80% of pregnant and postpartum women report experiencing cognitive changes. We often focus on the forgetfulness, memory loss, and brain fog side of things. But we overlook the powerful ways our brains have adjusted to maximize our caregiving abilities. For example, research published in Brain Sci shows that changes in the gray matter of a mother’s brain are linked to increased feelings of attachment toward her baby. (But, Mom, this doesn’t mean you’ll automatically feel attached to your baby. Sometimes it does take time.)
And, you’ve probably been too busy with motherhood to read the recent research from Purdue University showing that moms have more heightened attention than non-moms. Lead researcher Dr. Valerie Tucker Miller wasn’t surprised by the results. “It makes perfect sense that moms who have brought children into this world have more stimuli that needs to be processed to keep themselves and other humans alive, and then to continue with all the other tasks that were required before the children,” she explains.
So, now the next time you wake up because of the tiniest of sounds from your toddler (and your husband doesn’t), know it’s just your new brain powers. And, Mom, give yourself a high five for distinguishing your child’s cry from every other kid’s. That’s just another one of your mommy brain upgrades.
3. Laugh about it.
We just can’t help it. Mommy brain causes us to do all sorts of funny things. Toothpaste on your hairbrush? Been there. Put on two different shoes and wear them most of the morning before noticing? Done that. Mixing up all the names of your family? Happened today.
Mom, we can’t take ourselves too seriously. Being a parent is hard enough. We can ease our mom stress by finding the humor in our unintentional antics. It is funny. And you really will laugh about it one day, so why not make that day today? The next time you find yourself trying to open the car door with the toy keys, give yourself permission to laugh it off (and then try and remember where you put the real keys).
What is the funniest thing you found yourself doing or saying because of mommy brain?
