It was a challenging labor, though I can’t compare it to others. The exhaustion was palpable, especially for my partner. Our baby arrived at 42 weeks, right at the edge of the limit, which led to the doctors inducing labor. The time from the onset of contractions to delivery stretched to about 48 hours.
At one point, the nurse ruptured the membranes, but that only intensified the discomfort. After several hours without significant progress, my partner opted for a hormone injection (oxytocin) and an epidural, which she used for nine hours. As labor progressed, her temperature began to rise, raising concerns about a potential infection. I felt anxious and turned to prayer. After discussions with the medical team, they decided on a C-section. Both of us felt relief; her choice was to go natural, but after all the effort, she had only reached 4 centimeters dilation, needing 10 to start pushing.
During the second day in the hospital, it was afternoon, and my partner needed rest from a sleepless night filled with our baby’s cries and the hospital’s bustle. After around three hours of sleep, our son began to cry for food. Remembering she was breastfeeding, I gently woke her. She sat up, and I placed the baby in her lap, but something felt off. She was staring blankly at the baby and me, seemingly frozen.
“Honey, are you alright?”
She paused for what felt like an eternity before tears started to fall. She looked at our baby like a stranger, unable to recall who he was, where she was, or even her own name. It was unsettling. Although she was holding him and attempting to nurse, it was as though she was in a trance.
My immediate instinct was to call the doctors, worried about the implications—would they think we weren’t fit to care for our child? Thankfully, after five to ten minutes, she regained her composure. But what had happened? Was it simply “pregnancy brain”?
Understanding Pregnancy Brain
Beyond physical changes, postpartum women can experience mental shifts. This phenomenon, often referred to as pregnancy brain, mommy brain, or momnesia, includes forgetfulness and cognitive dullness. Research from 2016 indicates a decrease in grey matter in the brains of pregnant women, starting as early as the first trimester and potentially lasting up to two years post-birth.
The surge of hormones during pregnancy—specifically progesterone and estrogen—affects brain function. “Levels of these hormones can increase by 15 to 40 times during pregnancy,” explains Dr. Sarah Green, a psychologist specializing in maternal health. “These hormonal changes influence various neuronal circuits in the brain.”
Despite these shifts, it’s important to clarify that this does not imply that new mothers are less capable. The changes are temporary and do not diminish cognitive abilities. Nature simply prioritizes tasks related to caring for a newborn over others, like remembering where the keys are.
Final Thoughts
To this day, we remain uncertain about what triggered that episode; my partner hasn’t experienced anything like it since. It may have been related to the oxytocin she received during labor. In rare instances, memory lapses can indicate a serious condition like an ischemic stroke, which is extremely serious.
Sleep deprivation, which my partner was experiencing, can also lead to cognitive lapses—something she believes contributed to her experience. However, we never consulted the doctors, which we now recognize we should have done. We’re planning to have another child and need to be more prepared should anything like this occur again. We know better now.
For more insights, check out this other blog post about pregnancy experiences, and for authoritative information on insemination, visit Make a Mom. For comprehensive resources related to pregnancy and home insemination, head over to Rmany.
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