How to Deal with "Pregnancy Brain"

As any pregnant women can tell you, there are many side effects that go along with being pregnant. One side effect that is often overlooked is the absentmindedness that can accompany your pregnancy. Frequently called "pregnancy brain," this forgetfulness can be one of the most frustrating parts of being pregnant. So what is "pregnancy brain" and what can you do to deal with it?

In simplistic terms, "pregnancy brain" refers to the issues in concentration that pregnant women can face. Of course, these women are focused on their pregnancy, so this may increase the absentmindedness that pregnant women can feel. However, according to the well-known book "What to Expect When You're Expecting," "pregnancy brain" is not just caused by a preoccupation with the new child but is also caused by the hormonal changes that come with pregnancy.

Dealing with "pregnancy brain" is just like dealing with the many other side effects of being pregnant -you may have to just accept this temporary condition as part of being pregnant. "What to Expect When You're Expecting" suggests that women decrease the amount of stress that they have in their life as part of dealing with "pregnancy brain." Although being pregnant doesn't mean that you have to stop working or doing any other activity that you did before you were pregnant, you may not be able to do things as efficiently as you did prior to your pregnancy, so think twice before taking on extra work.

If you're really worried about "pregnancy brain" taking over your life, you can think about making lists to keep track of what you need to do (although don't take this too far or this could make you more stressed than you were before). However, don't be too hard on yourself or this could make "pregnancy brain" worse. Try to accept that you may not be at your peak brain performance on some tasks and don't stress out about the little things that really don't matter. Also - don't expect that "pregnancy brain" will go away right after the baby is born ... things may get worse before they get better as those sleepless nights with baby can continue to absentmindedness well after you lose the baby weight.

So, if you lock yourself out of the house, forget to close the garage door or lose your favorite sweater, you can be a little bit easier on yourself - "pregnancy brain" is real and not just a figment of your imagination.