Mommy Brain:
New Mom Forgetfulness

Carley,

What is the deal with Mommy Brain?! Why can’t I keep a thought in my head, or even get dressed without putting on two different color socks! It’s so embarrassing. Things that used to be so easy now require so much more time and energy. I didn’t know becoming a mom brought on such severe brain fog!

Joele

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Joele -

Ah yes, it’s a little discussed fact that after you become a mom, you lose a few of your marbles! You find yourself at the grocery store with no grocery list, you forget to call the plumber three days in a row, and somehow the diaper bag has... no diapers.

I have found that the problem is not our neurology, but our expectations. I have yet to meet a mom who doesn’t expect to maintain - or increase - her level of productivity after becoming a mom, failing to take into account the enormous increase in her workload. Not to mention the general noise level, sleep deprivation, and distractibility factors that make getting things done relatively impossible!

It takes time and cunning to adjust to the mental, physical, and emotional energy that raising children requires of us. The first step is acknowledging that your life is forever changed, so the techniques and systems have to change too. All the ninja moms I know rely on their brain as little as possible. In other words, they make lots and lots of to-do lists and keep notepads for “thought capture” everywhere they go: in the diaper bag, in the car, on the nightstand for those right-before-you-drift-off thoughts. The more you get things out of your head (bake cookies for play date... ask pediatrician about weird rash... send birthday card to mother-in-law...), the more relaxed and focused you are.

Lastly, I find it helpful to acknowledge all the things that I do accomplish during the day, rather than beat myself up about what doesn’t get done. We accomplish way more in a day than we think we do, and when you’ve left the house for the third time without the Netflix DVDs, it’s nice to remember all that you are doing well in spite of your “Momnesia.”