Anyone else find yourself in your storage room wondering why you are in there? Searching for your cellphone only to realize it’s in your hand? Looking for something in the fridge when you meant to be grabbing something in the bathroom? Forget to tell your wifey or hubby important things, or tell them the same ridiculous thing 100x?!
Well, that’s me… and it’s called Mom Brain.
Also known as… “Juggling 1 million things brain.”
Many times I feel as though I may be losing my mind because I bore two incredible tiny humans with a third on the way, we’re running and growing a business, I’m taking care of my husband, keeping the house clean, weeds pulled, laundry put away, fridge full, kids to and from all the things… the list goes on and on.
[Image credit: Katie Storm Photography]
But the good new is… MOM BRAIN IS IN FACT A REAL THING. I know because I had to prove it to my husband after he kept telling me, “You can’t blame everything on that.” Well, actually… yes, yes I can.
It’s not just a coincidence your mom called you all of your siblings’ names, and now you’re mixing up your kids’ names… and probably your parents, friends, and neighbors’ names too. And there’s a good chance if you’re talking to me mid-conversation I will go blank and I’ll say something like, “Wait. I have no idea what I was about to say next!” at some point.
[Image credit: Katie Storm Photography]
Momnesia is real – those lapses in memory, the fogginess, the mental hiccups. I always say with every kid I have, I turn into a different person. And after some research, I was happy (and relieved) to discover that this is totally normal. Basically, gone are the days of your former self once kids start rolling around.
“Brain cell volume actually decreases in pregnancy,” Dr. Anita Holdcroft says. “The changes are not that big, but they are measurable.” Speculating that hormonal alterations of brain metabolism are responsible for the shrinkage, Dr. Holdcroft found similar changes in brain volume in menstruating women.
You see, during pregnancy, your brain undergoes a pattern of extensive pruning — which is essentially a process of fine-tuning. It’s the same process that happens when you’re a teenager. As a baby, your brain grows with incredible speed, building connections and networks as you learn about and take in the world around you. So, when you head into adolescence, your brain weeds out the extra stuff (the gray matter) it no longer needs.
The same thing happens to your brain when you become a mom.
However, the good news is, according to Psychology Today, these are all good and necessary changes that don’t last forever.
“Researchers have long suggested that these changes are good ones: They promote sensitivity to a baby’s needs, making us more responsive parents. Unfortunately, these responses can also have some negative side effects, perhaps explaining why many new mothers feel overly emotional from time to time, especially when thinking about the well-being of their own children.”
So, I just wanted to share this perspective, in case you are dealing with a severe case of momnesia, like me. Just remember, Mom Brain is in fact a very real thing and that you are not alone.
[Image credit: Katie Storm Photography]
