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?

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Is Baby Brain All in Your Head?

LilSugar — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 09:00:39 -0800

Think pregnancy has left you with a mind made of mush? Don't be so quick to blame the baby. According to the British Journal of Psychiatry, baby brain – the memory loss and feeling of absentmindedness that many expectant mothers claim to experience –is nothing more than a myth.

Researchers who tracked 1,241 women both before and after pregnancy found that,

Part of the problem is that pregnancy manuals tell women they are likely to experience memory and concentration problems – so women and their partners are primed to attribute any memory lapse to the 'hard to miss' physical sign of pregnancy . . . pregnant women may also shift their focus away from work issues to help them prepare for the birth of their new baby, while new mothers selectively attend to their baby.

There's no question that moms and mamas-to-be have a lot on their minds and trying to juggle it all can be difficult. But try telling a woman who was on top of her game prior to pregnancy that there is no scientific reason that she can't remember why she drove to the grocery store or where she put her cup down. Did you have mush brain after becoming a mommy?

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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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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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.

Natalie Natters To Marie Claire

PopSugarUK — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 05:00:00 -0800

She's been tirelessly promoting her movie The Other Boleyn Girl all over the place lately, but in the middle of the madness Natalie Portman found time to sit down with Marie Claire. When I met her recently it was so clear how intelligent she is, and MC asked her about her Harvard degree – she said,

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"I can be pretentious and talk about books for hours, but I’m not hyper-intellectual or anything. I mean, I like to read, but lots of people do. I’m not the hard, brainy girl at all. I’m really mushy. [Laughs.] I’m much more mush, I think, than anything else!"

Brains, sensitivity and beauty... I'd be hating on her if she wasn't so likeable!!

Geeky Girl We Love: 14 of Gallery of the Absurd

GeekSugar — Tue, 08 May 2007 09:00:56 -0700

There are hundreds of bloggers I admire for their tenacity, drive, humor and innovative ideas, but very few who embody the combination of artistry, sarcasm and wit that 14, the founder of Gallery of the Absurd does.

14, who is an artist first and a blogger second, has wowed the web with what the New York Post called "Portraits of Shame" - as in satirical paintings and drawings of tabloid favorites like Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Tom Cruise and Alec Baldwin. While gossip blogs talked about the Hollywood Skeleton Girls, 14 painted them - as skeletons. When Star Jones got canned from The View following her shameless quest for wedding freebies and the denial and controversy surrounding her dramatic weight loss, 14 painted her as a fish about to sink her teeth into a giant and shiny bite of "free" bait. No matter what the scandal, 14's hauntingly hilarious images seem to begin where tabloids end and her collection, which is archived on Gallery of the Absurd is an addiction in its own right. I recently found out she resides in San Francisco and that she's a major geek. She was gracious enough to let me pick at her brain. For the full interview, read more

Geeksugar: You've said you love the celebrities you paint because they bring you so much joy and laughter. How do you decide when a celebrity moment or trend needs to be immortalized in a painting?
14: The frequency of the celeb's appearance in the blogs and tabloids plus the ridiculousness of the celeb's actions equals my interest in painting them.

Geeksugar: Which celebrities inspire you the most?
14: Celebrities with huge notions of entitlement are my favorites: Tom Cruise and Paris Hilton. I also love painting the public train wrecks: Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Tara Reid. Anyone who causes me laughter is ripe for my pen.

Geeksugar: Is there anyone you wouldn't paint?
14: I focus my attention on tabloid celebrities rather than serious actors/actresses. I've avoided actresses such as Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johanssen because they conduct their private lives with dignity. However, if they became involved in a Paris Hilton-style scandal, they would quickly become candidates for Gallery of the Absurd. Also, I'm scared to draw Oprah...I dunno, just am.

