Kids Make us Smarter

The love you have for that little baby makes you smarter. It actually makes your brain grow. Isn't that fabulous? I just love this story!

FROM NBC: Any parent can tell you -- those first few months at home with a newborn can leave you feeling pretty scatter-brained. It doesn't mean you're getting dumb.. on the contrary... new research suggests just the opposite. Let's face it moms -- crying babies plus sleep deprivation equals something we call "mommy brain."

Even if you can understand that basic math, you have other problems remembering and thinking. Dr. Elisa Ross - Cleveland Clinic: "Your whole world is turned upside down." Dr. Elisa Ross is an ob/gyn at the Cleveland Clinic. She says a new mom's heart makes up for what the brain seems to lack. Dr. Elisa Ross - Cleveland Clinic: "There's also just this tremendous feeling of love for your baby." A new study indicates those intense feelings of motherly love and pride mean your brain actually grows --bigger-- after you have a baby.

Dr. Elisa Ross/Cleveland Clinic: "Parts of your brain that are being awakened after you have a baby, even though there are parts of your brain that would love to go to sleep." Through MRI brain scans, researchers at Yale University found gray matter increased in the brains of mothers just a few months after they gave birth. The areas of the brain that got bigger were the ones used for mothering -- responding to the baby's cries, the baby's smell.

Dr. Pilyoung Kim- National Institute of Mental Health: "That in turn might help mothers to learn the positive feelings and positive values of these interactions with infants." So rest assured if you can. You're not getting dumber. Your brain is simply "reorganizing," growing and making room for a new bundle of joy. The study did not include women going through post-partum depression.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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