Baby Brain kicks in again...

Yes, I'm about two weeks late in discovering this news, but here you are: more evidence that having children affects your brain.


According to the Sydney Morning Herald article (link):

An Australian analysis of 14 research studies around the world since 1990 provides "clear cut findings" that pregnancy impairs memory for up to 80 per cent of pregnant women and new mothers.

The study by the University of NSW and Australian Catholic University compared the memory performances of more than 1000 pregnant women, new mothers and healthy non-pregnant females.

"The results indicate that pregnant women are significantly impaired on some, but not all, measures of memory. And, specifically, memory measures that place relatively high demands on executive cognitive control may be selectively disrupted," the study said.

"The same specific deficits associated with pregnancy are also observed post-partum."

So now you have an excuse for why you can't find your keys, your sunglasses, or your youngest child anymore.

But apparently all is not lost... or is it?

But Julie Henry, a study author and psychology researcher at the University of NSW, emphasised the effect was "very, very subtle".

"It's a pretty modest deficit similar to what you would find if you were to compare healthy 20 year-olds with healthy 60 year olds," Dr Henry said.

So be happy. If we've had children our brains are similar to those of healthy 60 year olds!


... durned senior citizen brain...