I would assume that 99.9% of you that read this will say, “YES!” I posted a question about how many of our followers had Mommy Brain, and got a lot of responses! What’s that you say? You put your cell phone in the fridge and the baby bottle in your purse? No problem. This is a normal phenomenon for moms, even while expecting. It will help if we can laugh at ourselves, because it will most likely last for quite a while!There is no doubt that feeling scatterbrained is frustrating, but there is one important thing that we need to remember. Just because we are sometimes forgetful or absent-minded, it does not mean we are less intelligent. Being a mom does not mean we aren’t working, learning, or using our mind. On the contrary, we are using more of our mental capacity for our new role. According to Discovery News, “a woman’s brain changes after giving birth. Parts of the brain that grow are involved in motivation, reward behavior and emotion regulation, which prepare us for our new roles. These are the areas that motivate a mother to take care of her baby, feel rewarded when the baby smiles at her, and fill her with positive emotions from simple interactions with her infant. These brain areas are also involved in planning and foresight, which might help a mother anticipate her infant's needs and be prepared to meet them.” So stress less on what we forget or misplace, and know that we are doing the most important job of all - raising, protecting, and taking care of our greatest resource – our children! Below are some resources that may help alleviate some of the mental fog and make you feel better at the same time. Tips to alleviate sleep deprivation:
- Keep a nighttime routine as much as possible
- Sleep when baby does if possible, for 60-90 minutes (that sounds wonderful, doesn’t it!)
- Co-sleeping may help
- Give partner baby duty once a night if possible
- Go to sleep earlier if possible
- Exercise in the morning with your baby (walking, yoga, bicycling)
- Have small amounts of caffeine during the day
- Eat a good diet rich in protein, iron, zinc, vitamin B-12, and folic acid
- Realize we can’t always avoid it, but we can manage it
- Exercise
- Take “5” when you can in a quiet place and practice deep breathing
- Sit with your kids and observe them, they will most likely make you smile, laugh, or both!
- Simplify as much as possible
- Try not to multi-task, focus on one thing at a time
- Organize
- Connect with a friend or family member
- Get out as much as possible (maybe a date night with your partner)
- Remember to take care of yourself!
I never understood what my mommy friends were talking about with “mommy brain” util I got pregnant. I quickly had a bad case of it – I think it was mostly from all the plans I had of things I wanted to get, things I had to do to ready my daughters room, books I wanted to read about raising a child, and trying to do all that on top of working and moving into a new house. Now that I’ve had my daugher I still feel a little more scatterbrained than pre-baby – but it’s not as bad as it was during pregnancy. I think now it’s mostly due to sleep deprivation – my little one is still only 9 weeks old, so we’re getting up multiple times a night. It’s all worth it though when i see her smile!
Pregnant and mama to a 16-month old… yeah, I understand Mommy Brain! :)
I know alllll about mommy brain!
My theory is that mommy brain ignores things that don’t have to do with the well-being of your child. Helps your baby but makes the rest of your life a little wonky!
I am 6 months pregnant with my first and mommy brain has already started! I can’t believe the things I forget and the silly mistakes I make. I find that I have to make lists of EVERYTHING!
You're viewing 6-10 of 10 comments