Soapbox Neuroscience

‘Mommy brain’ doesn’t capture how the brain transforms during pregnancy

Pregnancy quickly reorganizes the brain to respond to infants, researchers have found

A photo of a woman sitting on a couch and holding a baby while she talks on the phone and types one handed on a laptop.

The maternal brain doesn’t get the credit it deserves for the new skills it quickly learns in order to care for a new baby, neuroscientists argue.

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By Aimee Cunningham

Pregnancy shrinks parts of the brain. That sounds bad. Throw in the forgetfulness and fogginess, or “momnesia,” that many moms report, and what’s left is the notion that for the brain, the transition to motherhood is a net loss.