Is baby brain your SUPERPOWER?

Contrary to popular belief, new mums are actually at an advantage after giving birth

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Pregnancy and life with a newborn feels like a foggy blur for most new mums. It's hard to get comfortable in the former and you're knee-deep in the messy act of parenting for the latter. No surprise that many women, particularly those without a “village” to help reduce the impact of sleepless nights, feel like their minds are turning to mush and judge themselves as suffering from “baby brain”. But neuroscientist Dr Sarah McKay says, “Bring these women into the lab and the objective cognitive testing doesn’t find any decline. In fact, it may actually find there is cognitive enhancement.

“Baby brain isn't a neurological problem, but a social one. It’s a negative stereotypical message that women have absorbed for a long time. You can’t remember everything as you are under the high cognitive load that’s the steep learning curve of a new baby.”