Momnesia: It's Real!

 Momnesia: Pregnant and Losing my Mind

Momnesia. Yes this is a thing. If you are pregnant or have been pregnant, you know exactly what I am talking about. If it wasn’t hard enough dealing with the constant changes of your body, you now have to deal with “Pregnancy Brain”.  This isn’t just your common forgetting were you put your keys, while they are comfortably resting in your hand. I can let our dogs out then five minutes later get up to let them out again, and repeat this five more times. It reminds me of the Modern Family episode where Gloria is pregnant and dealing with “Pregnancy Brain” and almost gets out of the car before they come to a stop. It’s almost like my brain has gone on vacation and my body is just going through the motions.

What causes it: Many experts have blamed the sluggish brain to the upheaval of hormones that I  

personally think the overwhelming thoughts of parenting also contribute, especially for first time mothers. You are gathering so much information and planning for such a large change that your mind is overwhelmed by all your thoughts and the amount of new information being processed.
happens during and after childbirth. But Shannon Seip, the co-author of Momnesia, thinks sleep deprivation can be just as much a contributing factor.

How long does it last: I have read that research shows your Momnesia can last up to a year after you have your bundle of joy. However, from my experience it fades away after you adjust to your new life and your hormones calm down. During my first two pregnancies my Momnesia went away about 3-4 months postpartum. So don’t worry you will get your grove back and you will be better than ever!

How to deal with it now: Try not to let it bother you too much. Unfortunately, it just comes with the territory of being pregnant. I find it better to laugh it off and take advantage of the pregnancy excuse while it lasts. After everything is said and done you will look back and laugh at the things you did while you were pregnant. After all they can make good stories to write in the baby book.