Pregnancy Brain, Explained
I’ve long complained about “pregnancy brain,” the condition that makes the brain a little fuzzy and strikes when a woman gets pregnant. I swear, my brain just does not function quite as well during pregnancy as it does at other times, a phenomenon I’m not the only one to notice. I do silly things I wouldn’t otherwise do — like turn off the bathroom light instead of the water faucet or put a perishable item in the cabinet rather than the refrigerator. I’ll struggle to come up with the right word for something, or I’ll have to focus much more intensely to do what would be an otherwise mundane task, like signing documents and keeping them organized. It’s totally silly, but I’ve yet to meet a pregnant mom who has said that her brain appeared to be fully functioning. (This isn’t to say pregnant women aren’t as capable of the same things as men or the non-pregnant; we just might take a few seconds longer or you may find peanut butter in the refrigerator while we’re completing the task.)
So when I got this link sent to me from Longwood University, I did a silent fist pump. Dr. Adam Franssen researches neurologic changes that occur because of motherhood. Motherhood apparently kicks off some big-time brain changes that lead to cognitive enhancements, like increased attentiveness to offspring, improved memory and superior foraging skills. Sure, these findings are in the mama rat population, but this is one time when I know I’m totally feeling what mama rat’s feeling.
Franssen says that the changes that lead to this increased functionality are happening during pregnancy. “An analogy that I like to use for foraging in humans is shopping at the grocery store. Next time you go, just people watch for a few minutes and compare the moms and non-moms (bonus points for lactating females carrying an infant!). The moms are machines — they head directly to the appropriate aisle, grab exactly what they need, and move to the next, all while carrying one child, pushing another and making an appointment for the dentist. The non-moms are cruising … checking food labels, debating over the type of cheese they’d like, etc. There’s no pressure on them to get out the door, whereas moms are either on the babysitter clock or racing the inevitable child meltdown. We’re finding that the brains of moms are prepping for just such an occasion during pregnancy.”
That increased functionality comes at a cost though, and this is my favorite part: “You might think of this restructuring as construction on a highway — workers are out there expanding existing lanes, adding new lanes, improving on/off ramps, etc. Once construction is complete, the road is great, but DURING construction … ugh; congestion, delays, detours! I haven’t tried to quantify ‘Mommy Brain’ forgetfulness in rat mothers, but if we extend what we know in rats to human moms, I think that brain ‘construction’ is what leads to forgetfulness and other space cadet-ery during pregnancy.”
Well said and explained, Dr. Franssen. Detours, delays, congestion — that’s exactly what it feels like in my brain. I’m just so relieved to know it’s not permanent!
Have you experienced pregnancy brain or are you one of the lucky few who has remained sharp as a tack during pregnancy? —Erin