Baby Brain: is it real? with Dr Sarah McKay

Around 85% of women will become a mother and most agree that pregnancy and parenthood are experiences that profoundly change us physically, psychologically, socially and spiritually. Sadly though, mothers, minds and brains are mostly absent from popular pregnancy books and social media posts unless of course there is a discussion about what can go terribly wrong: baby blues, postnatal depression and of course the dreaded baby brain.

Today, Dr. Sarah joins Cass to chat about the upside of pregnancy and parenting on your brain. And research is very clear... Having a baby improves a mother's memory. It makes her smarter, more empathetic, intuitive, and socially savvy. 

Dr. Sarah McKay is an Oxford University educated neuroscientist. She is one of Australia's most well-known brain science commentators and authors. She wrote The Neuroscience of Health, Hormones and Happiness, and recently she has turned her attention to baby brain. Her latest book is called Baby Brain, the Surprising Neuroscience of How Pregnancy and Motherhood Sculpt Our Brains and Change Our Minds for the Better.

In this episode we explore:

the amazing neurological shifts that happen when we care for babies

how mental load and emotional labor of motherhood can impact attention and memory abilities

the importance of considering women's health in medical research and the surge of interest in the neurobiology of pregnancy and menopause. 

You can get yourself a copy of Dr Sarah McKay's books here. Follow her on instagram here.

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