Brain remodeling 101

Have you heard the phrase “Mom Brain”? If you’ve been a pregnant woman or have been married or related to one, you’ve probably heard it, said it, or both.

Most people use the phrase “Mom Brain” to explain why a pregnant woman or a new mom is scatterbrained, foggy or forgetful. No one uses the term to describe someone at the top of her game, which is why many moms don’t like it.

But it turns out that having a mom brain is far more complex than we ever realized. This week I read an article on the University of California at Santa Barbara website about a recently published study documenting the “trajectory of brain changes” during pregnancy and the early years of parenting.

Researchers started scanning the brain of a first-time mom before she conceived, during the pregnancy, and for two years after her baby’s arrival. This had never been done before, and the pictures tell a fascinating story.

Brain scans showed that the woman’s “gray matter” decreased during the surge of hormone production during pregnancy. But wait! This doesn’t mean that the baby sucked the smarts right out of the brain. In fact, it’s just the opposite.

While gray matter might get the splashy headlines, there’s another brain matter to discuss. Those same brain scans also showed that pregnancy brought on “prominent increases in white matter.”

For those of us who aren’t brain scientists, here’s a simple explanation of how gray matter and white matter are different. The gray matter is the wrinkly stuff on the outside of the brain that we’ve all seen in drawings. Its job is to help us process thoughts, emotions, memories, and control movements.

White matter is located much deeper than gray matter. (Think of it as the creamy white center of a brain-shaped Cadbury egg.) White matter has its own specialties, including learning, balancing, and responding to different situations with appropriate feelings and behavior. It also serves as the cable company for gray matter – connecting the brain’s various regions and relaying all the signals. Without white matter, gray matter is like a fancy smartphone without a cell tower.

Researchers believe the changes in gray matter and white matter show how the brain was “fine-tuning” itself during pregnancy to help prepare for the monumental job of parenthood. Scientists say adoptive parents also experience physical brain changes because intense caregiving changes us in such fundamental ways.

This new study shows that not only is pregnancy a full-body metamorphosis, it’s a full-brain event, too. Share this information with all your pregnant friends and new parents because no one should have to feel crazy when she can’t remember where she parked at Walmart – especially when she desperately needs to pee. Tell her that her brain is in the midst of a 40-week remodeling project. Things are bound to get a little messy.

If you or someone you know is currently living with Mom Brain, you can help. The best treatment for this condition includes regular naps, great meals, and ice cream on demand. The fancy brain scientists didn’t say that, but my thrice-remodeled brain knows it’s true.

To all the mamas in the making, whether it be through pregnancy or adoption, I’m so happy you have the opportunity to be at the center of a miracle. May your marvelous mind prepare you for an incredible, life-changing journey.

Gwen Rockwood is a syndicated freelance columnist. Email her at gwenrockwood5@gmail.com. Her book is available on Amazon.