It's easier to forget after giving birth, maybe this is a sign of Mommy Brain

After giving birth and becoming a mother, it seems to often forget where to put the car keys, pick up clothesline, people's names, or be careless? The possibility of Mother experiencing a mommy brain condition. The term is often used in women who have just given birth, experience forgetting about many things and tend to be careless. Research has found that women's brains actually experience changes after giving birth. Found long-term structural changes in the brain, at least 2 years.

Mommy Brain Is Normal

MRI scans conducted during the study showed that the changes in the brain of the newborn mother lie in the areas of emotion, motivation, sensory integration, judgment, reason, and appreciation. This change actually makes Mother more sensitive and responsive to baby's needs. Unfortunately, this change also has a negative impact. Mother can be more emotional, especially if you think about your little one continuously. This situation makes the mothers then feel overwhelmed by the responsibilities that must be borne, so that it is suspected to cause the mothers to be easily forgotten. In addition to emotions, the research suggests that the hormone oxytocin, which plays an important role in pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding, makes women tend to ignore bad memories about the experience. This natural response aims to make women only remember the happy things of raising a child and repeating the second child and so on. Meanwhile, other research states that mommy brain is more a process of transitioning a woman into a mother. Like the transition from adolescence to adulthood, the transition of women into mothers also involves physical, hormonal changes, including neurological changes. Positively, mommy brain means that the female brain mentally and emotionally becomes sharper, so that it can better understand baby's expression. So, mommy brain is actually a real, normal, and beneficial thing for Mother to take care of Little One.

How to get around Mommy Brain

Indeed mommy brain will likely cause you to be easily forgotten or out of focus. But, actually there are ways to deal with these conditions so as not excessive and disrupt activities, including by:

• Meet bedtime

Lack of sleep because taking care of children can make Mother more difficult to remember. Because, the brain implants new information during sleep. Taking turns taking care of Little One with her husband or other relatives, can help Mother get enough rest.

• Manage stress well

The challenges in parenting can make Mother stress and the hormone cortisol increase so that it affects the brain's memory center. Instead of busy arranging what should be done or not, try to sit with him and enjoy the activities together.

• Eat healthy food

Eating foods that contain iron, zinc, folic acid, and vitamin B12, play a role in helping strengthen brain memory. Natural sources of iron include lean red meat and nuts. In addition, consume vitamin C to help absorb iron.

• Focus on one activity carried out

Mothers are generally accustomed to multitasking, which is doing many things at the same time. However, research has found that it actually causes a decrease in the quality of short-term memory. Focusing on what you are doing can help you remember more important things.

• Receive various life changes after giving birth

The presence of the baby makes a change in your relationship with your partner, family and friends. In addition, Mother is also still trying to adjust to the role as a mother. Try to accept these things and the reality that is not infrequently different from expectations. For example, when I have to go back to work after giving birth, or when I cannot give exclusive breastfeeding.

In addition, there are several ways you can improve your memory, as well as some tricks to help you remember important things, including keeping track of what needs to be done or what items to buy and sticking it on the refrigerator door, installing an alarm on the cell phone, and doing meditation to help the mind to focus. What should be known, it turns out in the study also found that these brain changes also experienced by fathers. An increase in activity in the amygadala, the part of the brain that responds to emotional processes in the elderly. The more often my father is involved in the care of the Little One, the more brain activity will resemble the Mother. So, no need to be too confused when you forget or are careless after giving birth, Mother. Let's follow the ways to get around the mommy brain above, so that it does not prevent Mother from looking after your child and be productive again after giving birth.