Geeksugar: Tell me a little about the artistic process. I read you use ink, acrylic, pastels and oils on paper or canvas, as well as digital enhancement.
14: First, I make a pencil sketch by turning the reference photo upside down and drawing it that way. Then I dance around in my studio for a bit and then go back to sketching. I'll do several sketches and to save time, I'll often scan the sketch in Illustrator and convert to a vector and then color and layout in Photoshop. Other times I take several days to paint an oil or acrylic. I'm still teaching myself to draw and paint, so I experiment a lot with different mediums and styles. Now I'm teaching myself Flash and am working with some animators on a Gallery of the Absurd cartoon.

Geeksugar: How many hours do you pour into most works?
14: The average time spent on a finished illustration is about 8 hours each. Sketches with digital color take less time and paintings can take up to a week.

Geeksugar: Do you use a PC or Mac?
14: MAC only. A PC would never enter my studio.

Geeksugar: What non-celebrity websites do you read everyday?
14: I visit art blogs such as Drawn!, I read "alternative" news sites such as a Rense.com and Alternet.org, a few political blogs and...I redden as I type this...I read UFO blogs and paranormal news sites. Blush.

Geeksugar: What are your guilty pleasure TV shows?
14: I really hate TV and can't keep my attention focused on it for very long, but shows such as The Office, Entourage and Wife Swap snagged me in their net and I'm a little pissed about it.

Geeksugar: What do you snack on while working?
14: Raw almonds, strawberries, and olives...but not all at the same time.

Geeksugar: I define about 60 percent of your "interests" as geeky (that's a plus in my book). Do you consider yourself a geek?
14: I am a major geek and I wear it as a badge of honor. I devour a wide range of non-fiction books weekly and enjoy taking things apart and fixing them without the use of directions. I find enjoyment in both a hardware store as well as Sephora.

Geeksugar: I read you have a huge crush on Stephen Colbert. Who do you think is the sexiest geek ever?
14: When I watched Stephen Colbert speak to Bush at the White House Correspondents Dinner, I immediately fell in love. Geeky men with balls and razor wit turn me into mush and make my heart go a'flutter. I'm sure there's other sexxay geeks out there, but I can't think of one now.

Geeksugar: What are some of your other hobbies when you're not painting and creating art?
14: Hiking, people watching, gardening, ufo investigation, yoga, rabble rousing.

Geeksugar: Are you going to buy an iPhone?
14: No, but maybe someone will buy one for me.

Geeksugar: Do you listen to music while you paint, and if so, who are you listening to these days?
14: All the time! Lately I've been listening to The Residents, The The, Amon Tobin, Manu Chau, Sufi music, Mozart and some weird crystal bowl healing stuff that is supposed to "raise your vibrations," but so far I've not noticed anything different.

Geeksugar: Tell us more about your background, how you got started as a blogger and what you've learned from it.
14: My background is in high-tech marketing and public relations, but I quit 7 years ago because I was having more fun drawing my bizarro co-workers than writing marketing plans. After that, I became a free-lance art curator and artist and created several multimedia art shows and events. A sudden move from Seattle to Los Angeles turned my life upside down, so I started Gallery of the Absurd to cope with not knowing anyone in a new town. Now it's my job and I looooove blogging. Who cares if I don't make as much money as when I had to market software? I'm far happier and free now.

Geeksugar: Any celebrity you are dying to meet?
14: I'd love to meet George Lucas. I have so much admiration for him and they way he brought his imagination to life. I'm not so much a Star Wars fan, but I am a fan of Lucas himself. Most of the tabloid celebs I draw don't really fascinate me that much and I'd likely not take notice of them unless they were acting like clowns. I'd love to be invisible and follow Tom Cruise around for 24 hours just to see the full spectrum of whackiness he'd reveal. Maybe it would be fun to have a drink with Courtney Love too.

Geeksugar: What are some of your favorite places in the San Francisco?
14: One of my favorite hobbies is people watching and this city has the BEST! I put on dark glasses and trek miles all around this fine city and am entertained for hours. I also spend lots of time at the SF Botanical Garden, Land's End, and Sutro Park. I love the lychee cocktails at Cafe Claude and the dark chocolate salted caramels from Recchiuti.

14's prints are available for sale on Gallery of the Absurd. Check out more interviews with Geeky Girls We Love.