Becoming a mother is one of the most exciting – and terrifying – times in a woman’s life. The experience is different for every woman and can involve an excruciatingly long list of emotions, ranging from euphoria to anxiety and everything in between.
A major aspect of the experience stems from neurological changes in a woman’s brain. New research indicates that pregnancy triggers changes in the prefrontal cortex, midbrain, parietal lobes and other areas ; these changes affect emotions like empathy, anxiety, protectiveness and love. Once the baby is born, a mother’s brain continues to experience rapid and major changes through its interconnected regions.
Another crucial aspect of the motherhood experience is access to information. Today’s new moms have an abundance of information literally at their fingertips, and the urge to research every little noise and bodily function while sitting at home with a new baby can be difficult to resist.
That’s why Moms end up Googling EVERY. LITTLE. THING. Things like…
1. Is my baby’s poop supposed to be X color?
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Newborn poop comes in a variety of consistencies and colors, and each new characteristic sends even the most calm, collected mother scrambling for her phone to Google what she just encountered. More often than not, it’s completely normal and not a cause for concern. But moms are going to Google it nonetheless.
2. How do I know if my baby loves me?
New moms adore their babies. It’s a natural, biological reaction - studies indicate the reward centers in a mother’s brain react to simply looking at her baby. But how does a mom know if the baby loves her back? Google the phrase and new moms get a variety of lists about all the signs to look for – all of which any logical person would already assume. But when you’re a hormonal new mom, sometimes a little reassurance is nice.
3. Does my baby hate life?
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Hormones are horrible. They make new moms think that a crying baby indicates an actual dislike of the outside world and everything in it. That’s crazy, because babies cry. Some more than others, true, but they all cry regardless.
4. Is my baby exceptionally smart?
Every new mother thinks her baby is the smartest, most adorable child to ever walk the face of the earth (at least until her next child is born). So when a baby does something – smiles, holds his or her head up, laughs, rolls over, reaches for a toy, etc. – every new mom immediately assumes her child is performing said action at the earliest possible moment and, thus is developmentally advanced.
5. When will my baby sleep through the night?
Sleep is the biggest concern for new moms – how much the baby is getting, how little she is getting, what an appropriate sleep schedule looks like and when things will improve. The answer to this question ranges, as all things regarding children do. Some new mothers have babies who sleep through the night starting when they are weeks old while others will have a toddler who still wakes during the night. No amount of Googling will change that.
