Memory Loss During Pregnancy

LOL... I nursed both my boys and I have been a hands-down believer that when you nurse your children, they literally suck the brains right outta ya!

It's totally normal... trust me on this one... if you remember how to get it BACK... e-mail me! :) Otherwise, no one will look at ya funny here... we're all in the same boat. I have a funny to post about it... Enjoy:

A. A. A. D. D. - Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder

This is how it manifests:

I decide to water my garden.

As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my GMC and decide it needs washing.

As I start toward the garage, I notice that there is mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mailbox earlier.

I decide to go through the mail before I wash the GMC. I lay the coach keys down on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first.

But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my checkbook off the table, and see that there is only one check left.

My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Coke that I had been drinking.

I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I don't
accidentally knock it over. I see that the Coke is getting warm, and I decide I should put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye--they need to be watered.

I set the Coke down on the counter, and I discover my reading glasses that I've been
searching for all morning.

I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers.

I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table.

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I will be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers. I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor.

So, I set the remote back down on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.

Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:

* the GMC isn't washed
* the bills aren't paid
* there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter
* the flowers don't have enough water
* there is still only one check in my check book
* I can't find the remote
* I can't find my glasses
* I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really tired. I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.

3 moms found this helpful

Welcoemt o motherhood!!! It happens to all of us. I wish I could say it gets better, but it my experience it doesn't. I used to have the memory of an elephant, but not anymore. It does get frustrating, but you get used to it. hang in there!!! :-)

1 mom found this helpful

I think it's VERY normal!!! with my second pregnancy I lost my car at the mall because I couldn't remember where I parked!!!

Oh My God A.,
I laughed at your post b/c I experience the SAME thing! I think it's motherhood and for me at least it's being 42 years old. I had my first child just shy of turning 39 and my 2nd when just after tuning 40. I feel like it's all going down hill. I forget all kinds of things like sending diapers/wipes to day care. The teacher must think I'm an idiot or bad mother or both. I do use my calendar feature on my email, I have a family calendar in the kitchen to help. And I try not to beat myself up when I forget things and just laugh. On a side note, I have friends that don't have kids and they experience the same thing. My one friend circles the block everyday and drives by her house to make sure she had put down the garage door! I think we are all busy and this is a side affect of it. Hang in there.

A. you've just described what I've been experiencing since I was pregnant with my twins and since having them. I was a classroom teacher, prided myself on being 'quick' and able to retain lots of information. I'm a huge bookworm and was on the Dean's List and President's List in college. Today, I feel like a huge dope. I forget things quickly. I do things and don't remember that I did or said them. I use a daily journal for important stuff so I can help my recall 'button'. Especially since my twins are on meds right now and I have to remember the doses and times. I also believe this is normal for moms.

I suggest a couple of things:
1) Tell your doc just in case it's something else.
2) Use a daily journal or log to help you remember important stuff
3) Take some Omega supps. I heard Dr. Oz on Oprah last week mention that the reason moms feel depressed and 'dumb' is because pregnancy and the baby depelete our Omega storage. I've started this supp this week.

Hang in there!
Mama to 2yo twins

I am with you on this. I came back to my house 3 times after leaving because I kept forget things that we needed and when I got home I forgot what I came back for. I have started keeping list for shopping and I either forget it at the house or in the car. And I am not about to unload the cart and take all 3 of my girls back to the car for the list so if we get most of the things I am fine.

Just wanted to add that when you do make it to the doctor, have them check your thyroid. Pregnancy really messes with your thyroid sometimes, and "brain fog" is definitely a symptom. Difficulty losing weight, depression, being cold (although I do not have that symptom), heavy periods, andlots of others can be symptoms of post pardom hypothyroidism. Check it out, you can get on a prescription to help out, and you will feel better. But, yes, as the others say, it is also part of being a mom, we still have to worry about the stuff we did pre-baby, but we ahve also added the resposiliy of a whole other persons life to our list! Good luck! ~A.~

WOW! I am so glad you posted this, It happened w/my youngest. I thought I was losing my mind, Now I am glad I am not alone..

Good Luck

I recently saw a piece on 20/20 about this. Women lose 8% brain power throughout pregnancy and do not regain until the baby is at least 6 months of age. My baby girl is just now turning 6 months and I am finally starting to feel less forgetfull and ditzy. HA!

Hugs to you. I know it's not what you want to hear, but I think I lost brain cells with both of mine! And I don't think mine ever came back!!! I joke with friends that with each child, you lose a little more brain cells. Not sure if you stay home or not. I did for 7 y ears and I could not have lived without my daytimer and lists around the house. And the older you are having kids, the worse it is.

