LilSugar

Study Reports Maternity Memory Loss

babysugar — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 06:00:27 -0800

A while back I wrote about having mush brain when I was pregnant. Now there is scientific evidence to show I wasn't alone.

A new Australian study published in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, found that pregnant women experience memory loss during pregnancy and it often lingers after the birth.

To learn about the researchers' findings, read more.

One of the Australian researchers behind the study, Dr. Julie Henry said:

What we found is that memory tasks which are more challenging or more novel, or those that would require multitasking -- these types of tasks are likely to be disrupted. For example, a pregnant woman is more likely to forget a new telephone number, but she is able to recall a number she has dialed many times before.

While the researchers don't know what causes the lapse in memory, there are a few theories. One is that pregnant or new mamas are typically dealing with a significant hormonal change. Some believe it's the lack of sleep that expectant women and new mums experience. Others question whether the new lifestyle has caused the brain's focus to shift.

The study evaluated 14 reports that measured the memory performance of more than 1,000 women – mothers, pregnant women and non–pregnant women from various countries and cultures.

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Why Didn't Anybody Tell Me?: Mush Brain

babysugar — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 05:00:00 -0800

I thought I was a "with–it" kind of girl before I got pregnant. I used to be on time, scheduled and for the most part, organized. Then it happened - I got pregnant and I got mush brain. I heard people allude to memory loss but thought it was a myth and that I would be immune to it. I was wrong - so very wrong.

Being "with child" for me translated into "without brain". I couldn't remember lunch dates that I had confirmed or even the question someone asked me two seconds previous. I was invited to parties and responded, then claimed to have hurt feelings because I was left off the party list. Thank goodness my friends took notice and had pity on me rather than getting mad at me for being so forgetful and rude.

My mom and I were having dinner one night when I was about seven months pregnant and took a break from our conversation to take a bite of our meals. Not two minutes passed before we both looked at each other dumbfounded by what we had just been talking about. I am afraid of what will happen with pregnancy number two. Will I get more flighty with each pregnancy? It's at times like this when I really start to understand my mother.

What did I just say?

Source

10 iPhone Apps For New Moms

LilSugar — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:00:51 -0700

Say goodbye to mush brain with a lil help from your smart phone! The fog in which many new moms find themselves after their baby's birth can leave them trying to remember when they last nursed or how often their tot is soiling diapers. There are quite a few new iPhone applications designed expressly for keeping track of these things. Check out some of our favorite apps that give new parents peace of mind.

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Mommy's Lil Helper: Baby Brain iPhone App

babysugar — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 08:00:58 -0700

Many new moms liken their introduction into motherhood to wading through a fog. I didn't see through the thickness until my daughter was about 6-weeks-old and even then, I still had mush brain. Like most first time mothers, I frantically tracked her nursing habits, diaper changes and nap times because I knew I would forget the schedule moments later.

Mother Jackie Ashton had the same problem, but used it to her advantage and created Baby Brain. The $5 iPhone application may be the end-all-be-all of newborn note taking as it allows parents to add as many children as they want (perfect for multiples) and keeps tabs on which breast was "served" or how many ounces were consumed from a bottle. In addition to feedings, Baby Brain will track naps and diaper changes, too. Why not just use a pen and paper you say? To find out, read more.

By entering all of baby's bodily habits into Baby Brain, parents are logging important information that can be tabulated for further analysis and can even be sent to inquiring parties - something my nosy hubby would have appreciated. Moms and pops administering medicine and taking temperatures of sick babes can slip that information onto their phone as well. When the pediatrician questions the parents, they can send it off to the doc in one quick motion. Additionally, the application can analyze days, weeks or months of information to find out how much snoozing a babe is doing in a day and how many feedings (or ounces) they are consuming, lending a hand to moms trying to get baby on a definitive schedule.

When mommy's brain has turned to mush, it's good to know someone, or something rather, is there to fill in the gaps.

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Texts and Tunes: Summer Reading

babysugar — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 05:00:43 -0700

Ice cream and wet grass turn to mush in the summertime, but there's no need to add your child's brain to the list. Encourage them to soak up some good reads during the school free months. Make the break a page turner by taking a family outing to your local library to pick up a selection of stories. Reading will build a child's vocabulary, improve their spelling and fuel their imaginative side. Click Start Slideshow to see what an elementary school teacher recommends for young readers.

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Share Your Mommy Stories!

babysugar — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 08:07:00 -0700

Being a mother is my greatest joy. It's taught me unconditional love, patience, humility and not to sweat the small stuff. While most of my parenting style is instinctual or based on my role models' behaviors, I still have, "Why didn't anybody tell me?!" moments.

No one ever told me being a mother would entail having crazy dreams, cleaning poop from the bathtub, mastitis or night sweats. And they certainly didn't tell me I'd suffer mush brain for real.

Of course, knowing I'm not alone and these experience are just part of motherhood and allow me the joy of watching my daughter grow makes it all worthwhile. So dear readers, I ask you to share your funny, wild and crazy stories (you know you have them!) about the things you didn't expect. Just join the Why Didn't Anybody Tell Me group and share your tales. I promise not to judge.