Mom’s Brain

Hello mom:

Today I come to tell you what I’m going to do to your brain and how my presence will change your way of thinking and feeling forever. I’ll start from the beginning so that you understand me, since you and I got together.

The first thing that happened was that  a hormone called progesterone started to get very present in your body, Mom. Her breasts become tender and her brain calms down. At first you felt sleepy and felt the need to rest and eat more than usual.

I am responsible for these hormones stimulate the parts of your brain that house the function of thirst and fome.Digamos I need to eat, so you  will have to produce a greater volume of blood to assure me the nutrient content I need .

Don’t be scared, it  ‘s normal that you don’t want to be separated for even a moment from the water bottle  and that you don’t want the bathroom to be too far away. Probably for the same reason your brain will give you cravings for specific things or nausea at certain odors.

You should know that progesterone rises from ten to a hundred between the second and fourth month and that its effects are as potent as those of an anxiolytic like Valium, for example. Think that your brain is flooded with a sedative and relaxant, I just want us to protect ourselves from stress.

at four months

By the fourth month or so, your brain will have gotten used to the hormonal changes, so it’s likely that you can eat normally and even with some cravings.

The conscious and unconscious parts of your brain will be hanging on what happens in your womb, my home. Mom, it’s very good here, your tummy is comforting, I like to hear your heart beat and feel your warmth.

But don’t get used to it, Mom, I want you to know I’m here. So…  by the fifth month you are likely to start feeling something like gas bubbles in your abdomen. In fact, you might think it’s the typical gas that builds up after a meal, but no.

You’ll already be getting to know me, you’ll already notice my little hands, you’ll notice how I move, and you’ll fantasize more and more about what it’s like to hug me and look at me. Probably Dad and the people around him will also want to notice my movements and hear my little heart through his belly.

The tranquilizing effect of progesterone

Rising estrogen levels help us offset stress hormones while I’m inside you, Mom. Did you know? Both I and the placenta that protects me produce so much cortisol (a stress hormone) that by the end of the pregnancy your body will be as invaded as a body that has undergone exhausting physical exercise.

However, these hormones don’t make you feel stressed, or at least not typically stressed. What they really do is help you keep an eye on what you eat, or whether your place is safe and everything around you is okay.

Mommy, I’ve shrunk your brain…  But don’t worry about it, it’ll be back to normal, only your brain is turning secondary lanes into three-lane highways. In other words, you won’t lose skills, you’ll win! And before I leave you, your brain size will be back to normal.

when my birth approaches

When we are just a short time away from my birth, you will be very concerned about me. He’ll probably think about how we’re both able to get out both healthy and safe from the big moment that awaits us.

When the sac bursts, your brain will flood with oxytocin and help your uterus to contract. Your levels of progesterone (that hormone that “sedated” us) will drop. The oxytocin and dopamine cascade will trigger numerous neuronal connections in your brain.

Then I will come and greet you. You will be so exhausted that you may see everything blurry, but your brain will have prepared you to love me. As long as you smell me, feel me and look at me, you can differentiate me from any baby in the world with amazing ease.

Likely to develop a spatial memory capacity, you will be more flexible, more efficient and braver, now and for the rest of your life. Your brain prepared you to love me and to keep me by your side.

That, Mom, will never change again. I hope you now understand better how we came to love each other so much. Sounds like magic, doesn’t it? How wonderful it is to grow together and become better and better! I have no words to express myself… so, from today onwards I will do it with hugs, kisses and lots of love! I learned from the best!