to dislike "baby brain" as an excuse

[MmeLindt]

for forgetfulness.

I had my DC in Germany and there is no such thing as "baby brain" there. No one uses the term and if you forget something, you have forgotten it. It is not due to your pregnancy.

I agree with Psammead - my brain is usually like a steel trap and I pride myself on it. During my two pregnancies I was massively forgetful and it was much harder to focus on tasks requiring concentration. I did try to get around it by making careful notes and lists (not my usual style at all) and still managed to function in my role. I think we need to acknowledge that this is genuinely something which makes life for pregnant women and make allowances accordingly. Perhaps if you are usually very mentally agile you notice it more??

I'm quite jealous that people only suffer during pregnancy. I really struggle to remember really basic things, what to buy at the shops, taking tablets, brushing my hair etc.! whether pregnant or not.

I prefer the term placenta dementia !

I thought there was some sort of research that showed that the mind deliberately makes a pg woman's "world" smaller so that she forgets everything on the periphery of her memory to make it easier to learn new things about the baby and focus on the newborn? This is just from chatting with my mum and sisters-in-law I don't know where/what the research is. It makes sense a bit of sense to me, and did to my pg sisters in law as well.

I've never thought of it being demeaning at all, although it's always been the pg woman herself who has said it about herself in a jovial way. You learn something new every day, I won't use it uninvited in case the person is not very happy about it.

During my first pregnancy I bought slippers for my impending hospital stay, one in a size 4 and one in a size 9, I didn't notice until I was actually in the hospital with said newborn, i'm a size 5

During pregnancy number 3 last year I went into the supermarket and got to the checkout to discover that I didn't have my car keys...I go into the car park to find that I had left the car RUNNING and the winscreen wipers going at full speed (it was raining).

I can honestly say that my fuzzy thinking was down to being pregnant, I am not usually that shit at day to day living .

I've never been pregnant but I currently have the implant and my brain has turned to mush so I definitely believe that pregnancy/breast feeding hormones can do that to a woman's brain. At the moment I'm constantly doing stuff like going upstairs and not remember why I'd done it, opening up google and forgetting what I was going to type into it, I'm constantly having to try really hard to remember words even for common things like "dressing gown". I'm not normally like this at all :(

I was told by my midwife that forgetfullness in pregnancy can be caused by a hormone shift and in some women the shift may never totally correct itself.

Which would atleast partially explain why I still have problems remembering simple things like my age some days!

Oh and my son will be 5 in June

Stromba if you were not like that before I would have the implant removed.

As I mentioned the hormones could be interfering with your system, how long have you had it in?

I forgot that one upyourdiva! I was IDed in supermarket the other day and told the cashier I'd be 30 in a few weeks. I'm 28.

I've had it three weeks. It's completely messing with my head. I'm off to the walk-in family planning clinic later to try and get it taken out.

It may just be a settling in issue then Stromba but best to get it checked or removed if it is that bad :)

FWIW I had mine for 3 years and it never helped matters any :o

"Perhaps if you are usually very mentally agile you notice it more??"

Mumwithadragontattoo, are you insinuating that I am thick :o

Again, I am not offended by it but I am bemused by this. And slightly put out that women belittle themselves by saying that their brain has shrunk during pregnancy, or that their world became smaller.

Perhaps there is research behind this. It interests me to find out why this "condition" is suddenly so present in UK.

It's also wandering up and down my arm which is just a teensy bit painful and worrying so I'd probably be wanting it out even if I wasn't having any side effects. Along with my cognitive abilities and emotional stability, it's also completely robbed me of my sex drive - I'd want it out for just one of those things. I'm kind of glad it's so wrong for me because it's completely drowning out the little voice in my head that's telling me that I should stick with it because it's such a good contraceptive.

Queen
Sounds like it is not the right contraceptive for you. at the thought of it moving up and down your arm.

Tell me about it MmeLindt! I just hope the family planning clinic agree with me. I phoned NHS direct earlier and the nurse I spoke to said she wished she was here so she could take it out for me which has given me some hope.

Stromba it should not move around!

I walked in front of a bus while pregnant. Admitedly, I have walked in front of a car and into cycles and occasionally walls when not pregnant...

what was my point again?

I'm fully aware of that upyourdiva - it's going to be the first thing I say to them later!

LaWeasel
Your point was that I should not go for a walk with you.

Bollocks. Just typed a long post and it disappeared.

Condensed version - In reply to MmeLindt's wondering about why the condition is suddenly present - I don't think it is. I think it's been around forever, but that the term has caught on recently. Much like how toxic and passive-agressive are popular terms right now. The things they describe are not new, but via various media the terms have gained in poopularity.

LaWeasel I am not sure it was a pregnancy test you needed - perhaps a sight one?

Lol!

Yes, I am really horribly clumsy. Although remarkably bouncy. I've only been to A&E once for all that!

apologies for lol, very sleepy.

When I was pregnant I packed the washing up into the fridge - and we didn't even have a dishwasher! My friend cooked the potato peelings and threw out the potatoes when she was pregnant. We are both absolutely normal(ish) when not pregnant so no-one will ever convince us that pregnancy brain doesn't exist!

Hi everyone,
these posts caught my eye because I am very interested in the topic of 'Baby Brain' or 'Brain Fog' from a research perspective. This means in reality I am interested in trying to understand what it is and what causes it and why many women report changes in their thinking and memory during pregnancy or after giving birth.

If anybody is interested in sharing their experiences under the mumsnet research area I am advertising for research participants on this topic. Just click on the link below to access the research area and information about this study.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/surveys_students_non_profits_and_start_ups/4051349-A-touch-of-Brain-Fog

Thanks everyone,
Louise