Mothers know best #2

Jade Coulton - 1 Feb 16

Every month I receive People Managment
magazine. In February’s issue, I came across the feature Mothers know best (full feature also in the below image) Regarding researches at the University of Richmond in Virgina analysing data to conclude that women’s brains expand when they’re having a child, in order to deal with the complexity and multi-tasking that will be involved in raising a baby. My first thought after reading this…… No s**t Sherlock! Not only do our brains expand but our bodies do too. So, we can accommodate our growing little human(s)

I agree my multi-tasking skills have improved. I now juggle raising of our child, housework, washing, I would say dinners but I don’t cook in my household 😉 apart from my partners lunches – that really doesn’t count as cooking though, two blogs, craft projects and now my return to work. My social life and personal appearance is at level zero with all the above, nowadays it’s very few and far apart to enjoy those luxuries.

I disagree my intellect has been affected since becoming a mother. I have had so much baby talk rather than shop talk, that I have literally forgotten how to speak and spell. I have no time or brain energy to correct this at the moment either. So, finishing a sentence will have to do, written or verbal.

Come on, of course mothers brains become re-wired (not just from the third trimester) but throughout the whole of pregnancy. We start with acceptance of becoming a mother, to hormonal changes, to weight gain, to hormonal changes, surviving morning sickness, to hormonal changes, the anxiety of our little human(s) safety and welfare inside and outside of our bodies, along with the dreading the birth, to planning and organising ourselves, our partners, buying ALL the baby’s neccesties, to hormonal changes, to further weight gain, some even depression, to hormonal changes, to tiredness, to aches – basically the list is endless to how we are re-wired in preparation for motherhood.

When becoming a mother, you have a new wave of patience that is bestowed upon you. To every mother to be, you do not know how the hell your life is going to turn out until you actually experience raising your own child. Your stress levels do increase but this is where your new found patience kicks in and decision making skills become selfless to our child(ren) best welfare before our own.

Baby brain – HELL NO! I still blame this all the time. My first few weeks of motherhood, I was walking round like a zombie and everybody just got grunts instead of actual words or sentences. I believe that it isn’t baby brain but more exhaustion and sleep deprivation that gives us the baby brain affect. Coffee is the only answer.

The real issue of the feature is based on employment, yes we are more employable after having children because we do gain a whole new level of patience, greater coping methods and ability to deal with stress, better making decision skills, multi-tasking skills, tolerance levels – again the list becomes endless. I am not saying that professionals without children’s can’t conquer either. As I myself use to manage +200 employees with a never ending work load and coped gracefully (sometimes lol) BUT I have to admit that my one baby comes along and kicks my arse in comparison to employment, at least at work you can leave at the end of the day.

Jade x

Jade Coulton

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