Momnesia Strikes Again!

Posted by: Maria A. Karamitsos on: April 12, 2010

In: childrearing | children | encouragement | Infant | kids | Mommyhood | Moms | new baby | new mom | parenthood | parenting | Women
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OK, ladies. You know what I’m talking about! Your brain has never been the same since getting pregnant, and it doesn’t get all that much better after giving birth! It has an actual name now, to confirm that something is really going on. It isn’t that we lost our minds (well, sort of). It’s a documented phenomenon called Momnesia. Yes, you read correctly; short for Mom – amnesia. Some refer to it as Mommy Brain. (At least they didn’t call it Momzeimers!) Those darn pregnancy hormones feed off your brain and it’s never the same. Detail-oriented individuals start forgetting things. If we don’t keep extensive lists, we forget to do things. I once heard a new mom say she went to the Walgreens, parked the car, and she got to the door of the store before she realized she’d left her son in the car!

Thank God that hasn’t happened to me, and I’ve harmed no living things due to my Momnesia.

You should see the lists that I keep: work stuff, household reminders, family things that I must do. People laugh (no moms laugh, cause they know!), but if I didn’t do this, I’d forget to do the things. Before having kids, I was always very detailed-oriented and prided myself on my memory. This Momnesia can lead to some embarrassing moments! I was always good with names, but now I forget. I’ve forgotten to call people on their birthdays or other important days.

It started early on when I was pregnant with my now 3 year-old daughter. I read about Momnesia, and I prayed it wouldn’t happen to me. Sure enough. After she was born, it didn’t get much better. I asked other moms, “Do you ever get it back?” The responses were a resounding “no!” One mom said it took about 10 years but she got some of her memory capacity back.

I write for a local ethnic newspaper. One of the first times I went out after the birth of my first child, was to cover an exhibit opening at a museum. There was a man there that I had written an extensive profile piece on months before. We got to talking, and he mentioned something about “going back home.” I asked, “Where are you from?” He looked at me like I was nuts. “St. Louis,” he said. “Did you forget?” I was quick with my response. “I’ve done so many articles that sometimes the details escape me. It takes a minute sometime to jog my memory.” Good response, but I was so embarrassed. I didn’t want to admit that it was a case of Momnesia.

You’re shaking your head about now, and thinking about the things that you have forgotten. Let me count the ways. Have you ever gone to the store for something specific and got other things, but not that item? Yup. Have you started to do laundry and then forgot it in the machine for a couple of days? You bet. In those early days following the birth of a child, have you forgotten when you showered last? Oh yeah. And forgotten which side you last nursed the baby on, or even when? Uh-huh. I had to keep a chart of when I nursed, how long and which side and even charted the naps, cause I couldn’t even tell you when I’d had a drink of water last. Yeah, you’re with me. You’ve been there.

My youngest is now 13 months old, and I was thinking it was getting better. I’d started writing more, began taking on some freelance work, and started to promote this blog. Yeah, get ready for this one.

Momnesia Strikes Again!

Last week I set up a fan page on Facebook to promote my blog. I set it up wrong! I set it up as a local business. It was a little vague in terms of the category selection, and I thought, well, I’d like this to be a business – someday a book, ads on the blog, maybe even merchandise! Ok, I’m dreaming a little here. But the intention is there – I want this to go somewhere. So I set it up as a “local business.” I’d reviewed other promotional pages and they said “company,” so I thought that category was the closest to that. Um, no.

After doing a little research, I found that it belongs in another category, which would allow me options on the page that I can’t do under the current category. Right now, you cannot change the page’s category. You have to delete and start again. WHAT?

As of April 8, I had 19 fans – some I’d invited and others I had not. I did invite a lot more people.

So then the conundrum…do I tell people I screwed up or just leave it until someone at Facebook says, “Sorry lady,” and shuts the page down? Hmmm….I feel like an absolute dufus. Had it not been for Momnesia, Mommy Brain – whatever you want to call it – this wouldn’t have happened, I am sure. Did I say I felt stupid? How embarrassing!

Big sticky note taped above my desk this morning: ATTENTION – MOMNESIA IN PROGRESS: Check, check, check, check, check….50 times if you have to!

Ok, so I swallowed my pride and set up a new page over the weekend. One by one, my fans are making it over. Thanks, ladies. You’ve been there too!

I’m holding out hope that someday we’ll get our memories back. Ahhh…we knew after having kids, we’d never be the same – in more ways than one! Now to go kiss my little brain zappers. What were their names again? Just kidding! I wouldn’t trade them for my old memory back anyway.