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This Article is From May 20, 2020

Pregnancy Brain: Definition, Reasons And Interesting Facts

Know all about pregnancy brain and how does it work from an expert

Pregnancy Brain: Definition, Reasons And Interesting Facts
Do you know about pregnancy brain?

To all the mommas and to be mommas who are wondering if pregnancy brain is a thing,then it's a big YES! And who didn't know until now, let me explain what this blog is all about. Pregnant women experience a lapse in attention and memory, famously called as 'pregnancy brain or momnesia'. About 80% of pregnant women complain either forgetfulness or poor concentration or simply not feeling sharp. Almost 4 out of 5 women especially in their 3rd trimester complain about it. So there were many, many studies on this topic and most of them hint towards the changes happening.

I trusted it because I found myself facing similar problems. Before you freak out about doing something wrong at your job, relax! It has been shown that there might are minor lapses like forgetting stuff, but there won't be much of an impairment in your overall performance. Also, these changes may start in the 1st trimester itself but they may not be apparent until 3rd trimester.

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Why The Pregnancy Brain?

It has been studied that the gray matter of brain shrinks in pregnancy and the areas are reserved for important stuff related to child rearing like bonding and social cognition are strengthened. The volumes of hypothalamus, striatum and amygdala (all parts of the brain) increase whose function is emotional regulation and parental motivation. Size of hippocampus decreases leading to loss of memory. The highlight is,the changes in the hippocampus took 2 years to reverse. Along with these changes estrogen, progesterone and oxytocin marinate your brain in pregnancy which heighten the maternal responses.

Does It Go Away Completely?

It is still not known if the brain function returns to normal after giving birth. Studies are still going on to find out. Also, the changes got pronounced with each pregnancy. There were no changes in IQ but there were definitely changes in Priorities!

(Also read: 9 Things About Childbirth That Your Gynecologist Doesn't Tell You)

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It is still not known if the brain function returns to normal after giving birth

What Do I Do?

There's nothing to be scared of. It's just nature's way of preparing you for motherhood. Along with these changes there will be improvements in attention, foraging and planning.

Some Hacks

If you are experiencing forgetfulness, then,

  • Keep alarms for stuff to do.

  • Make a to do list and keep it in a place that you notice every time (otherwise you may forget the list, D-uh!)

  • Make a schedule of meetings and get notified so as not to miss your appointments

  • Take help of your near and dear ones (take help of mom and mom in laws, they love telling you what to do. just kidding! Am I though? )

All the hormones go bonkers in pregnancy. They make you depressed, forgetful, emotional but their ulterior motive is to make you ready for motherhood. They want the baby to be your utmost importance. They want you to be on your toes to attend to them immediately, they want you to show the baby love like no one else existed. And all these changes are more prominent in a first time mom.

Wanna Know A Funny Thing?

New fathers didn't show any such changes at all. No wonder fatherhood isn't instant, so cut those poor fellas some slack. He may be freaking out for all we know.

After all these, my kids gotta give me a medal or something. oh wait, they better not, I'll forget it anyway (he he, pregnancy brainer myself)

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