How to Deal With Pregnancy Brain

WebMD explains that pregnancy brain is common especially around women who are not getting enough sleep and are stressed.

Helen Christensen, PhD, of The Australian National University, says, "If you read pregnancy manuals and listen to pregnant mothers -- yes, there is such a thing as pregnancy brain or momnesia. And there is also evidence from research showing deficits in memory."

But, she adds, "the evidence from our study shows that the capacity of the brain is unaltered in pregnancy."

It’s 100% normal to have memory lapses or be forgetful when you’re busy, stressed, or short on sleep, Christenson says.

Jane Martin, MD, director of the Neuropsychological Testing and Evaluation Center at New York's Mount Sinai Medical Center, agrees. "When you are not getting enough sleep and are multitasking, nobody's memory is good," she says. "You are not cognitively sharp when you haven't slept well."

Surging hormone levels and new priorities may help explain why pregnancy brain happens.

"There is 15 to 40 times more progesterone and estrogen marinating the brain during pregnancy," Louann Brizendine, MD, director of the Women's Mood and Hormone Clinic at the University of California, San Francisco, says. "And these hormones affect all kinds of neurons in the brain. By the time the woman delivers, there are huge surges of oxytocin that cause the uterus to contract and the body to produce milk -- and they also affect the brain circuits."

"You only have so many shelves in your brain, so the top three are filled with baby stuff," Brizendine says.

“Your IQ doesn't change, but your priorities do.”

If you are suffering from pregnancy brain and forgetting details

here are some ways to help you cope:

• Make a To Do List:  Every morning make a to do list over your morning tea.  Write down anything that HAS to be accomplished that day.  Then in another column or on the back of the paper write down anything you WANT to accomplish but isn’t a top priority.  Finish the HAS before you get to the WANTS.

• Use Technology: With smartphones these days there are a ton of apps that can help you set reminders.  Use apps to remember appointments, grocery lists, and to check your email while on the go.  There are even apps that can help track your water drinking and exercise.  We love Google Keep for reminders and you can even sync it up with your GMAIL account.

• Write it Down: If you are forgetting things at work or not remembering deadlines, write it down.  Carry around a legal pad or small notebook and write down anything that you feel is important; have it on your desk, at your house and put one in your purse and car for when you are out and about.  If you really don’t want to forget something invest in some neon post-its and scatter them around your house and cubicle. 

• Delegate: If you need help ask for it; if you can’t take on that big project at work then don’t volunteer.  If you are too exhausted to cook, ask your partner to do it or order take out.  You can only do so much in one day. 

• Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff: Do you really need to dust behind the washer today?  If the answer is no then put it off til you have some more time.  Pregnancy is a fun time so have a sense of humor if things don’t go as well as expected. 

• Relax: Stress is one of the top causes for pregnancy brain so by relaxing you might remember more.  If you are really stressed we recommend looking into a prenatal yoga class that focuses on mediation and breathing. 

• Sleep: Consider going to bed an hour earlier or taking a nap if you get too overwhelmed.  An extra hour of sleep per day makes a huge difference in terms on energy and memory recollection.

Should Doctors be Drug Tested?

The New York Times recently posted an article on drug testing doctors in the state of California.  It seems contradictory to test someone who has taken a pledge to help, serve, and heal the sick but the statistics of medical professionals who use and abuse drugs or alcohol is close to 18%.  Many point out that the doctors that put patients in extreme danger such as surgeons, obstetricians, anesthesiologists and other high-risk doctors should be randomly tested while general practitioners should be randomly tested just not as regularly.  Proposition 46—as it is known as comes from the large number of medical malpractices suits that are appearing in California every year. 

Daniel R. Levinson, the inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services, said in an interview that there should be random drug testing across the medical profession, given the access in hospitals to controlled substances. “I don’t think that a carve-out when it comes to the medical field is sensible public policy,” he said. “No one should be above suspicion or below suspicion. I think we all need to play by similar rules.”

In California, major laws are routinely made at the ballot box, and initiatives like this can be as hard-fought as a race for governor. Both sides expect this contest to dwarf anything else on the ballot, including the lopsided race for governor (Jerry Brown, a popular Democrat, is widely expected to win re-election).

“From a national perspective, this is really historic,” said Jamie Court, the president of Consumer Watchdog, one of the groups supporting the initiative. “It will give the public a chance to put doctors in the same category as pilots and truck drivers and other workers who are tested for impairment because they have public-safety jobs. That will spread like wildfire if the voters of California give it a nod.”

Dr. Thorp of the California Medical Association said the issue was so important that the coalition opposing it was “very committed to ensuring that this ballot initiative doesn’t get passed.”

Consumer Watchguard, the lobbying group for this initiative even put together a YouTube campaign called “Pee in a Cup, TheMusical”.  The video ends with the statistic that 18% of medical professionals abuse alcohol or drugs. 

The new proposition will be voted on with the other ballots in November.  If passed, experts say that the drug testing of doctors will spread like wildfire to the rest of the union.   

Pregnant smoking could affect grandchildren

That cigarette could affect grandchildren you don’t even have yet.

The effects of smoking during one's pregnancy can span generations, according to new research published in the American Journal of Human Biology.

The study, carried out in the U.K., found that smoking during pregnancy has effects on the growth of a woman's future grandchildren.

