What is pregnancy brain?
We have all heard the rumors: the first thing to go in pregnancy isn’t our waist, it’s our memory! We know the symptoms: missed appointments, misplaced keys, and forgotten errands. Is ‘pregnancy brain’ to blame?
Working memory refers to our ability to remember and juggle information. There are two reasons why we feel our once-fantastic skills at juggling multiple tasks have now disappeared. Scientific studies have recently confirmed that during pregnancy, a spike in various hormones, including estrogen, leads to working memory decline. Pregnant women in their third trimester are particularly prone to working memory loss.
Another factor that contributes to working memory loss is distraction. Information in working memory is fragile and can be lost quickly. During pregnancy, we are likely to be more distracted than usual in planning for the arrival of our little one and coping with impending changes.
Is there anything I can do to help/support myself?
Be patient: Give your body time after pregnancy and nursing for your hormone levels to adjust. It may take a while but the negative effect of increased hormonal activity on working memory is reversible. In the meantime, some find it helpful to use word associations or mental pictures to help them remember. If that’s too much effort, the easiest thing to do is carry a notebook and pen to write things down.
