Contrary to popular belief, women's brains do not turn mush during pregnancy and birth. In fact, scientists claim that having a baby may actually make you brainier...

New mums might complain of forgetfulness and suffer from slips of attention but experts are saying that the 'baby brain' phenomena is simply a myth. Research published by the American Psychological Association shows that a woman produces more brain cells than ever in the weeks and months after she has given birth.

What's more, doting mums who gush about the arrival of their little ones are more likely to have the biggest increase in brain cells. Why? It is thought that the hormonal changes associated with having a baby 'supercharge' the brain, helping prepare women for the challenges of motherhood.

Neuroscientists from Yale University in America scanned the brains of 19 new mums in the weeks after they had given birth to find out what changes had taken place. The results showed that grey matter (brain cells that process information) had increased by a small but significant amount in various parts of the brain. What's extraordinary is that grey matter doesn't normally change over the space of a a few months without significant learning, brain injury or illness or a major environmental change.

The areas of the brain that flourished the most included motivation, reasoning, judgement, the processing of emotions and feelings of satisfaction - and of course, these are essential to the mother-child relationship.


Speaking to The Daily Mail, Siobhan Freegard, founder of Netmums, said: "Nature has an amazing way of giving us things that we need. Having a baby is a momentous occasion, so it is not surprising the brain gets that little bit extra to equip us for the challenge."

And so it seems that mums really do know best...

Picture kindly from here