Mommy Brain.

Its for real. No, im not talking about locking your keys in the car, misplacing your phone, searching the wrong side of the parking lot for your vehicle and blaming it on your failing mommy memory. (All of which i have done....in the last week. Dont judge me.) I'm talking about those mommy brains of ours actually growing, and physically changing in response to having a baby! Pretty Sweet.

According to a new study published in the journal Behavioral Neuroscience last month, researchers scanned the brains of new moms and found that key areas of the brain involved in reasoning, judgment, emotion and sensory integration actually grew in volume in the months after having a baby!
First, the area of the brain responsible for emotion physically changes to make us more empathetic and emotional individuals. As a pre-baby someone who didn't bat an eye watching Titanic, to that girl that cant make it through a TLC show without tears I totally believe it!
And not surprisingly, as mothers our nervous system is oriented towards attachment and bonding with our babies. In research, when a mom is shown a picture of her baby, the emotional area of the brain become super active. That means we're wired not just to detect, but also feel our baby's cues and emotions — we don't just read our baby's signs of distress or joy, they actually emotionally resonate in us.
Our brain also turns into a reward center, boosting our mood with chemicals that make us feel happy when we interact with and respond to our baby. Its no wonder we love making our babies laugh, smile and coo...we're getting high on baby love! And its not just for playtime, but any time we are taking care of our baby we are getting a shot of mood enhancing chemicals. The body continues in the respond-reward cycle, until we are literally addicted to parenting... and to our baby. It's not just our biology that changes after we give birth; the experience of being a mom actually reprograms us. How sweet is that?!

Moms, we are amazing.