Baby brain

I've heard it from friends and am experiencing it first hand - "baby brain," the forgetful side-effect of being pregnant. It hasn't effected my work (I hope) but things like forgetting my glasses are on my face, or standing in front of the fridge but forgetting what I went to get are increasing.




CNN posted a study that proves pregnancy does cause memory loss last year. This highlights:


"Henry and her colleague, Dr. Peter Rendell of Melbourne's Australian Catholic University, analyzed 14 studies from around the world that tested the memory performances of more than 1,000 women -- expectant women, mothers and non-pregnant females.



The study, published in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, found that the memory loss can extend up to a year after birth."





On the flip side, Pregnancy Info.net suggests pregnancy can make you smarter:


"How Pregnancy Makes You Smarter:



The StudyA recent study performed at the University of Richmond and Randolph-Macon College in Virginia illustrates that pregnancy brainpower actually doesn’t decline at all during pregnancy. Neuroscientists examined the activities of pregnant mice, rats, and humans and found that all three showed significant increases in mental acuity and memory throughout pregnancy and after giving birth. Specifically, the researchers noticed that the pregnant mice and rats:

• had more energy
• were more curious
• ran mazes more quickly
• retained detailed information for longer periods of time
  
  

Human subjects in the study also showed increased brainpower. Specifically, the pregnant women showed:

• increased visual acuity
• improved sense of smell"