Mommy Brain: Signs, Causes, & 10 Ways To Cope

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Women experience significant changes in the brain during pregnancy that help prepare them for motherhood. “Mommy brain” has been used to describe the negative changes that women experience after becoming mothers, like brain fog and difficulty focusing, but there are also many positive aspects. Understanding these changes and taking steps to manage mommy brain symptoms can help ease the adjustment.

What Is Mommy Brain?

Mommy brain is a phrase used to refer to the cognitive changes that a new mother experiences after giving birth. Many new mothers describe changes to the way that they think and feel after having children, such as feeling less focused and sharp. Mothers tend to report that their executive functioning, which involves skills like planning, organizing, and maintaining attention, appear to be affected. In fact, more than half of pregnant women report lapses in their thinking and memory since becoming pregnant although the objective testing they performed did not show them to be more impaired compared to never-pregnant women.

While the term “mommy brain” has long been used in jest, studies ...
... have shown that the brain undergoes significant changes during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
10 Ways to Manage Mommy Brain Symptoms

Even though the brain undergoes many adaptive changes during motherhood, you may find yourself more tired, forgetful, and less focused than before you became pregnant. If this is the case, the following tips can help you cope with these changes and decrease the negative effects of them on your life.

Here are ten tips for coping with mommy brain:

1. Give Yourself a Break

Being a mom is hard work and there can be a lot of pressure to be perfect. If you are feeling less focused, it can be tempting to be hard on yourself. However, criticizing yourself is not going to help. Instead, remember that mom brain is a normal experience for many women. Between changes to the brain, hormonal fluctuations, and sleep deprivation, your body and mind are going through a lot and need time to adjust. Remember that this is a temporary stage as your body copes with the adjustment to motherhood.

2. Keep a Notebook Handy

To help deal with forgetfulness, keep a notebook nearby at all times. If an idea pops into your head, like something to pick up from the grocery store or an appointment you forgot to put in your calendar, write it down right away. Now is not the time to rely on mental lists. Your phone can also function as a notebook since it is usually easily accessible. Refer to your notebook often to help you recall information.

3. Rely on To-Do Lists

Create a to-do list whenever you need to remember several items of information. For example, you can create lists for grocery shopping, what chores you need to complete that day, and meal plans for the week. Expecting yourself to remember too much can be stressful and, in some cases, may also set you up for disappointment. Take the pressure off yourself and leave space in your mind available for other things.

4. Get Extra Sleep When You Can

Sleep deprivation and motherhood usually go hand in hand. Unfortunately, lack of sleep is related to higher levels of stress and poorer attention and working memory.4 New mothers describe feeling less productive and having a more difficult time concentrating on work than they did before becoming mothers.1

Getting adequate sleep (i.e. seven to eight hours per night) may be difficult or even impossible with a newborn baby. However, there may be other ways to make up for the lack of sleep that you experience. For example, if your baby is waking up several times throughout the night, you can brainstorm ways to schedule feedings with your partner so that each person is able to get a longer stretch of sleep. You can also try to take naps during the day when you can or simply rest and relax if you cannot fall asleep.

If you are having trouble sleeping despite your baby sleeping, then this may be a sign of insomnia or another sleep disorder. If so, be sure to bring this up with your healthcare provider.

5. Exercise Your Body

Physical exercise is a simple and effective tool to help cope with mommy brain. Studies show that exercise can help improve certain executive functioning skills, like planning and problem solving,5 and also help manage the negative effects of stress.6

Aim to engage in moderate exercise, like running, power walking, swimming, or playing sports, at least three times a week for 30 minutes or more. You can also incorporate your baby into your workouts by running, walking, or hiking with your baby in a stroller or infant carrier, or holding your baby while you do squats, crunches, or other exercises. Be sure to speak with your healthcare provider before starting an exercise regimen after giving birth.

6. Exercise Your Brain

Currently no studies to date have looked at whether brain activities, like crossword puzzles, sudoku, or memory games, can help new mothers improve their executive functioning skills and cope with mom brain. However, engaging in any activity that challenges your thinking or memory may give you more confidence and is a healthy way to have fun and relieve stress. Consider different ways that you can help challenge your brain, whether it is an activity that you have enjoyed in the past or something new.

7. Ask for Help

The demands of motherhood can leave you feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Mothers describe feeling like their minds are going a million miles a minute as they try to keep track of everything. Asking for help and delegating tasks can reduce some of this load, allowing for you to feel less burdened.

When you are feeling tired or overworked, consider asking family or friends for help with household chores, grocery shopping, or childcare. If it is within your budget, you can also choose to hire help. When help is not available, prioritize the tasks that are most important and lower your expectations for what you can get done. Remember that taking care of a child is a full-time job, so what you were able to accomplish before in a day is now different.

8. Take Time to Recharge

Taking time for yourself to relax and recharge is just as important as exercising, managing expectations, and creating lists. You cannot function at your best when you are stressed and overwhelmed. Giving yourself permission to relax can actually benefit you more in the long run, because you will be more focused, alert, and energized, which can help you get more done.

Any activity that is pleasurable and relaxing can help you recharge. If something has worked for you in the past you can try it again. If you are thinking about trying something new, consider mindfulness as a way to relax. Studies show that mindfulness can help decrease stress and improve mood and cognitive functioning. You can practice mindfulness by taking a class, listening to a recording, or simply tuning into your breathing for a few minutes.

Music is another relaxing activity that can help improve brain functioning.8 Listening to music can change the anatomy of the brain’s structure, release endorphins, and relax the limbic system, an area of the brain involved in emotions and memory. Whatever activity you choose, be sure that it feels enjoyable and relaxing.

9. Focus on the Positives

We often notice negative changes in the way that we think and feel, and overlook the positives. When you become a mother, it is easy to focus on how tired, overwhelmed, or distracted you feel. Take note of some of the ways that motherhood has improved you for the better and reference this list often. Remember that motherhood brings with it many advantages.

10. Be Patient

The most important tip for dealing with mommy brain is to be patient. Though motherhood changes the brain in ways that scientists do not yet fully understand, many women report that symptoms like brain fog, distractibility, and fatigue tend to improve over time. You will most likely slowly start to feel better as you adjust to all of the changes that motherhood brings and are able to get more sleep. In the meantime, give yourself permission to lower your expectations, take things easy, and relax and recharge when you can.