Momnesia

Momnesia is real. I laughed at the idea when I first got pregnant... "there's no such thing as pregnancy brain" I thought. But I didn't dare tell that to any pregnant friend or mother. Around 4 months, I found out it was true. And it got worse and worse. And now that Nathanael is here, its really bad. There's good reason for the term "momnesia".

Here are some of my experiences lately...

...more times than I could count, I have fed Nathan, turned to clean up or answer the phone and returned with a bottle to feed Nathan. Then I discover I just fed him!

...my mom was visiting... she was holding Nathan and had a baby blanket draped over her as a drool sheild. I looked at my mom and thought "wow, Nathan has a baby blanket in the very same pattern of my mom's shirt" I didn't say it out loud, I might offend her. It's a cute pattern for a baby blanket, but not for a woman's shirt! But then I finally saw, it was a blanket after all!

...I was at our Awana kick off, and had given Nathan to a friend to watch and feed while I worked. A little while into the event, I was talking to that same friend. 5 minutes into our conversation it dawned on me... she didn't have Nathan. Where was he??? I felt terrible that I'd forgotten about him (dont worry, he was fine and in the arms of another friend).

...I've forgotten to put deoderant on some days.

...On a couple of occassions, I've put Nathan in his bouncey seat or on the floor mat, and turned to go do a load of laundry. I return, look at the boppy pillow that he's often laying on, and panic. Where's Nathan? I search the floor and panic more. He's not there! My mind goes so quickly that the thought actually occurs to me that maybe he crawled away (at 2 months old??!?, yeah right!) Then I finally see him, happy as could be in his seat or on the mat.

...at least twice I've gotten through an entire day only to realize I never showered.

...the other day I took a shower and when I turned off the water, I worried that I hadn't done anything but wash my hair. I still couldn't tell you if I washed up or not... how is that??

...I came home from work the other day with a green foot. I still have no idea how it got covered in green paint!!

...On a number of occassions, Jacob will be holding Nathan and Nathan gets fussy. I'll catch myself - on the clear other side of the house - going "shhhhh" quietly. Maybe I'm trying to calm myself down...

...I went to Hollywild Animal Park with a friend and saw a sign that pointed the way to different things. One thing listed was "animal feed and baby bottles." I thought to myself "wow, a lot of young children must come here, thats nice that they offer bottles for moms who might not have one." I went about the day thinging nothing else of that sign, until I saw a 3 year old bottle feeding a baby goat in the petting area. "animal feed and baby bottles" for sale were for the animals... not the infant guests. Good thing I didn't make a fool of myself and try to buy one!! Sad thing is, I'd been to Hollywild before and seen kids buy bottles for the baby animals!

...I forgot how old my son is. Yes, I lost track. I honestly can't remember. The other day a lady asked me how old Nathan was and I said "10 weeks... well... maybe 11. Could be 12. He's about 2 1/2 months." She laughed at me and told me to go home and sleep. She said she'd never met a mom who didn't know how old her child was. I looked it up today. He's 10 weeks old. We'll see how long I can keep track now without rechecking the calendar.

Those are just some of the funnier things that I can remember. I'm sure there are more that I already forgot.

So I googled "momnesia" and found an interesting study that suggests new mothers' brains are changing rapidly. New areas of the brain are beginning to be used and that causes some "short circuits" as the brain gets use to using both the old and new areas. The author had the guts to suggest that this is the perfect time for a woman to go back to school or start learning a new hobby because the brain is growing so quickly. Um... great idea, but with what time?!?

Its nice to know there's some science behind the forgetfulness. But I like my husband's theory best. Jacob says that its the growth of the "eyes in the back of the head" that all moms get. In order for those eyes to grow, the brain has to give up something else. For me its memory, clarity of thought and often the ability to effectively communicate. I guess that leaves me with four eyes and an adorable son. I can live with that :)

On an unrelated topic... My friend, Amy, took some new pictures of Nathan this week - just his face. Here are some. I've also posted some older ones in the first post of this blog. Amy's opening up her photography business, "Blessings", soon. Pass the word!