OK here’s another thing that I blame on pregnancy. Memory loss. I can’t seem to remember things the way I used to, although I can’t be sure of that since I don’t really remember lots of things I used to know. I find myself saying wistful things to my husband, like, “Do you remember when I was smart?” (That’s the sister comment of “Do you remember when I was pretty?”) But the fact that I would even say something like that, goes to show how far I’ve deteriorated.
My theory is simple. My brain cells are being transferred to the fetus, thereby increasing its intelligence while decreasing mine.
A study conducted by a University of Southern California psychologist found that women suffer from impaired cognitive function while pregnant, maintaining neither their short-term memories nor their concentration and ability to retain new information. However, another study on rats showed that mother rats were able to learn quicker and were better at problem-solving than virgin rats, so perhaps there are long-term advantages to becoming a mother! (You can read that one here.)
Well that’s reassuring on two counts… firstly that this forgetfulness is normal, and two, that if I was a rat I’d be smarter than I was before I got pregnant or had children. But then again, rats don’t need to remember people’s names, birthdays, or appointments.
They don’t have such cute babies, either.