In nonsmoking mothers who had a paternal grandmother who smoked, granddaughters tended to be taller. Grandsons and granddaughters also were more likely to have greater bone mass and lean muscle mass.

If a maternal grandmother smoked while pregnant, though, her grandsons were heavier during adolescence but had better cardiovascular fitness.

When both moms and maternal grandmothers smoked, girls had reduced height and weight compared with girls whose mothers, but not grandmothers, smoked.

"These likely transgenerational effects from the grandmothers' smoking in pregnancy need to be taken into account in future studies of the effects of maternal smoking on child growth and development. If replicated, such studies could be a useful model for the molecular analysis of human transgenerational responses," senior author Prof. Marcus Pembrey said.

This story is based off of a longer abstract found in the American Journal of Human Biology that can be found here

15 ways to reducing Pregnancy Stress

Last week we talked about how being stressed during pregnancy can affect up to four generations down the road.  To help cope with a stressful pregnancy, we have put together our top 15 ways to reduce stress during pregnancy.

1.              Practice Saying “No” — Pregnant women tend to try to work much harder at the beginning of their pregnancy to compensate for the fact that they might not be able to do as much later on and when little one arrives.  So if you really can’t do it don’t take on that extra project at work and don’t volunteer to make 100 cupcakes for the bake sale when you know you can’t.  It will be a lot less stressful and you will thank yourself later on.   

2.              Limit “information overload”— Reading a few pregnancy blogs and books will help you prepare for the future but reading too much or reading the scary (and probably unlikely) stories might just stress you out a little too much. 

3.              Rest—If you need to take some extra time to take that nap at 2pm then do it.  Consider calling on close family and friends to help you if you need it.

4.              Mediate—If you are beginning to come undone, take 10 minutes are relax.  Shut your eyes and just imagine your future child. 

5.              Asking for advice—If you want the best advice ask your friends, mom, aunt, MIL, or even your grandparents.  The best advice tends to be from your close friends and family. Remember though, even though you asked you are not required to take any advice if you don’t feel that it is right for you.

6.              Talk to your baby—Starting at just 23 weeks your little one can hear you.  Make the time count by talking to your baby throughout the day or putting headphones on your bump.  Your soothing voice will comfort the baby when he is out of the womb and in your arms.   

7.              Go to bed early—There is nothing wrong with going to bed at 7pm after dinner.  You don’t need to stay awake to see the newest episode of “So You Think You Can Dance” if you would rather sleep.

8.              Talk about it—If you have any concerns about your pregnancy talk to your partner about it.  Keeping these fears in will only build up stress and hurt you later on.   

9.              Consult your doctor/ midwife—If you have a feeling that something is wrong with your or your baby talk to a professional about it.  A professional will also help you with any questions you have about the labor itself. 

10.          Visit with friends—Go to your local coffee shop with friends and get some green tea and a slice of shortcake.  Talk about anything under the sun and just relax.  If you are on bed rest or extremely tired at the end of your pregnancy have a few friends come over and bring the coffee shop to you… and don’t worry about the dirty laundry on the floor, they don’t care!

11.     Do regular exercise—Try to go for a walk at least three times a week and do some prenatal yoga or light swimming a few days a week. Check out our Pinterest board for more prenatal exercises. 

12.          Go shopping—There’s nothing less stressful than shopping for cute little baby clothes and accessories.  Who doesn’t love onesies with monkeys on them and hats that have Minnie Mouse ears on them?

13.          Eat a well-balanced diet—Even though you are craving Buffalo wing pizza with a side of mac and cheese try to eat a well-balanced diet when you can.  Eat lots of fruits, veggies, healthy fats, and grains.  It’s ok to give into cravings here and there but for the most part try to eat healthy.

14.          Decorate the nursery—Once you find a designated area in your home for a nursery start planning it out.  For more information on decorating your nursery see our top ideas on Pinterest.  

15.          Pamper yourself- Being pregnant is stressful so consider making yourself an appointment at your local salon.  Make sure to tell them you are pregnant when booking the appointment.  Consider making your appointment early in the morning so you can avoid the chemical smells in the salon that build up over the course of the day.   

Bump on a Budget- Week of August 18th

Signing up for email lists can be great; you can get coupons, free samples, and lots of valuable information.  However if you sign up for too many emails you run the risk of getting your information sold to other companies and then the 5 emails you signed up for daily become 50 or 100 emails. Before even getting pregnant consider creating a separate baby coupon email using Yahoo or Gmail.  If you get too many emails you can simply just ignore them or close the account when baby comes.  You also don’t have to worry about your personal account getting flooded with emails that you didn’t ask for and don’t want. 

Buybuybaby.com … First time email subscribers get a 20% off one item in-store Savings Certificate

AmazonMom… If you have an Amazon Prime account join Amazon Mom for discounts on baby essentials

Enfamil… Free samples of formula and coupons when you sign up for Enfamil’s website 

SeventhGeneration… sign up for their email list and receive coupons for cleaning supplies as well as diapers!

Gerber’s Start Healthy Stay Healthy Program offers free 15-minute phone consultations with one of their board certified lactation consultants.  Just click here to make an appointment and choose "Breastfeeding Education".

Earth’sBest… has a separate promotions and offers tab on their website so check that weekly