I can still remember sitting before some 25 students in the editing class I was teaching when one of those students raised his hand to ask a question. It was the simplest of questions – any editor would have been able to answer it in a split second. But I was seven-months pregnant with my first child and I just sat there staring back at him, unable to respond.
I had pregnancy brain. And it was bad.
Although according to one study our brains do not cognitively change before, during or after pregnancy, another found that almost 80 percent of pregnant women experience some sort of brain mush. The memory impairment may be due to short-term stress (IE, getting everything organized – from doctor’s visits to nursery decor to maternity leave benefits – on top of your day-to-day commitments) and/or the hormones progesterone and estrogen, which rocket us into a fuzzy state of mind.
To boost brain power, try:
- Getting more sleep
- Fitting in more exercise
- Drinking lots of water
- Compiling lists so you don’t have to remember everything
- Adjusting your schedule so you don’t take on too much at any one time
- Eating lots of fruits and veggies
Above all, keep a brave face. Another student came up to me after that horrifying class and smiled. “I’m having a difficult time, too,” she said. She was six-months pregnant.
Image: Ronaldo Taveira, stock.xchng
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