Cognitive decline since being a parent??

[Alisworldsafunone]

H! This is pretty lighthearted really but I’d be interested to hear anyone else who has experienced this.
Since having my DD 15 months ago and getting caught up being a new mum, dealing with chronic sleep deprivation and general exhaustion I have noticed a huge difference in my ability to converse with people for example, I sometimes just cannot find the basic words I need and it feels like a mind block. I have to really think some days about my words and stringing them together!
It’s just so bizarre. Before this people would often tell me I’m articulate, good with words etc so I have definitely not always been this way. Have I lost it or is this common?!

It really is just the lack of sleep. You do get your faculties back. I really noticed when sleep massively improved around age 2 I felt like my old self, intellectually. My work started to improve. I had ambitions again. It was nice.
I'm pregnant now and it's all gone to shit. Going off on maternity leave next Friday - cannot sleep and cannot focus!

Really common, don't worry. It's not permanent although you'll be different from before. Right now it's mainly sleep deprivation plus being adapted for the needs of your little one rather than sparkly conversation. Enjoy your little one

Yes I have thus and my dds are 5 and 3, every single errrr what's the word....day

Thanks so much! It’s really good to hear this is not just me.
I totally underestimated the effects that sleep deprivation has on you. It’s just knocked me for six and I feel like a different person in some ways! I absolutely empathise with the lack of ability to focus too - this is a huge problem for me. I’m also self employed - so it’s fucking hard work to give myself the shove to get my stuff done every day.
I know exercising would give me more energy but I’m so tired I can’t find the motivation to do that - it’s a viscous cycle. At least my speech is probably on par with my daughters at the moment so she doesn’t feel left out!

Yes. My are secondary age and what with a non sleeper for a decade and menopause I really struggle with basic words.
Luckily the dc's can usually guess what I'm on about.

chronic sleep deprivation and general exhaustion its jsit this. Is the baby's father around? Can he share the work so you can catch up on a bit of sleep? Even a couple of hours of a weekend would be a start

I have a 2.5 year old and a bit part of my job is conducting cognitive assessments with patients, so I'm acutely aware of how different my cognitive capacity is now (I have to say even 2 years later!) I frequently have word finding difficulties, I substitute similar phonetically sounding words a lot and my memory/concentration (which I used to pride myself on) are not so great! My supervisor helpfully sent me a few articles that not only demonstrate the "realness" of baby brain from a neurological perspective on top of the sleep deprivation but also suggest these effects can remain a long time after birth. It didn't reassure me about my future cognitive skills but has helped with normalising and acceptance! You're not alone OP 😁

*big part, not bit. (I have no excuse for lack of proof reading!)

I read an article that said that your memory is effected for 2 years after having a baby. I definitely found at work that I needed to write things down a lot more and I couldn’t hold so much in my head although admittedly I had all the extra child related stuff to think of too.

Yes yes yes! I used to laugh in mirth at people talking about baby brain and thought it was a load of nonsense...this morning I brushed my teeth with a lobster 🦞 (Anchorman joke for those unfamiliar- not quite that bad )

Oh dear yes! I am so glad I found this thread as I have been going through it for almost 2 years now. I am happy I am not alone.
To be honest I didn't notice it in the first 6-8 months after the baby was born. But then, after going back to work it went progressively worse. It did coincide with the worse period re: lack of sleep. I still don't know how I did it!
But the worse was during the lockdown. I got to the point I was worried about having an early onset of Alzhaimer's or something like that. Mostly it was/is not finding the right words, but it often happens that I say something meaning something else.
The only relief was my OH also did it !

Yes yes yes!
My youngest is nearly 3 and I still struggle to string a sentence together some days. The words just don’t come to me. My brain definitely doesn’t work as it used to and it worries me at work sometimes.
My children generally sleep ok now so it’s not sleep deprivation any more.

Definitely! I've read research about it too. It's supposed to wear off! It's because your brain is in a different mode and prioritising other things, like keeping another little person alive and safe