Pregnancy/Baby
Momnesia
By Shannon Howell Baker
2008 issue

Do you go into a room, completely forgetting why you went there? Do you forget appointments? Do you put your milk in the pantry and your cereal in the refrigerator? You are most likely suffering from “baby brain,” making you forgetful and distracted. Australian researchers have confirmed women do become more forgetful during and after pregnancy. Dr. Julie Henry from the University of New South Wales says that her study is the first to confirm that “baby brain” is a real condition. She says it makes pregnant women and new mothers struggle with complicated tasks. Dr. Henry says the subtle memory loss can last for up to a year, but more research is needed to discover the cause. “People have proposed that it might be as simple as sleep deprivation,” she said.

“We know that during this period, fatigue is going to be a major issue, we also know that there’s been a whole lot of biological mechanisms that have been proposed, for instance hormonal change. But the truth is, we really don’t know the answer to that one.” As USA Today reported, “Few parents enjoy feeling so scatterbrained,” says neuropsychiatrist, Louann Brizendine, author of The Female Brain. “And momnesia can be dangerous, such as when moms forget to fasten the straps in an infant’s car seat. You’re on the mother beat all the time. It requires certain parts of your brain to work hyper, hyper, hyper well. But it requires other parts of your brain to play second fiddle.”

I will admit, it can be scary at times, thinking things like, you might stick your hand in the garbage disposal while it is running. You start to understand how a mother could go into the mall and forget that her child was in the car. The best thing that you can do is to prepare yourself. Let the people around you know what you are going through, and ask them to help you keep yourself in check. It will be a time to get extremely organized, and some sort of day planner is a must.

Keeping important items in a special place, like your keys, cell phone and charger will help. Don’t try to do too much – your body needs time to recover and you are able to use your pregnancy and new baby as a very good reason to say NO. Ask your family and friends for help, eat well and get as much sleep as possible. When the baby is sleeping you will be tempted to want to get things done, but it can all wait – you need to rest. When you are awake, take a walk with your baby in the stroller. It can help clear your mind, kick in endorphins and get you on the road to health. This time is about you and your baby, but don’t forget the YOU in that equation. Take care of yourself so that you can take care of the baby; treat yourself to some yoga, massage, meditation, journal writing and rest. Ask for help – other moms especially love to help new moms. It is like a club we join, and we never forget the initiation!