Introduction

This article sheds light on a stage in my life that almost all mothers go through. Recently, a term “Mommy Brain” is quite prevalent these days as researchers continue to explore various areas of medical or psychological currents. I would highlight how or when “Mommy Brain” or “Baby Brain” or “Pregnancy Brain” began, various terms used for this syndrome, and how I was able to cope. Currently, there is no vivid evidence or explanation present anywhere. It is above all about funny moments shared by numerous mothers. I will share mine through this article.

Journey into the mother/baby brain

Life was quiet. One day I got out of bed as soon as the doorbell rang in the morning. I opened the door and grabbed the handle for him. Everything was a blur in front of my eyes for about 30 seconds. I couldn’t make out the person standing in front of me except the voice. “What happened, ma’am?” my maid asked. “Nothing,” I told him. As expected, it was confirmed that I have entered the journey of moms-to-be!

Morning sickness, wanting to have delicious food all the time, tiredness, etc. they were some of the usual symptoms that were not unknown to me. Like any curious mom, I read about various stages of pregnancy on the internet along with diet. There was one thing, which was completely overlooked and I didn’t give it a second thought. My very thought had been disturbed!

Everything changed in my life. I hardly realized that my very home would feel brand new when I first walked in with my newborn on my lap. I felt like I was walking into a new house even though I knew it. My brain had become confused!

Mommy Brain Events

I came across the term “mommy brain” long before, when I was about to outgrow it. Initially, I thought something had gone wrong with me permanently and it bothered me. It shook my confidence too to some extent. It wasn’t until I crossed that stage that I regained my confidence. Remembering those moments makes me realize how much fun they were. I’m sure it will be the same for the readers as well.

Before I start explaining about this peculiar term, let me share some of my experienced incidents, which are not notions at all expressed on air. It was my third trimester, when I went to the kitchen to boil the water, I kept the utensil that held water on the stove and went back to my room to get some rest. After 10 minutes, when I went back to the kitchen, I had no idea that the water was not boiling. In this state of confusion, I called my husband to see what the problem was. However, he quickly pointed out with a sarcastic look at me that water can never boil when the utensil is left on the stove without the burner on.

Postpartum memory loss was also believed to be one of the peculiar episodes. I opened the door of my house to receive the messenger. The courier gave me the sheet to sign. He pointed to the exact column where he was supposed to sign. After taking a look at that column, I looked at the person and looked at him trying to remember my signature! He thought that he had some doubt about it and clarified that I need to sign it. Gladly, in that short amount of time, I was able to remember my signature!

Probably the last subtle humorous occasion I can remember was when my son was 3 years old. I went for his admission to school, where they gave me the form. I quickly filled in the child’s name and his date of birth. As soon as I filled in the child’s date of birth, I realized that he had written mine! I glued my eyes to the form for a full minute and couldn’t remember his full date of birth! Finally, I had to apply the following formula to extract his birth year since, fortunately, I remembered his birth date and month:

Year of my marriage + 2 = Year of birth of my son

mommy brain

These events surely lead us to the fact that becoming a mother not only changes your life and body, but also your brain! Recent research highlights the fact that hormonal changes in pregnancy and childbirth could affect brain function later in life. The phenomenon of forgetting or free space is known as “mama brain” or “momnesia”, when it is after giving birth or “pregnancy brain” or “baby brain”, if it is during pregnancy. The process is permanent: brain alteration and not brain fog. It’s a frustrating hallmark of pregnancy and motherhood. “Pregnancy and motherhood are life-changing events that cause marked alterations in a woman’s psychology and physiology,” said Dr. Liisa Galea of ​​the University of British Columbia. It makes it hard to stay focused on any job. A mother is unable to manipulate and organize incoming information effectively. We know that a mother’s body changes visibly and hormonally during pregnancy and motherhood, but changes inevitably also occur in the mind.

