A Hop, Skip and a Jump Away: Baby Brain

We have all heard of baby brain, and most people believe that women who suffer from this are dealing with slower than normal brain function; however, since I am currently suffering from baby brain myself, I have realized that this is not the case. In fact, I believe that all the carelessness and forgetfulness we attribute to baby brain is due to the fact that our brain function is currently in overdrive. A mama's brain is keenly aware of all that is going on around her and especially what is going on around her baby or babies, as in my case. She is scanning her surroundings for potential danger and she is ready to react in what ever way that is required of her within a millisecond. Being in this reactive state all the time is exhausting. Throw in weeks of disrupted sleep on top of it and you have the new mama fog, the state of feeling separated from the real world and being utterly encompassed within the babysphere, a universe centered upon the most basic of human needs: love, nourishment and excrement.

This is where I have been the past 8 weeks, so please forgive me if I do not speak in coherent sentences, if I appear to not be following your conversation, or if I appear disheveled and confused. The sole purpose of my existence is currently wrapped up in making sure that Miss Harriet knows she is surrounded by people who love her, that she chubs up to the point where her rolls have rolls on them, and that she is not lying in her own waste, WHILE keeping Leif (aka the Toddler) actively engaged in order to prevent mass devastation to our abode and serious injury to the currently defenseless Miss Harriet. So, I ask you: could any of this be accomplished on limited brain function? I think not!