What Changes Occur In The Brain During Pregnancy?
Women go through a myriad of changes and emotions in the course of life, as a result of hormonal variation. One of the most common transformations is that experienced by the brain during pregnancy.
These changes may explain the alteration in the woman’s focus of attention and why she becomes a little clueless. Find out below what they are and how you should feel about them.
The Brain During Pregnancy: Important Changes
A large number of women report that after pregnancy they have begun to forget some things and are more sensitive to the emotions of their peers. These alterations occur because the woman focuses on only one thing: the baby.
Therefore, you experience greater concentration on some matters and neglect others. Among the most important changes, we can highlight:
Gray matter reduction
The most important change in the brain during pregnancy is the gray matter. It is known as neural pruning, since this part decreases or is reduced; it is a process that allows for greater sensitivity to suffering. Apparently, this condition results in the woman optimizing sensory functions to cope with the task of caring for a baby.
Some specialists attribute to this change the ability that mothers develop to translate what other people feel. This empathy is special towards the children, so it is understandable that it is the mothers who detect the needs of the little ones.
Increased size of neurons
Another change that the brain experiences during pregnancy occurs in the medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus. Due to this condition, there is an increase in the size of neurons, which makes them more sensitive and active.
One of the consequences is that there is a sharpening of senses such as smell and taste. That is why pregnant girls or women who have just given birth can feel smells more and detect flavors; many of them come to seem disgusting.
Another consequence is the intensification of stimuli against opiates and the feeling of well-being. This sensitivity is what makes the mother fall in love with her baby just by feeling him in her womb, and even more at birth.
Likewise, it is this change in the brain that causes physical discomfort in the mother upon separation from the child in the first months of birth.
Reduction of the brain amygdala
During pregnancy, the brain is subjected to hormonal changes and the presence of substances typical of pregnancy and lactation. One of the consequences is that the brain amygdala, responsible for fear and the decisions made in the face of this stimulus, is reduced.
For this reason, brains less prone to fear develop in many mothers. This ability allows a woman to act in various ways to preserve the life of her little one.
Influences the synaptic function of the hippocampus
This is one of the causes of confusion and forgetfulness in pregnant women. It is because there is an increase in spatial memory and learning.
Although these transformations begin in pregnancy, they increase with childbirth, as the brain adapts to constantly monitor the new member of the household. So, it is necessary to learn how to take care of the baby and perform other tasks quickly.
Pregnant Brain: Is It Possible?
The brain during pregnancy reacts to the different hormones to which it is vulnerable. These are mainly oxytocin and prolactin. Amazingly, both undergo transformations that are maintained during the first months after delivery.
There are even some structures that remain over the years. These positive changes allow the mother to give up hours of sleep in the child’s first year of life, as well as to understand the non-verbal language characteristic of babies.
In conclusion, the brain during pregnancy undergoes various changes that will guide the woman to a happy motherhood. These alterations are necessary and are part of the beauty of being a mother. Therefore, if you are worried about what you will feel when having your little one, don’t worry: your mind is already prepared.
