I’m Confused…

That's all so interesting. I always blame my lack of common sense these days on the fact that most of my brain cells were depleted during pregnancy. Guess I can't use that excuse anymore. Funny that they mentioned an increased capacity for memory…I couldn't remember anything when I was pregnant. Or even afterwards….but that could've simply been due to severe sleep deprivation!

Your take on these studies always fascinate me.

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Sorry Mother, but you misinterpreted the Christensen study (http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/196/2... They actually found that late pregnancy WAS associated with deterioration in certain tests of memory and cognition. This has been shown in other studies as well. Sorry ladies. The main point of the current study was on "persistent" effects, i.e. those lasting into motherhood. Christensen et al. found "pretty much no permanent effects" on mental function. Thank the gods.

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I remember being a bit "off" not so much during pregnancy but in the months afterward. I'd pull a cake out of the oven and leave the potholders in there. I'd drive off with my purse on the top of the car. I could no longer balance a checkbook. I blamed lack of sleep, but maybe there was more to it than that . . . Intriguing studies; thanks for sharing.

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I'm inclined to agree that the hormones are quite different during pregnancy, not the cognitive ability. I know I was a bit different in pregnancy, but the only time I've been really forgetful are the times that lack of sleep could as easily be blamed.

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SInce both sex hormones and stress hormones are well known modifiers of neuronal function it was no surprise to The Maven that she was not just a little forgetful during pregnancy.

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Interesting. Well I'm glad to hear that I'm not completely useless right now.

Because yesterday when I couldn't find my car in the parking lot for 20 minutes….

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I did a lot of stupid things during my pregnancies but I do stupid things anyway. They just surprised me more than usual. I always attributed it to my strict diet of Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch and mashed potatoes and peas. After the pregnancies I was a slobbering fool crying at any and all commercials on TV. Thankfully that's over.

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I don't care what anyone says. I lost at least 30 IQ points, right out the birth canal. Along with my former amazing attention span, which is now limited to about three mi

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With my first kid, I threw a temper tantrum at 30 weeks because I wanted Mexican food and my husband wanted us to stick to the budget. He finally gave in–probably feared for his life, poor guy–and drove over to the one and only Mexican restaurant in our rural town…to find that it had closed down the day before.

That was not a good night.

I wish I had half the mind I had before kids. I don't care what the "studies"–or my husband–says. I definitely was more together before kids than after.

Does it all come back once the children leave the house?

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Perhaps it is a combination of lack of sleep and distraction? I mean during pregnancy you have a heck of a lot of new things to think about and after birth, you have an extra helpless blob attached to your every move. Would that not be distracting enough to make you seem forgetful and then you add in the poor sleep? I know I'm as smart as I used to be but I have way too many things to take care of for any one person. I am fine if people think I'm stupider than before as long as my kids aren't in a burning building or starving to death. That kinda seems more important than solving quadratic equations.

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Professionally, I felt pretty good during pregnancy. Emotionally? Egads it was terrible. Interesting post. I had no idea there was a maternal part of the brain.

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I put off answering this because I'm firmly of the brain-turned-to-tapioca variety and feel, rather strongly, that it never quite regained it's former glory. And, since I wasn't involved in the study, I'm going to keep on believing that. Of course, it didn't affect my work – I don't need anywhere near all my brainpower for that. I was only twice as good as my boss instead of three or four times. (My current boss is at least on par, though, even at my best). Last one, not so much.

I have no doubt that, on average, the deterioration is trivial. However, when all you have going for you is your brain, every brain cell is precious.

Of course, it could just be a side effect of working for the government. With more than two decades behind me, I guess I should be grateful to have any left. Soon, I won't be able to remember anything unless one of remaining braincells happen to bounce into each other.

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I'm pretty sure my jelly brain can be attributed to sleep deprivation, stress, and poor dietary habits…all factored in after delivery, the pregnancies themselves were cake in comparison. Also, my kids are sucking the life out of me, there has to be some way I can prove this scientifically.

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What about the "Been a Mom for 5 years" brain? For the life of me I can't remember numbers anymore, but I can sing you any Elmo song I've heard during this unfortunate time.

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I don't know…I still think I *may* have suffered from it, and still may be. I was a quivering mess at times- I still look back and laugh!

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Interesting. I felt pretty game-on while I was pregnant. But while nursing? Forget it. I had a judge give me the business once when I was 2 hours overdue to nurse and well, err, let's just say gave it right back to him.

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So everyone knows that it would seriously hurt if you did get shot right there but your not exactly going to have a serious chance of getting killed so it’s much more sensible to have a bullet proof vest rather than pants, plus you may have to put something pretty heavy there so it might way you down a bit

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I really detest the trend of woman expecting special consideration at all levels because they are with child or as an excuse for less than proficient performance for 40 weeks.
If we (females) want to be taken seriously, we need to quit with the whining.

Now I'm not saying hormones, sleep interruptions and the physical changes don't influence how we function. They do. But I tire of young women these days expecting to be pampered or slack off at work because of their pregnancies.

I managed life, a stressful home situation, a husband constantly traveling and a job during 6 pregnancies quite competently. I didn't feel 100% but I'm also not one who feels the need to voice every discomfort or feeling I have.

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MY brain turned to complete mush and it never recovered!!! I totally blame the offspring, no other possibility! I used to be really, really smart.. like 39T on my MCAT smart. I think if I took them now I'd get an 18, if I were lucky. That's the thing, my memorization and recall abilities are nonexistent right now. Swiss cheese brain, whittled away by wormholes, who the hell knows where information is getting filed in there! I can't find any of it. (sigh)

The most difficult thing my brain has had to accomplish in the past 5 yrs was to explain hematogenesis to my 5yo. (she wanted to know how the babies in belly grow their blood) 8 yrs of schooling, and I STILL SCREWED it up! The femur, I told her (and explained the process). I woke at 5 in the morning with my brain shouting at me "YOU F-ing MORON!" and corrected my error as soon as the kid woke up.

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