Some of us may have heard from our mothers or grandmothers during pregnancy that it is easier to give birth to a child than to raise one. I think it is equally difficult to give birth as well. With the neurological, psychological, and hormonal changes in the body, the brain circuitry of the mother is definitely affected. No matter how hard a mother tries, she feels confused and tongue-tied. The structure and function of the brain change due to a small but significant increase in gray matter volume. Brain areas such as the hypothalamus, amygdala, parietal lobe, and prefrontal cortex are affected. These areas of the brain are the “motivational” areas and are responsible for emotion, reasoning, judgment, the senses, and reward behavior. Such a change in the brain’s “reward” centers is thought to lead to “protective” behavior by the mother, prompting her to care more and bond more with her baby. This does not mean that the capacity of the brain is altered. A mother’s IQ doesn’t change, but her priorities do!

The symptom of any syndrome raises an obvious question, which is to know the reason behind it. Why is there a mommy brain? Is it just because of the cocktail of hormones? Yes, but mom’s brain is a byproduct of sleep deprivation and the extreme demands of caring for the newborn, sleep being the most important thing. The brain function of any healthy person, even if she is not a mother, will suffer if she suffers from chronic and unrelenting sleep deprivation. When a woman doesn’t get enough sleep and doesn’t multitask, her memory may not be sharp. Rising hormone levels and new priorities could contribute to the sluggishness. In addition to forgetfulness, irritability, mood swings, depression, and anxiety also form symptoms for mom’s brain. This memory impairment syndrome could also affect cognitive performance, particularly with complex “executive” brain functions such as multitasking, planning, organization, etc. Louann Brizendine, MD, director of the Women’s Hormone and Mood Clinic at the University of California, San Francisco, says, “Women rack up as much as 700 hours of sleep debt in the first year after having a baby, And that means that the brain is not at its best for other things besides taking care of the baby.” Even the fragmented sleep a new mom has isn’t enough because she isn’t getting deeper or more restful sleep stages. “Disrupted sleep patterns can cause cortisol levels to rise,” says Jens Pruessner, director of the McGill Center for Studies on Aging. Cortisol is a steroid hormone or, more popularly known as a “stress” hormone. Pregnant and postpartum moms have an excess of this hormone, which is necessary for fetal development and to give them the energy to withstand the stresses of childbirth. Cortisol not only provides energy to deal with any increase in demand or any impending threat, it also shuts down areas of the brain that would allow a person to think more clearly. This explains how a mom can’t go back to sleep in the middle of the night after soothing her baby back to sleep.

Some researchers also consider mom’s brain a myth. Some claim that confusion goes hand in hand with motherhood. Many experts believe it is no longer a myth and attribute it to hormonal disruption, disrupted sleep patterns, and/or the need to quickly learn a wide range of new skills and tasks to care for their babies.

I liked following a hilarious quote while learning about mom’s brain:

“Some people may think I’m forgetful. However, I suffer from BMS – Busy Mom Syndrome.”

conclusion

As Ronda Byrne mentions in “The Secret”, the more we think about something, the faster the Universe brings it back to us. So for all those moms out there, the more you worry about mom’s brain, the worse the impact. Instead of worrying, you can try the following ways to lessen its influence:

1. Score points, when necessary
2. Stay connected with friends or join a community/book club, etc.
3. Try to get a good night’s sleep
4. De-stress with yoga or simple deep breathing or relaxation mechanisms, painting or any other hobby of yours.
5. Eat a balanced diet emphasizing fruits, vegetables, nuts, healthy fats, turmeric, etc.
6. Do less and do not focus on all aspects of life. Cut out the things you need to remember
7. Be physically active like walking, stretching, swimming, etc.
8. Lead a routine or structured life by making daily activities as well organized as possible.
9. Try some of the brain exercises like brain teasers, brain teasers, logic problems, etc. It is preferable to learn some skill completely opposite to the one that one masters. Example, one can draw and paint even if he is a bad artist

There’s nothing shameful about any of those “mommy brain” moments, but rather taking pride in being a woman who can do one of the hardest jobs in the world, which is taking care of a baby!