What Is Baby Brain?
Are you pregnant or recently given birth and finding yourself more forgetful, maybe you struggle to find the right word or find it hard to concentrate? It could be the weird and wonderful phenonom known as Baby Brain.
Firstly, rest assured you are not losing your mind! There is so much going on in your body and mind, something has to give and unfortunately in this case it's your ability to concentrate, or remember why you came upstairs...
Let's have a look at some of the potential reasons why:
1. Sleep Deprivation: First up on our list of culprits is the Sleep Goblin. Baby brain often starts with those restless nights. When you're up at 3 AM trying to figure out why your baby won't sleep, it's no wonder that concentration becomes as elusive as a rainbow-colored unicorn. There's a reason sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture! Lack of sleep has been found to lower our alertness and ability to focus, you're also likely to be easily confused and struggle to think logically.
2. Hormones: Pregnancy hormones are like an overenthusiastic marching band in your brain as the levels of progesterone and estrogen rise there is evidence to suggets they affect our ability to recall and concentrate.
3. Multi-tasking Mayhem: There is a lot to think about when you are bringing a little human into the world. Which pushchair is the best? Which car seat is safest, how many baby grows do I need? The list goes on, all these lists and questions filling your head alongside the tiredness and hormones it's no wonder you can't remember where the car keys are or understand why your purse is in the fridge!
So, can we do anything to help ourselves out?
Yes, well sort of!
Rest as much as you can, this doesn't necessarily mean a 2 hour nap, it could be meditation or sitting quietly reading a book or just enjoying a cup of tea. I don't know if you need to hear this, but watching TV or scrolling on your phone is not rest! Your brain is being bombarded with information and leading you down little rabbit holes of watching videos of kittens dressed up as babies. All this adds to the noise in our minds and is likely taking the place in our brains of a piece of information we actually need!
Nourish yourself, eat well and drink plenty of water. I appreciate this can be a difficult one if your battling sickness and nausea, so just eat and drink what you can when you can.
Ask for help. Possibly the most difficult thing I've suggested, but asking for help is so important. Write down your 'To Buy/To Do' lists and ask your partner/friends/family to help. Chances are they'll be thrilled to help, everyone loves preparing for a baby!
Don't be alarmed when/if you don't go back to 'normal' as soon as baby is here. the sleep deprivation will likely get worse before it gets better, your hormones plummet after birth and you've got a tiny baby to look after all while healing yourself.
Be kind to yourself, you're doing great.
Are you pregnant or had a baby and looking for yoga or hypnobirthing classes?
Check out my timetable of pregnancy and postnatal yoga classes in Sutton Coldfield and join us!
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