15 benefits of baby brain
By Julia Jones
I used to think baby brain — also known as pregnancy brain, mummy brain, mommy brain or momnesia — was a myth to keep women in the kitchen. Actually, people’s brains do really go through some big changes during pregnancy, but the changes aren’t all bad. In fact, some of them are wonderful!
The science behind baby brain
Baby brain wasn’t studied or understood until fairly recently, and there’s still a lot to learn about this phenomenon.
Thanks to research done by one of the founders of modern neuroscience, we can think of motherhood as an enrichment program. Simply through the process of becoming pregnant, giving birth, and breastfeeding, the brain actually changes. The changes are even visible on a brain scan — a computer algorithm can predict if a person has been pregnant or not.
Studies have shown there are two broad areas of change in a pregnant brain: increased neuroplasticity and increased oxytocin. I often refer to these changes as learning and loving. These are protective, adaptive changes that evolved to make new parents happier, healthier and better at parenting.
Learn more: What causes baby brain?
Here are 15 benefits of baby brain you may not have heard of:
More tolerant of monotony
Baby brain makes mothers more tolerant of monotony and boredom. This is very useful when you are spending the day changing a nappy, feeding a baby, rocking the baby to sleep, over and over again! You can see how being more tolerant of boredom and being able to go with the flow of a monotonous routine might be an adaptive trait for humans.
2. Relaxed and peaceful
Baby brain also makes parents more relaxed, peaceful and introverted. It tends to make people more contemplative and reflective.
3. Triggers the milk ejection reflex
The hormone oxytocin is responsible for the milk ejection reflex. Baby brain is partly caused by an increase in oxytocin, which triggers breastmilk to flow. This is why feeling emotionally unsupported or stressed can have a negative effect on breastfeeding, especially in the early days.
4. Contemplative and in the moment
New mums might not remember what happened an hour ago because it's not relevant anymore; they’re just looking at what's in front of them right now - their baby! This is why it’s important to have a supportive community around pregnant and postpartum people. Someone else can take care of whatever the pregnant person has forgotten, while they focus on the moment.
5. Companionable and improved relationships
Mothers often bond very quickly, not only with their baby but with other friends and family, too. If a new parent is lucky enough to find some really great friends around that time of life (in mothers’ groups, for example), they may have a special connection for life. That's because postpartum brains are wired for building long-term relationships.
6. Balances appetite and increases nutritional uptake
When you are hungry, oxytocin makes you feel less hungry, but when you're full, it makes you feel less full. Oxytocin also improves your body’s ability to draw nutrition from food.
7. Heals wounds
Oxytocin increases wound healing. When a mother might have some scrapes and bruises from birth and the early days of breastfeeding, it is very useful to heal quickly.
8. Preoccupation with baby
Preoccupation with a baby sometimes gets a negative rap. Our culture sometimes ignores the way that motherhood will change us, or portrays it as something bad. I remember feeling like that before I was a mum and one of my friends had a baby. We went out for a coffee and she just kept looking down into the pram and I felt a bit neglected! But from an evolutionary perspective, it’s quite understandable that parents develop this preoccupation with their offspring. It increases the chances of survival for these tiny, vulnerable humans.
Learn why human newborns are so vulnerable in this blog post: Alloparenting: the hunter-gatherer way of caring for babies
9. Increases ambition
This one surprises some people! In our culture, women are sometimes expected to find a sense of purpose only in the role of motherhood. They become mothers and are supposed to forget about everything else that they ever liked, everything else that was important to them. In fact, many parents feel an increased desire to improve the world and some people do that through their parenting, while others might do it through their work. After having babies, some people find they are motivated to write a book or start a business or choose a completely different career path.
10. More efficient
People who are parents become more efficient, and I'm sure many of you who have had children will be able to relate to this. It's amazing how much you can get done when you know your baby's only going to nap for 40 minutes. You might make really good use of 5-minute blocks of time at odd times of day.
