Baby Brain - Fact or Fiction

Baby Brain:
The changing of a woman's cranial capabilities due to procreation

Notes:  Some women are affected during pregnancy, others only once their offspring has made it out into the world.

Clinical research (general consensus of my friends over wine) confirms that this phenomenon is a direct result of sleep deprivation attributed to the creating and raising of offspring.

Wrinkles and drinking habits are also known side effects of both Baby Brain and offspring in general.

Definition courtesy of the Parental Parody Dictionary (First and only edition)

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I recently mentioned Baby Brain in conversation with some friends over lunch.  I was amazed at the different opinions, stories, and the general interest and debate it sparked.

Which then made me think it was worth a separate section of its own on my Blog, where I welcome anyone at all to write a post about their own experience with Baby Brain.

Even if you haven't suffered from it yourself, chances are you know other mothers who have, or have witnessed some really dopey mother type stuff that can only be attributed to Baby Brain.

In my case -

Prior to having Miss5 I was quite the capable adult.  No really.  Seriously.

I had a job where I was not only responsible for my own performance, but that of a number of other staff on various bases around the state.  I supervised monetary expenditure, tracked it, allocated it, approved it - far beyond my own paltry family budget.

This may explain my obsession with stationery.  It is a heady thing to give a girl with a shopping addiction a glossy magazine, and say "go for it...you're in charge...for an entire contract...others will come to you to approve THEIR purchases, let alone whatever catches your eye..." (albeit a stationery catalogue, but you get my drift).

On the flip side, I'm not claiming to have ever been an intellectual powerhouse or genius of any sort.  I do admit to a few (many) people asking more than once (lots) if I was actually a natural blonde who dyed her hair brown (apologies blondes of the world...you already have the most fun, so let me have the jokes, ok?).  I have always said and done some lame, dopey shit (it's just super ultra extra concentrated now).

Anyway. Then I got pregnant.

Then people (mostly wanky males) started joking about "ooooh....when's the baby brain gonna kick in?".

I laughed, what a load of crap - baby brain? No such thing.  A mere myth.

FACT: Baby brain is a real thing

Disclaimer: At least it is for me, otherwise the alternative explanation for my current self means that I am already one foot in the door of an old age nursing home because I must be losing my marbles (and kids, and purse, and car, and house keys, and anything else that can be lost).

I don't know when it hit, but it hit hard and without warning.  I'd forget random little things, the odd appointment or meeting, and some...err...bigger and more important things that I won't put in writing, just in case they may be used against me in a court of law. Or, you know, something like that...

It was a really hard thing to digest.  I'd heard about it before, and now people were joking about it purely because I was pregnant/had a baby - to have to acknowledge that I did in fact suffer from Baby Brain was a bit strange, in all seriousness.  Because I was only thinking of myself as my former self - my capable self.

One minute I could function appropriately - the next I was making jelly molds with an Avon Bra Storage Container (true story - check them out, dopey stupid little plastic containers for bras, that in actual fact make excellent jelly molds - are you listening Martha Stewart?  Hot tip for you right there).

I even had to Google mold as I write this - because I wasn't sure if there was a "u" or not.

I'm still not sure I've got that one right, even with the help of Google.

I have a number of stellar examples of my baby brain in action, which I will post in the next few days.  I just wanted to put this out there in the first instance, and try and gauge reaction.

Are you fed up with people blaming things on this mythical baby brain?

Are you a believer, or experienced with it?

Are you an innocent bystander who has been subjected to it (read: husband/partner and father)?

It's been a hot topic with my friends, and in the interest of opening it up to the world wide web of Mothers - what is your opinion, and how have you experienced Baby Brain?

Please email me if you would like to post on this topic, as I would love to post guest blogs from other Mums - regular blogger's or not, even if you're just a follower.

(Read: Dear God please do not let me be alone in this Baby Brain thing)


A big thank you to Glowless for the fab idea of having a special Blog section for others to contribute to.  She is awesomely funny and deserves credit for getting me started on the idea - so if you don't already know her, please go check her site out (after doing up your Baby Brain post for here, that is).