Hang in there. You will get into a good routine and that helps too. I have noticed that now that I'm back at work (been back since February), things still are not quite the same, but almost there in the memory department.

Hugs to you!

Yes, this is called "mommy brain" where mommies forget what they are talking about midsentence. Then as others have mentioned, combine mommy brain with sleep deprevation, and you really cannot remember anything. It gets better, and is totally normal, but totally annoying. Keep a notebook on hand and write everything down. I had to write down all my infant daughter's bottles for months because I couldn't remember when I fed her last. Take care!

Yes. Most women struggle with forgetfullness when they are prego and after they have the baby. I got a book called "what to expect when your expecting" when I was prego, and I looked it up because I kept forgetting stuff. It is a somewhat hormonal, but the extreme changes in your environment cause you to be somewhat "scatter brained". They say it goes away, my duaghter is three now, I think I just learned to deal with it lol!

Hi, A.. You are definitely not alone. I thought I was the only one among my friends who was going nuts since I was so forgetful. Now that daughter is three years old have I regained my sharp memory.

Pls. go to your doctor because only he/she can give you good/sound medical advice.

Very normal. During both of my pregnancies I got like that and did not feel myself returning to somewhat normal until after about 6 months after delivery. Lists!!! I make myself lists of the things I need to do and sometimes I even type them up and email them to myself. I call my home phone from my cell and leave myself messages. So my two funiest memory loos moments that we often talk about are:

1. First time pregnant-we were sitting down eating and i kept asking my husband how his hamburger was. He would say "Good". I must have asked about 10 times while we were eating. The next time I started doing that during dinner, he started changing his answer to mess with me. He must have changed his answer 4 times before I caught on.

2. Second time pregnant-My husban would leave for work, kiss me goodbye and then kiss our son goodbye. After he kissed my son he grabbed his stuff and started to the door. I would yell at him because I did not get a goodbye kiss. When I am the one he kisses first every morning.

FYI...during my first pregnancy I never could remember if I took my bloodpressure pills and viatamins. I would start doing weird things to give me a sign that I had or hadn't taken them. Then I would forget my little hints and start telling my hubby when I took them or ask him if I had taken them yet or not. He went out and bouth me a pill organizer...at 26 I felt like I had just turned 62. Now, at almost 29, I still use that stupid pill organizer and couldn't live without it.

But, all in all, it does get a little better!

My youngest is 19 months and I feel like I just got my brain back. Memory loss was the first thing I noticed when I was pregnant with my first. I came out of Wal-mart and had no idea where I'd parked my car. It was the first thing I noticed with my second too (hadn't even taken the pg test yet when it happend. I knew immediately why!!). It's been a couple months since I lost the car, so I figure I'm nearly "healed."

LOL!!!

I don't think it's age because I had mine starting from 20 to 23. And each one I had memory loss. The son the middle child I had the worst memory lost with him because of complications.

As you have read you are not alone at all. Your memory will come back. But remember that some days at first you will have it and then the next day it will be gone.

Find a system that works for you to help you rememebr things. This also helps that you have a supportive husband and/or family members to help you remember things. I loved my bulletion board with half dry easer side and the peg board side. That was my life saver for the first few years. I also used the calender and to list on my computer beacuse I have my own home business so I am always on the computer. These functions will give you pop ups reminders and display your calender day for you.

Just take baby steps and that it is one day at a time at first! Please have a wonderful day today!!!

Oh my God, I'm sooo glad you posted this, because I thought I was the only one! I feel normal again hahaha.

A.,

One thing I didn't notice in the responses is, lack of sleep. My kids are 3 and 5 years, and I still have memory loss every once in a while. It all goes back to not getting enough rest:)

Everything changes after the first child. Not only did I have a plethera of physical changes, but my whole way of thinking changed. It was like half of my brain was thinking about everything I needed to do for my baby and that only left 1/2 of my brain to do everything else. It took some getting used to and seemed like I would never get back to normal. Once I did we had our second child and I have to relearn everything with a whole new set of rules, but I will prevale. Hang in there. Things will get easier.

Hi A.,
I have 3 children and have never experienced such forgetfulness. Were any drugs administered to you at the hospital? Sometimes, an overdose of medicated drugs can cause a temporary memory los. That happened to my husband last year. Omega 3's is "brain food" and I would try that first. The best and purest brand is Nordic Naturals. You can buy those at Whole Foods, Central Market, and other stores similiar to those. Also, glyconutrients may help with that too. You can go to www.glycoscience.org for specific information.
Let me know if you would like more information. I'm sorry if you are having to go through this, but I really think it's a miscommunication with the brain cells.
God Bless,
A.
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