How Your Brain Changes When You Become A Mother

Pregnancy and the first few months after giving birth lead to numerous physical and emotional changes in a woman’s life. The structure of the brain also changes. Do you want to know more about it?

Motherhood leads to all sorts of changes in a woman’s life. Pregnancy changes not only the mother-to-be’s body, but also her emotions. But that’s not all:  your brain also  adapts to your new tasks as a mother!

In a study published in 2016 in the journal Nature Neuroscience , researchers observed  that brain structures change during a woman’s pregnancy. Structural changes can also be observed in the first two years after the birth of the child. Read on to find out more about this very interesting topic!

Your brain changes when you become a mother!

A team of researchers from the  Universidad Autónoma  of Barcelona observed mothers-to-be using cerebral magnetic resonance during and after pregnancy and was able to observe a reduction in gray matter volume in those areas that are related to social relationships. 

This change occurs asymmetrically in the prefrontal and temporal cortex as well as the cortical midline. These areas are assigned to social processes by neurologists. 

After birth, the mothers participating in this study were shown photos of their children while they were again done magnetic resonance imaging. The scientists were able to observe the same effect. Expectant fathers were also examined and no cerebral changes could be found. Therefore, scientists assume that the brain changes only occur in women.

How your brain changes when you become a mother

Science has not found any differences between natural pregnancies and artificial insemination. In both cases , scientists were able to observe a comparable reduction in gray matter.

Then let’s take a closer look at how these  changes change the mother’s behavior: 

• The researchers could not find any changes in memory or other intellectual abilities.
• Gray matter loss is not associated with cognitive deficit.
• The mother’s brain plasticity is believed to have evolutionary purposes. In this way, the woman can concentrate more efficiently on her new tasks as a mother and meet the needs of her baby.

• These changes probably make the mother more sensitive to her child’s state of mind and better recognize possible threats.

Does the mother’s memory change?

The cited study could not find any memory losses in the participating mothers. However, one of Dr. Laura Glynn realized research study suggests that  hormonal changes could affect mother’s cognition.

In the results of the study, she concludes that the mother’s brain adapts and this could impair memory performance. 

Another,  Study conducted in Australia compares the memory status of pregnant women with that of non-pregnant women. The results show  significant memory loss during and after pregnancy. 

This study suggests that when you become a mother, your brain changes. The  plasticity allows adaptation to the new circumstances and facilitates empathic responses in order to properly care for the baby,  even if this may cause the memory to function poorly.

Your brain actually changes when you become a mother!

So now you know that when you become a mother, your brain changes. Exactly how this is done needs to be researched in more detail, as the data available so far are insufficient. The following hypotheses are currently used:

• The cognitive changes improve empathy and enable the mother to better understand her child.
• The ability to protect the baby from threats or dangers also improves.
• However, doing so can worsen the mother’s memory.
• In the brain, the areas of love that enable a symbiotic relationship with the child and promote the baby’s healthy development are more active. In this way, the mother can protect it particularly well in the first few years of life.

Motherhood changes a woman’s life in various ways. It not only leaves physical traces, but also changes your brain so that you can better cater to your child’s needs!

While there is not enough research on this topic and more research is needed,  everything indicates that when you become a mother, your brain does indeed change.