“Mommy Brain”: A Dismissive Term for Important Cognitive Changes During Pregnancy

The term ‘mommy brain’ (also known as baby brain or pregnancy brain) is frequently tossed around throughout a pregnancy and during the early months of motherhood. People may use it casually as they observe her forgetfulness and brain fog, or the mother herself may sheepishly mention it as an explanation when people have to point something out to her. Though the term itself doesn’t have a negative connotation, it does reinforce a culture of dismissiveness towards pregnant women, condensing all the changes she might be experiencing into a single off-handed comment.

Despite the commonality of cognitive struggles during pregnancy, the phenomenon hasn’t been researched enough to be classified as a side effect of pregnancy. Pregnant women experience innumerable changes to their bodies and lifestyle, and ‘becoming dumber’ has become another textbook experience that a woman should expect during her pregnancy, with few people questioning why this is really occurring. In recent years, however, research has begun to show that cognitive changes during pregnancy are the result of changes to the brain’s composition,  which has implications beyond what the term ‘mommy brain’ implies.  

Neurological Changes

Image taken from https://neurosciencenews.com/motherhood-pregnancy-brain-23935/

During pregnancy, the amount of white matter and gray matter in the brain changes. Gray matter is involved in processes such as processing information, interacting with the environment, and regulating emotions [1]. White matter is responsible for the transmission of signals between the brain and the rest of the body [2]. A 2017 study used imaging technology to examine the brain before and after pregnancy and found a decreased amount of gray matter in areas associated with social cognition in pregnant women.

However, instead of characterizing this structural change as inherently concerning, the scientists explained that these changes were most likely involved in shaping maternal attachment to new offspring — in fact, while significant shifts in cognition are observed during pregnancy, oftentimes they are supplemented by increased capabilities in tasks directly related to the care of their newborn (such as infant cues) and other maternal tasks [3, 4]. In addition, some studies have begun to highlight a link between pregnancy and an increase in overall neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to learn and evolve in response to our experiences as we go through life [5, 6]. 

Reframing the Conversation

The cited research articles share a common theme — they highlight that maternal cognitive changes are not necessarily indicators of decreasing intelligence, but they are too often treated as such.  The changes that occur in the brain during pregnancy should not be used to negatively describe the experience, but should rather be viewed as an adaptive phenomenon that will help the woman become a better mother. However, more research needs to be done to understand whether these functional differences are all a result of physical changes within the brain or of situational changes in postpartum households as well. 

Overall, it is important to remember that 'mommy brain' is a biologically based phenomenon that should not continue to be dismissed by both a woman’s support system and the medical community, as doing so grossly misrepresents the complex neurological changes that are occurring and belittles the challenges that pregnant women experience.

References

1. Cleveland Clinic [Internet]. [cited 2026 Oct 4]. What Does Gray Matter Do in Your Brain? Available from: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24831-grey-matter

2. Fields RD. Change in the Brain’s White Matter. Science. 2010 Nov 5;330(6005):768–9. doi:10.1126/science.1199139 PubMed PMID: 21051624; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3201847.

3. Hoekzema E, Barba-Müller E, Pozzobon C, Picado M, Lucco F, García-García D, et al. Pregnancy leads to long-lasting changes in human brain structure. Nat Neurosci. 2017 Feb;20(2):287–96. doi:10.1038/nn.4458 

4. Ettinger S, Geller PA. Redefining the mom brain narrative: Adaptive cognitive enhancements during the perinatal period. J Health Psychol. 2025 Dec;30(14):4542–9. doi:10.1177/13591053251329667

5. Barba-Müller E, Craddock S, Carmona S, Hoekzema E. Brain plasticity in pregnancy and the postpartum period: links to maternal caregiving and mental health. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2019;22(2):289–99. doi:10.1007/s00737-018-0889-z PubMed PMID: 30008085; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6440938.

6. Cleveland Clinic [Internet]. [cited 2026 Oct 4]. What Is Neuroplasticity? How It Works. Available from: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/neuroplasticity