Baby brain is 'real, contagious'

Baby brain is not a myth, Timaru mothers say. In fact, it's almost contagious.

According to Australian researchers, studies proved a woman would not naturally become more forgetful and absent-minded during pregnancy.

Timaru independent midwife Dianne Cox said although the study had found a woman's brain functioning did not change, she believed baby brain was real.

"Midwives tend to get baby brain too because we're around pregnant women all the time. Most midwives believe baby brain happens up to six months after the baby is born, because that's what research shows."

She said apart from one incident she could remember, mums usually forgot the "little things", such as appointments.

"I have heard of one mum who was halfway home when she realised she'd left her baby in the pram outside the shop. But from comments we've had, mums don't normally forget big things like that."

Timaru mum Leana Harris always forgot where she put her car keys when she was pregnant with her now two-year-old daughter.

"No matter where I put them, I could never find them. I'd put them in the most obvious places and never remember where they were. I was shocking for that. It was worse after I gave birth, for about a couple of months after," she said.

"I also forgot appointments, like Plunket and my midwife."

For Timaru mum Aimee White, baby brain started after her now five-month-old daughter Olivia was born.

"I'm a secondary school teacher so my days were all very routine-driven, so that kind of helped," she said.

Mrs White said the main thing for her was being tired.

"It's probably affected me more since Olivia was born. I do random things like I'll put the Marmite in the fridge when I usually leave it out, stuff like that.

"I've done things like I'll get into the car to drive somewhere and just forget where I was going. It takes me three or four minutes to think where I was actually going."

She said it was probably more about tiredness than a natural forgetfulness related to pregnancy.

- © Fairfax NZ News