Mommy Brain

The Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of Mommy Brain announced its latest guidelines just yesterday, stating that “Not all Mommy Brain, is the same.”

This is only the first of hopefully many steps that will be taken to help treat Mommy Brain, which was officially diagnosed last Monday. But mothers have felt the symptoms and their families have experienced the effects of Mommy Brain for centuries.

“I knew something was different right after we came home from the hospital,” said Iam Spacey of the moment in which she put a soiled diaper in the laundry basket and the babies onesie in the trash.

“I knew something was wrong when I opened my lunch at work one day and found fruit roll ups and Lunchables inside,” said one tearful husband. “I mean, if you think I was devastated, consider our poor son who opened up his lunch at school to find a Turkey wrap and tomato juice. Our son doesn’t eat that kind of stuff. The poor kid came home starving!”

Others have reported similar experiences ranging from simple things like finding the milk in the cupboard and the cereal in the fridge to more serious events like the one that happened to Anita Nadvil of Orem Utah.

“All I wanted to do was be a good mom!” wailed Anita as she recounted the scary experience. “I was just trying to sanitize the binkies! I never would have forgotten about them if I didn’t have Mommy Brain!”

But Anita Nadvil did forget about the boiling binkies. When she emerged from the babies bedroom after a diaper change, the house was filled with haze and smelled of melting plastic. Luckily, quick thinking prevented disaster. She turned off the burner, then escorted her two children out of the house until the toxic fumes cleared out.

Yes Mommy Brain seems to be running rampant these days. For those who have already had children, there is no prevention. Some form of Mommy brain exists in all Mommy’s. Some women have decided not to have children in hopes of avoiding the condition, though this won’t guarantee against similar conditions arising. Even the most healthy of non-child bearing women come down with cases of absent mindedness or worse.

For victims of Mommy Brain there is no cure, but a good support network and a strong resolve can make a world of difference.

“I write notes to myself all the time,” says Anita Postit of Portland Oregon. “Like if I have to pay rent by a certain date, I stick a note saying so on my desk. Otherwise I forget.”

For some women, even that is not enough. One mother, wishing to stay anonymous because of the severity of her condition reports that she has to tape her rent or video rentals to the door in order to remember them before she goes out.

In spite of the differences in progression of Mommy Brain in all of the women mentioned in this article, they share one common thread - A good support system. Husbands who tease them and help them laugh at their Mommy Brain moments. Mother’s who sympathize and offer suggestions. Children who love them no matter what Mommy Brain moment they have next.

Of course not all victims of Mommy Brain have a good support system in their home and community, but more and more of them are finding support in an online community of mommy bloggers. These mommy bloggers are mother’s who are willing to share their Mommy Brain moments in order to help others going through the same thing to feel they are not alone. It has become a lifeline to some with severe cases.

“Reading stories from other Mommy Brain victims on the blogs is so great!” says Imjus Truthful. “It’s therapeutic to be able to laugh at the stories of mom’s who have it worse than you do.”

If you’d like to learn more about Mommy Brain you can visit the official website at: http://mommybrainvictimsrus.com

If you would like to donate to research for treatments and a cure for Mommy Brain call:
1-800-BRAINLS

Together, we can make great strides in helping victims of Mommy Brain around the world.

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Comments (24)

Gramma DuckyFebruary 11th, 2008 at 11:58 am

Ok Summer, did you come up with this? Cute.

KimberlyFebruary 11th, 2008 at 12:49 pm

Bwahahahahah! You are so incredibly brilliant!

Despite the severe affliction which is Mommy Brain. You rock!

MarieFebruary 11th, 2008 at 2:05 pm

You must post this in my carnival tomorrow.

As soon as I found out I was pg this time, I started taking fish oil. I hope it helps!

cherylFebruary 11th, 2008 at 2:19 pm

Count me as another victim of Mommy Brain. It entered my life 7 1/2 years ago, and it ain’t leaving. That’s right: Ain’t!

Love this, summer! Seriously, it’s hilarious. :)

Mom 2 My 6 KidsFebruary 11th, 2008 at 3:21 pm

I have mommy brain! Or at least I used to. I’m not sure I have any brain left now. Add me to the research!

Richelle FFebruary 11th, 2008 at 3:42 pm

Thanks for a great laugh!

Thalia's ChildFebruary 11th, 2008 at 4:11 pm

This post completely rocked my day! So glad I’m not the only one with Mommy Brain

MeishaFebruary 11th, 2008 at 4:22 pm

Is there a special support group for those of us *ahem* (me) who were born with Mommy Brain, and now as an actual mother, experience the more severe “type 1 Mommy Brain”?

JeanetteFebruary 11th, 2008 at 4:55 pm

I love this! I have learned to live with mommy brain by just laughing and moving on. It can actually make things very fun and interesting! :-)
I am so glad I came here and read this today! So clever!
BTW-thanks for visiting my blog!

AbsolutelyBananasFebruary 11th, 2008 at 6:08 pm

Seriously brilliant.

I recognize that I have a problem. I NEED HELP!

childlifeFebruary 11th, 2008 at 6:20 pm

LOL!!!! I’m still in denial. It’s who I am right now. Now what did I do with the Desitin??

parentingissuesFebruary 11th, 2008 at 6:52 pm

What a relief to know it isn’t just me! I have been calling it Nappy Brain but it sounds like the same thing. My daughter is nearly 5 now and I still seem to have it. Loving the blog!

DedeeFebruary 11th, 2008 at 7:36 pm

I knew there was something wrong. Thanks for putting a name to it.

Awesome post.

McKennaFebruary 11th, 2008 at 10:50 pm

FINALLY! A name for my woes!! And I only have one kid!

MariaFebruary 12th, 2008 at 12:16 am

I’m so glad there’s a name for what I have! Just today I tried to poor milk onto a saucer, and EVERYDAY I call EVERYONE by the wrong names.

tiffFebruary 12th, 2008 at 12:28 am

LOL! I loved this post!

That is about me! I put the Weet Bix in the fridge today and found the milk in the pantry. OOPS. Mushy mother brain.

They say you brain shrinks 3% every time you have a child and does not regenerate. UGH! That definately puts me in the negative!

JackiFebruary 12th, 2008 at 8:29 am

This is great!

I only have one preschooler and I have to tack post-its ALL OVER the house so I don’t forget to do something.

mejojacFebruary 12th, 2008 at 1:49 pm

Mommy Brain is real! We had a doctor come and talk to us about it one time… if you don’t have enough OMEGA fatty acids in your body when you are pregnant, your body will pull from existing sources (your brain) to help create the brain and other organs of your forming baby!! And then you have a short window to replace the stores in your body or they are lost forever… of course, by the time I heard him talk, my window was closed tightly…

Deb - Mom of 3 GirlsFebruary 12th, 2008 at 3:27 pm

LOL - I always knew that I had a chronic disease of some sort and now it has a name! :)

You. are. too. funny. Seriously.

MamaGeekFebruary 12th, 2008 at 4:50 pm

You. RULE.

Hi my name is MG, and I’ve had Mommy brain for 18 months.

I’m just glad I’m not alone. Brilliant post!

Janet StevensFebruary 12th, 2008 at 8:01 pm

Glad to know I’m not alone! Thanks for the laugh, Summer!

Mommy WritesFebruary 13th, 2008 at 11:14 pm

Admitting the problem is the first step.

Searching out the misplaced perishable items is the next.

(love the story Summer!)

[...] do have an excuse though - and it’s now a defined medical condition! Check it out if you don’t believe [...]

AllysonFebruary 14th, 2008 at 12:29 pm

LOL :D Where do I sign up for the research study?

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