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Making Sense of Mommy Brain

A new mother wants to know if she's losing her mind, or if it's all in her head.

Credit: Huan Tran/Getty Images

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I’m in the kitchen, but once again, I can’t remember what I came here for. I try, but I only come up with other things that keep slipping my mind: What was I supposed to buy at the grocery store, again? I must make that doctor appointment! And buy that gift for our friend’s kid’s birthday party!

My once-sharp mind keeps coming up blank. A year ago, when I was pregnant, I passed it off as pregnancy brain. After my daughter was born, I used the sleep-deprived, postpartum-brain-fog excuse. But now, I’m not so sure. Did having a baby do lasting damage to my brain? How long can I keep blaming hormones for my mental inadequacies?

Like over 80 percent of new mothers and soon-to-be moms, I chalk my forgetfulness up to “mommy brain” — a mental fog associated with pregnancy and the first few months of motherhood. Experts aren’t ...

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