I'm sure there is a correlation between NG starting to breastfeed and the rapid deterioration of my brain capacity in the last week. Some ways I know my brain is not the same is I'm doing more of the usual "mommy mush brain" things. Such as:
1. Forgetting things on the stove and burning them.
2. Putting my navy blue sling in with NG's clothes and the entire load turns BLUE.
3. Pouring bleach into the blue wash to try to turn everything back to white but not knowing how much I just poured in so pouring in more and stinking up the whole house of bleach in the process. (The clothes did revert back to white, thank goodness.)
4. Forgetting her bottle several times when we went out this past week - hard to convince baby that mommy isn't trying to starve her even though she doesn't have her bottle and is not yet ready for prime time public breastfeeding.
5. Forgetting keys in the house when on the way to lactation consultant appointment and locking myself, NG and the dogs out in the freezing cold morning. (Walked down the block until I could find a neighbor who was home so we could stay warm until husband returned home to rescue us.)
6. Forgetting my nipple shield when we went to the lactation consultant which was the whole point of going in the first place in order to show her how I'm getting NG to the breast. (Luckily, LC had a stash of shields. NG refused to latch on while there, of course, because she didn't want an audience.)
7. Forgetting the dogs outside for hours and hours then looking around the house at some point wondering where the dogs went.
Not only has my brain capacity been reduced, but my appetite has increased noticeably in the last week. I am starving and thirsty all the time - very different from how I feel after pumping. Interesting... Anyone else experience any of the above?
I developed Mommy brain while I was pregnant and I ahve never recovered. I am not a "forgetter". I am meticulous about remembering things...until i got pregnant or maybe it even started with the IVF drugs but my brian is total mush now. I go to the grocery store for something and some home with everything but what I originally went in for. i have done this just about every time I have gone grocery shopping. I lost my cell phone (what a total pain) and was certain it was stolen but a security camera proved otherwise so I just lost it! UGH! And don;t get me started on all of the work related things that I jsut forget time and time again. From talking to other friends I don;t think it gets better until I quit breastfeeding.
Posted by: Stacy | September 30, 2006 at 11:05 AM
yup, I always joked that I figured that most of my brain cells left with the placenta. one time i forgot my wallet at the grocery store, so the clerk asked me if i wanted them to put my 2 full carts of groceries in the walk-in fridge till I returned. I declined since I lived down the street. I returned home to discover that my wallet was locked in my apartment with my key. I have no cell phone and I usually climb the balcony to break in my apartment when I've been locked out but I didn't have anywhere safe to put my son. Thank GOD my landlord pulled in 5 minutes later. Just one of many many mommy mushbrain stories. Oh, and I ate like a longshoreman for the 13 months that I breastfed. I just weaned 2 days ago. I'm in pain but I sure don't have much of an appetite. I am hoping the libido and smaller breasts return soon. Enjoy all the goodies you can eat while nursing. I ate so healthy when I was pregnant and unlike a lot of new moms I just gorged myself on whatever I wanted to eat because BF burns so many more calories than pregnancy. Have fun!
Posted by: wombat | September 30, 2006 at 01:09 PM
Yeah breastfeeding makes me starving and parched. I drink a gallon of gatorade a day. And I could totally go for a pot roast right about now.
Posted by: plucky punk | September 30, 2006 at 06:31 PM
Oh yes! I too joke about how my brain went out with the placenta. It's amazing how absent-minded I am since my son was born... And I used to be so organised and have a freakishly good memory. I'm also hungry and thirsty still, after 8 months of breastfeeding... just like I was during pregnancy...
Posted by: kiwi | October 02, 2006 at 05:50 PM