Becoming a new mom is nothing short of exhausting. You’ve got a whole new life that’s solely dependent on you, and half of the energy you once had to provide. Things only get more difficult when your brain starts struggling to compute its most basic tasks.

This phenomenon is known as “mom brain,” an experience many pregnant and new moms go through in which their cognitive function seemingly declines. They’ll forget what they’re doing mid-task, throw the remote in the fridge, and call their kid the dog’s name. But why does this happen? Here’s the scientific explanation for mom brain, plus some anecdotal evidence from real-life moms.

What Is Mommy Brain?

“Mom brain” (also referred to as “baby brain” or “pregnancy brain”) refers to the cognitive changes many women experience during pregnancy and early motherhood, where they seemingly feel more forgetful, scattered, or distracted. Though this phenomenon is incredibly common and often fun to joke about, there is actually some scientific basis for these changes.

Hormonal Changes: During pregnancy, there are many significant shifts in hormone levels, particularly an increase in estrogen and progesterone. These hormones can affect brain function, potentially influencing memory, focus, and emotional regulation. Estrogen is known to play a role in cognitive processes, while progesterone can induce feelings of fatigue and mental fog.

Neuroplasticity: Pregnancy and motherhood can trigger neuroplastic changes in the brain. Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections. This can affect cognitive abilities like memory and attention. Research shows that parts of the brain related to social cognition, emotional regulation, and nurturing behavior become more active during pregnancy and early motherhood. This can lead to temporary alterations in how other cognitive tasks like multitasking or remembering details are processed.

Sleep Disruption: Pregnancy, especially in the later stages, can cause significant sleep disturbances. Then, after the baby is born, the sleep deprivation continues in a new way. Lack of sleep is a known factor in memory lapses, difficulty concentrating and reduced cognitive functioning. This sleep deprivation only contributes to the mommy brain feeling.

Stress and Anxiety: Pregnancy and early motherhood can bring about emotional and physical stress. The body’s response to stress (through the release of cortisol) can have a direct impact on cognitive function, including impairing memory and attention. New parents often experience anxiety related to caring for their baby, which can amplify feelings of cognitive fog.

Evolutionary Perspective: From an evolutionary standpoint, some researchers propose that “mommy brain” may have adaptive purposes. For example, the brain changes may make the mother more focused on nurturing and caregiving tasks, possibly at the expense of other tasks that require high cognitive load, like remembering unrelated details or multitasking. This could have been beneficial in ensuring that mothers prioritized their babies’ needs.

Mom brain is the result of a complex interaction of hormonal, neural and environmental factors that influence a mother’s cognitive function. While the changes are totally temporary, some aspects of brain adaptation in motherhood can last longer, impacting one’s emotional processing.

Real Moms Answer

Scientifically proven, mom brain is very real. And it can impact seemingly anyone, even celebrities.

New mom Hailey Bieber recently caught a mommy brain moment on camera, going crazy looking for a lip gloss that was right in front of her the whole time. Her comments were flooded with other moms offering solidarity, sharing that they’re constantly battling their own mommy brains, too.

With that, 21Ninety decided to ask a handful of real-life moms their funniest mom brain chronicles. Here are their answers.

“I remember my mom used to mix up all of my siblings’ names when she would call us, but now I’m doing the same thing. I swear it’s a generational curse.”

“The way I be putting what’s for the pantry in the fridge and what’s in the fridge in the pantry. One time I even packed my cell phone in my kid’s lunchbox. Trust me y’all, it never goes away.”

“I had a hair appointment and fully drove to the nail salon. Parked my car and everything, I didn’t realize until I walked through the door. Luckily they’re only like a 15-minute drive apart but I was like ‘Oh my God, this is what my husband be talking about. I’m lowkey on another planet.'”

“Buying the wrong sizes for my kids, forgetting the names of people while telling stories, it’s all a struggle. I blame it on the lack of sleep.”

“When I was pregnant, I could tell you how far along I was to the decimal but I couldn’t tell you the day of the week or even month it was. It was so bizarre.”

“For me, my mom brain was really just heightened sensitivity. I would cry at everything, literally. A Taco Bell commercial would break me.”

“There’s just like this fog in your head, I don’t know if it’s the exhaustion or change in hormones or both but it’s such a drastic shift. One time I put my glasses in the dishwasher and didn’t realize until the cycle was over. Thank God they didn’t break.”

“I couldn’t remember Rihanna’s name the other day and it was KILLING me! Stuff like that happens all the time. Just forgetting everything pop culture related.”

“I can’t even tell you a story of me having mom brain because my mom brain won’t let me remember right now.”

“I experienced mommy brain all throughout my pregnancy. It actually got a little better once my son was born. I did fully forget how to drive home from Target the other day even though I’d done that drive hundreds of times. It’s like I just went blank.”