Moms know how much pregnancy affects a woman’s body, both physically and emotionally. A pregnant woman may be naturally preoccupied with the baby growing inside of her, but she is also adjusting to the changes in her own body, which include so much more than back aches, swollen feet, and exhaustion.
During this time, there are specific hormonal changes taking place that cause an expectant mother’s brain chemistry to alter.
This is commonly known as pregnancy brain, and there is scientific evidence showing these significant changes that occur during a pregnancy. While these changes cannot be prevented (and you wouldn’t want them to, because they are necessary), knowing exactly why you sometimes feel irritable or absent-minded definitely helps! Here’s what you need to know:
Hormones reign
“There are 15–40 times more progesterone and estrogen marinating the brain during pregnancy,” says Dr. Louann Brizendine, author of “The Female Brain.” Progesterone actually induces calmness and has a sedative-like effect. This can make some women not only fatigued but also absent-minded.
Getting good sleep and proper nutrition helps. Now is also an ideal time to review your stress management — before the baby arrives.
Shrinkage
It might sound like a sci-fi movie, but the hormonal surge is swift and strong. Some estimates report that brains shrink by six to eight percent! Rest assured, your brain will regenerate fully by the 24th week postpartum.
Wonder Woman
Thought you could handle many things before becoming pregnant? Well, thanks to a boost in the prefrontal cortex, expectant moms can multitask like a superhero. This part of the brain helps people perform several tasks at once.
It’s a case of perfect timing, as you are planning your delivery, nursery, work demands, and a host of other arrangements all within a relatively short period of time.
Hormones revisited
Remember those hormones that caused you to feel calm? Well, they also work in reverse. This can cause any perceived threats to you or your baby to become amplified. (We’d like to say this passes once the baby is born, but a mother’s instinct to protect her child is not to be messed with, no matter how old he or she is!)
Head of the class:
Along with those tiger mom protection skills come a new set of neural pathways, which enable new moms to hold more information in their brains, and also increase their intelligence.
Thankfully, this helps us absorb the abundance of new information we’ll need to parent our precious baby.
Danielle Sullivan, a mom of three, is a writer and editor living in New York City.
