Mother’s bodies go through tons of changes before and after giving birth, but so do their brains! What really makes a mom’s brain different?
Your brain and body undergo constant change and upheaval to keep up with your petty conscious wants.
If you start running marathons for some reason, your brain and body have to change, if you go get a masters degree, your brain and body have to change again, and when you decide to backpack the Appalachian Trail, your brain and body change again.
The thing is: marathons, master’s degrees, and backpacking are all great — but what about something less… ephemeral… like, motherhood?
So, your mom carried you inside her body. And in doing so, it changed. So. Much. Your introduction to her inner self changed her body, in some cases: forever. Temporarily, the hormones released during pregnancy change how a mom sees, smells, and how food tastes, but some of her body structures, hair growth, and how her body stores fat and processes food might change permanently.
On top of that, you change your mom’s brain! Maybe for the better?
For example, multiple studies have shown mom brains got larger after they gave birth. They grew new grey matter — which normally doesn’t happen. According to one study without [quote] “significant learning, brain injury or illness, or major environmental change.”
Meanwhile, another found parts of the brain associated with emotion, reasoning, rewards, and sensations all changed to, but with decreases in grey matter! Grey matter is where all the synapses (or brain connections) are. Some studies even connect the amount of grey matter with overall intelligence. But it’s not a fast rule.
Regardless, this is new research, so it’s hard to say exactly what’s going on, just that the brain is changing pretty significantly. Good or bad, one study found the grey matter change only lasted 2 years (because remember the body is constantly changing), but that’s still pretty cool.
And it’s not just physical changes, there are also emotional tweaks that come along with all these changes too!
Think about dopamine. Dopamine is a reward chemical. Something that makes you feel good. It’s released anytime evolution wants to encourage a behavior — which means when a mom looks at her newborn BAM.
Dopamine.
Your mom answers the phone when you call, BAM, dopamine!
In a 2017 study, the researchers believe dopamine is where the bond between mother and infant comes from.
For example, as a mom and baby got more in sync — like if they make similar sounds — the more dopamine gets released! Or, if the mom is attentive to the newborn she gets more connections in brain areas associated with bonding. Plus, dopamine. Always dopamine.
The chemicals that support love are a big deal in the brain…….