This report throws light about a point of my life that virtually every mother goes through. Recently, a term “Mommy Brain” is very prevalent these days as researchers continue exploring diverse regions of medical or, psychological flows. I’d highlight , when “Mommy Brain” or, “Baby Brain” or, “Pregnancy Brain”, various terms used for this syndrome, began and how was I able to deal with it.
Evidence?
Currently, no colorful evidence or, explanation is present everywhere. It’s mostly amusing moments shared by numerous mothers. I’ll be sharing my own through this report. Life was going smooth. One day I got up from my bed when the door bell rang in the morning. I opened the door and clutched its own handle. Everything was hazy before my eyes for about 30 seconds.
I could not make out the individual standing in front of me except the voice. I said. Unsurprisingly, it has confirmed that I’ve entered to the journey of expectant mothers! Morning sickness, impulse to have delicious food all of the time, fatigue etc were some of the typical symptoms not unknown for me. Like any curious mother, I read about different phases of pregnancy online together with the diet.
Decisions
There was something, which was completely overlooked and I did not give another thought to it. My idea itself had got upset! Everything got changed in my life. I barely realized that my house would feel completely fresh when I entered it with my new born . I felt like I’m entering a new home even though I had been acquainted with it. My mind had turned foggy! I came across “mommy brain” term long before when I was at the edge of beating it. Initially, I believed that something indefinitely has gone wrong with me and got upset about it.
It shook my confidence as well to some extent. It wasn’t till I crossed that point, I received my confidence back. Recollecting those moments make me realize how funny they were. I’m sure it will be the exact same for readers also. Before I start explaining about this odd term, allow me to share some of my experienced episodes, which aren’t airy notions spouted whatsoever. It was my third trimester, when I went to the kitchen to boil the water, kept the utensil containing water on stove and recovered back to my bedroom to take some rest.
After 10 min once I went back into the kitchen I had been clueless for water not getting chucked. In that confused state, I called my husband up to test what the issue was. Nevertheless, he pointed out by staring at me in a sarcastic manner that water may not boil when the utensil is stored on cooker with no burner on! Post-partum memory reduction was also thought to be among the peculiar episodes. I opened the door of my house to obtain the courier. The courier man gave me the sheet to sign it. He pointed out with his finger the precise column, where I was supposed to sign.
What now?
After having a look at this column, I looked up in the individual and gazed at him trying to recall my signature! He thought I had been having any doubt about it clarified that I want to sign it. Gladly in that brief time span, I managed to remember my signature! Probably the last subtle funny occasion I can call to mind was when my child was 3 years old. I went for his entrance in college, where I had been given the form. I immediately filled by child’s name and Date of Birth.
Whenever I filled DOB of their kid, I realized that I’d put down my own! I glued my eyes to the shape for entire one min and could not remember his whole Date of Birth! These events surely direct us into the fact that becoming a mother does alter not just her body and life but also her mind! Recent studies emphasize the fact that hormonal changes in pregnancy and childbirth may influence brain function later in life. The occurrence of forgetfulness or, spaciness is known as “mommy brain” or, “momnesia”, when it is after giving birth or, “pregnancy brain” or, “baby brain”, whether it is during pregnancy.
Brain modification
The procedure is permanent – brain modification rather than the mind fog. It’s a frustrating hallmark of pregnancy and motherhood. Dr. Liisa Galea said in the University of British Columbia. It makes difficult to keep concentrate on any work. A mother is not able to control and organize incoming information efficiently. We know that a mother’s body changes visibly and hormonally during pregnancy and motherhood but changes necessarily happen with the mind too.
Some people may have heard from our mothers or, grandmothers during the period of pregnancy that it is a lot easier to give birth to a child that to increase it. I feel it’s equally tough to give birth also. With the neurological, emotional and hormonal changes in the body, mother’s brain circuitry is definitely influenced. However hard a mother attempts, she feels fuzzy and tongue-tied. Brain structure and function has been changed due to small but significant increase in the volume of grey matter.
Did you know?
Brain areas like hypothalamus, amygdala, parietal lobe and prefrontal cortex are observed altered. These areas of mind are the “motivation” regions and are responsible for emotion, reasoning, judgement, senses and reward behaviour. It’s believed that such a change in”reward” centres of the mind lead to “protective” behavior of a mother, which urges her to nurturing and bonding with her infant. This doesn’t imply that capacity of the mind is altered.
IQ Tests
A mother’s IQ does not change but her priorities do! Symptom of any syndrome poses a clear question, which is to know the reason for this. Why does a mommy mind exist? Is it solely due to the cocktail of hormones? Yes, but mommy mind is a byproduct of insufficient sleep and extreme need of caring the newborn – sleep being the most crucial. Any healthy person’s brain function, even if she is not a mother, will get affected if she is experiencing chronic and persistent sleep deprivation.
When a woman isn’t getting enough sleep and multi-tasking, then her memory can’t be sharp. Surging hormone levels and new priorities could bring about sluggishness. Besides forgetfulness, irritability, mood swings, depression and stress also form symptoms for mother brain. This syndrome of impaired memory may also affect cognitive performance especially with complicated”executive” brain acts like multi-tasking, planning, organizing etc.. Louann Brizendine, MD, director of the Women’s Mood and Hormone Clinic at the University of California, San Francisco, says, “Women accumulate around 700 hours of sleep in the first year after having a baby, which causes the brain to not be in its best for things aside from caring for the infant.”
Final note
Even the fragmented sleep that a new mommy gets isn’t sufficient because she isn’t becoming stronger or, more restorative stages of sleep. Jens Pruessner, manager at the McGill Centre for Studies in Aging. Cortisol is a steroid hormone or, the more popularly called”stress” hormone. Pregnant and post-partum mothers have an excess of the hormone, which is essential for fetal development and to give them the energy to survive the strains of giving birth. Cortisol not only supplies energy to deal with any increase in demand or, any danger at hand but also shuts down the areas in the brain that would enable someone to think more clearly. This explains how a mother can’t return to sleep in the middle of night after soothing the baby to sleep again. Some investigators also consider mommy brain as myth. Some claim that foggy-headedness goes hand in hand with motherhood.
Many experts feel that it is no longer a fantasy and attribute it to the upheaval of hormones, disrupted sleep patterns and/or, the necessity to rapidly learn a broad variety of new skills and activities to be able to look after their babies. As stated by Ronda Byrne in”The Secret”, the more we think about something, the faster Universe gives it back to us. So, for all those moms out there, the more they will be worried about mommy brain, worse are the effects of it. 6. Do less and don’t focus on all the aspects of life. 9. Try some of the mind workouts such as brain teasers, puzzles, logic problems etc.. It’s preferable to learn some ability entirely opposite of one is great at.