3 Reasons Why ‘Mummy Brain’ is Real

You will not be too surprised to hear that a woman’s brain needs to make changes for motherhood. While the physical changes of pregnancy take place, the rewiring of a mother’s brain also happens simultaneously and then it becomes Mummy Brain.

Once the children start coming, we begin to think and feel differently. Sometimes a statement is on your lips but then it’s suddenly gone with the wind. Jokingly, we blame it on ‘mummy brain’.

Thanks to science and BellyBelly, we now know that mummy brain is not just a myth and that the re-wiring of a mothers brain does actually exists. See 3 reasons below:

1: Your Brain Does Shrink – But It Also Grows!

A woman’s brain shrinks during pregnancy – researchers have found the brains of healthy pregnant women shrink by up to 6%. Amazingly, it regains its pre-pregnancy size by 24 weeks after the birth. In the first months after the birth, needed changes occur in specific parts of a woman’s brain. The parts that initiate her motivation to care for her baby, feel rewarded when her baby responds positively, and make her feel good about her mothering experience.

2: Oxytocin Levels – The Love Hormone Strikes Again

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The driving force behind all the brain growth associated with motherly love about your baby is the hormone called oxytocin – often known as the “feel good hormone”. Oxytocin levels increase during pregnancy and have a key role in childbirth, but they really come into play in the early postnatal period. It is responsible for what we call “bonding” but might also be described as falling in love with your baby when breastfeeding, skin to skin contact and nursing is practiced.

3: Brain Changes Mean Working Smarter – And Harder

There is evidence that new mothers also experience growth in parts of the brain responsible for reasoning, planning and judgement, which are very important tools in a mother’s world. It even suggests that women might be smarter after giving birth.