11. Multi-tasking
People become better at multitasking when they've been through these parental brain adaptations. They might become more skilled at doing two things at once, such as talking on the phone while they're holding the baby or helping with homework while they're cooking dinner.
12. Empathetic and emotional
Did you know that baby brain makes people more empathetic and emotional? One of the ways I describe this is that the happiness scale gets rearranged. Maybe before you had children, you felt like happiness went from zero to 10. After you have children, it feels like it goes from minus 10 to 20. Suddenly, you feel everything so much more. You might cry at the news or feel more moved by music. You can really picture things from other people's perspective. Obviously, it's a great skill as a parent to be more empathetic and in tune with other people's emotions. It also means that we need more protection around us, in the form of a supportive community.
13. Better at reading non-verbal cues
Baby brain makes us better at reading non-verbal cues, which is great if you've got a non-verbal infant in front of you who's using gestures, facial expressions and cries to tell you what they need. Of course, you're going to need to get better at this when you are a mum!
These skills all translate to the rest of your life as well. Mothers often develop beneficial skills for their workplaces, in leadership roles, in decision making and that sort of thing.
14. Sensory sensitivity
Baby brain makes us more sensitive to senses. One of the most obvious examples of this is how our sense of smell increases when we become pregnant. But this can happen with all of our senses, including taste and hearing. This may be to help us to assess risks and threats in order to care for our babies. We can tell if food's gone bad, we can smell smoke and we can hear if there's danger approaching.
It's there for a good reason, but also can be worthwhile understanding that it's not always a pleasant experience.
15. Sensitivity to threats and ability to assess risk
Parents are excellent at assessing risks, sensing danger and making quick decisions. Have you ever seen a mother or father suddenly whip round and catch their child just before it gets hurt? Maybe parents really do have eyes in the backs of their heads!
How does baby brain feel?
If you've had a baby or been pregnant, you likely recognise some of these feelings. If you work with expectant or new parents (as a postpartum doula, birthworker or other professional), you may like to set realistic expectations for your clients by telling them about these potential experiences.
Living in the moment
Baby brain makes people feel more in the moment, forgetting about the past and the future. This can make it really hard to answer questions about the number of wet nappies and when the baby last fed.
Decreased memory and lower cognitive function
This can be a little worrying at first, but it's only temporary. Your grey matter actually shrinks, but it grows again.
Higher empathy and sensitivity
These are typically considered to be female traits and often derided in our culture. Imagine someone saying, oh, you're so sensitive and hormonal as though that's an insult. Is that is actually a bad thing? Why are we conditioned to think that being more sensitive is negative?
Overwhelming!
Going through these massive brain changes without really knowing what's happening can be a lot. It can feel like you're a different person. You have a different perspective on the world. It changes your priorities, your relationships, even what you enjoy doing. It can be a really big identity shift.
Can postnatal doulas support baby brain?
In our modern society, new mothers have lost the supportive community they could once rely upon. They’re expected to “bounce back” and told to “just get on with it.” Rather than enjoying the natural benefits of "baby brain" and easing into parenthood, many new parents are overwhelmed and trying to manage everything alone. There’s a huge gap between what’s expected of new parents and what postpartum brains and bodies have evolved to expect.
A postpartum care professional can help bridge this gap. Here are some of the ways we train our students to support "baby brain" in the Postpartum Care and Education Program:
Creating a non-judgmental environment that fosters open communication and builds rapport
Educating parents about "baby brain" and offering strategies to embrace it
Assisting parents in evaluating their own mental health
Helping new parents identify and reflect on their support needs
Offering practical and emotional care
Setting realistic expectations for life with a newborn
Providing reassurance that the changes they’re experiencing are normal and beneficial
Referring parents to specialists if additional support is needed
The changes associated with baby brain are entirely normal, and when properly supported, they can lead to beneficial outcomes for both parents and their babies. What would it feel like to live in a world where baby brain was seen as a precious gift?
