The Pregnancy Stupids

Ok, so I know it's been awhile, which I'm going to partially attribute to the title/content of this post. My oh my. I don't consider myself a prodigy in any way, shape, or form (though my child will put Baby Genius to shame), but pregnancy has rendered me stupid as hell.

I find myself forgetting things constantly. I will start a conversation with the boy, or anyone else for that matter, and suddenly entirely forget what I had begun to say. In fact, I just forgot what I was going to write. In any case, I'd consider myself an at least mildly articulate individual (unless I'm debating in front of Nick Dudley, who's never seen me debate without double turning myself), and these days I can barely string together a sentence- which could prove to be an issue in limited prep at nationals, or at NPDA.

I won't pretend that I've always believed in "baby brain," as it's fondly referred to. In fact, the first time I heard it suggested, I balked at the idea. It seemed like another attempt to otherize pregnant women into this whole other species where they rank lower than all other individuals. When I started to experience the severe memory lapses, I thought I'd gone crazy. Thankfully, the Aussies have made me feel better.

The New Zealand Herald reports on February 6th, 2008 that "baby brain" is for real. Research headed by psychologist Julie Henry at the University of New South Wales in Sydney shows that, "Pregnant women are significantly impaired on some, but not all, measures of memory. The memory deficits are smaller than the deficits found when comparing healthy 20-year-olds and 80-year-olds, but are probably close to the modest deficits found when comparing healthy 20-year-olds with healthy 60-year-olds."

Well, that explains it.

The research, which was published in The Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, showed that it is a specific type of memory that is impacted. So while I might be able to remember my address, I may not be able to remember your name, two minutes after you've told me. It is predicted that this effect can last even a few months after childbirth.

They've been unable to pin down the cause of the symptoms. The researchers speculate that it may have to do with the tremendous emotional and physical changes that are taking place, and that sleep deprivation may also contribute (probably does, in my case). That doesn't mean that these findings are fool proof. Dr. Ros Crawley of Sutherland University concluded in his 2003 research that the syndrome is merely a product of social expectations.

Well, even though recency may be the bane of my existence when I'm doing research for a public address, I'm going to have to appeal to it here. Dr. Crawley may be right; the syndrome may be a result of socialization. However, that doesn't make its existence any less real for those experiencing it. It's also entirely possible that the social expectations, when combined with the stresses of one's lifestyle, could amplify what would otherwise just seem like everyday forgetfulness.

Regardless, I can't help but feel as though my intelligence fades with each passing day. I'd like to think that it's maybe just being absorbed by the little one within. I've already got proud mama syndrome; I'm glowing just thinking about what a shining star the baby will be. I'll risk sounding stupid for the chance to bear witness to that.