The fine people at WebMD define pregnancy brain (or momnesia) as a "deficit in memory" that occurs during pregnancy. There are several reasons for this phenomenon, including lack of sleep (check), priority changes (check) and of course the raging hormones that marinate the brain of a pregnant woman on a daily basis (oh lordy check!).
I've heard of, and seen this in some of my pregnant friends, having a little giggle at their stories of misplaced remote controls and milk cartons. Now that I'm experiencing it myself, I'd like to take back those giggles and replace them with hugs. Oh ladies, I am so, so sorry!
From here I could begin a list of the things that I have misplaced, found, misplaced again and in some cases lost forever but I could seriously go on for hours - in the meantime forgetting what I'm writing about and giving up in frustration. So for my sanity, and yours good reader, I will stick to one item.
My Keys.
Yes, that is a picture of my keys in the cat food dish.
My keys have also appeared under sofa cushions, in kitchen cupboards, been rescued from the washing machine an the refrigerator. We've had a neighbour knock on the door to tell me that I'd left them in the lock, and a pizza delivery guy hand them to me along with the medium that we'd ordered.
Twice now I've left the key to Scoopy Doo in the ignition. Once while I was inside a book store and the second time for the entire day while I was at work. Bless the honesty of Japanese people! As a side note, last night I did remember to remove the key from the ignition but then proceeded to go from the parking lot to the elevator, from the elevator to our apartment and was safely deposited in the entrance before I realized that I was still wearing my helmet. Oh the shame.
In the beginning these little slips made me laugh but now I'm getting worried. Believe it or not, the actual volume of a pregnant woman's brain cells DECREASE during the third trimester! Does this mean that pregnancy will have left me not only with stretch marks, but also mentally deficient!?
If I can't keep track of a simple thing like my keys, how am I supposed to keep track of a human? I have nightmares of watching my child rolling down a giant hill in their stroller because I've forgotten to put on the breaks. Or seeing them wave 'bye-bye' to mommy as the train departs the station and I'm stuck on the platform.
Luckily, my research into pregnancy brain has confirmed that a few months after giving birth, my brain cells will plump back up and I will return to my usual self.
Sigh of relief.
In the mean time, in case you were wondering, here's where the cat food went while keys were in the dish...
I've heard of, and seen this in some of my pregnant friends, having a little giggle at their stories of misplaced remote controls and milk cartons. Now that I'm experiencing it myself, I'd like to take back those giggles and replace them with hugs. Oh ladies, I am so, so sorry!
From here I could begin a list of the things that I have misplaced, found, misplaced again and in some cases lost forever but I could seriously go on for hours - in the meantime forgetting what I'm writing about and giving up in frustration. So for my sanity, and yours good reader, I will stick to one item.
My Keys.
My keys have also appeared under sofa cushions, in kitchen cupboards, been rescued from the washing machine an the refrigerator. We've had a neighbour knock on the door to tell me that I'd left them in the lock, and a pizza delivery guy hand them to me along with the medium that we'd ordered.
Twice now I've left the key to Scoopy Doo in the ignition. Once while I was inside a book store and the second time for the entire day while I was at work. Bless the honesty of Japanese people! As a side note, last night I did remember to remove the key from the ignition but then proceeded to go from the parking lot to the elevator, from the elevator to our apartment and was safely deposited in the entrance before I realized that I was still wearing my helmet. Oh the shame.
In the beginning these little slips made me laugh but now I'm getting worried. Believe it or not, the actual volume of a pregnant woman's brain cells DECREASE during the third trimester! Does this mean that pregnancy will have left me not only with stretch marks, but also mentally deficient!?
If I can't keep track of a simple thing like my keys, how am I supposed to keep track of a human? I have nightmares of watching my child rolling down a giant hill in their stroller because I've forgotten to put on the breaks. Or seeing them wave 'bye-bye' to mommy as the train departs the station and I'm stuck on the platform.
Luckily, my research into pregnancy brain has confirmed that a few months after giving birth, my brain cells will plump back up and I will return to my usual self.
Sigh of relief.
In the mean time, in case you were wondering, here's where the cat food went while keys were in the dish...
Oh lady, I'm nearly two and a half years past being pregnant and sometimes I still wonder if I've always been like this or if I'm still not fully recovered.
ReplyDeleteEek! That is worrying.
DeleteYes let me also warn you that whilst 'pregnancy brain' disappears, 'baby brain' and sleep deprivation will make you more mental than ever. I remember several occasions where i caught myself wandering into the kitchen and putting dirty disposable nappies in the washing machine and sicky baby clothes in the oven. Do not attempt to multi-task in the weeks after childbirth, it will end in disaster! Plus, When i left my cash card in the ATM it brought me to tears.
ReplyDeleteOh G, the idea of becoming even more mental is a very scary one. I am not very good at doing one things at a time...guess I should start practicing now!
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