EP 43: Physiological Changes To Your Brain And Hormones

My son is almost 16 months old and it’s amazing to watch how he changes every day, and as we approach the end of the year I’ve been thinking about how much my husband and I have changed as well. I’ve talked a lot about the changes in my emotions and who I am in general since becoming a mom so I thought it would be interesting to dive into the physiological changes that happen to the brain and body in pregnancy and postpartum.

In this week’s episode we dive into '“mommy brain”, the roles of oxytocin in postpartum, and the changes in male brains and hormones who become fathers. I was happy to learn that not only is mommy brain real but that there are evolutionary purposes for it because let me tell you, not being able to think of that word you use all the time or the name of the movie you loved in college can be a little disconcerting. Turns out the drop in grey matter you are experiencing aids in the ability to pay close attention to the nonverbal cues and needs of your little one.

Parents and caretakers who did not give birth also can experience changes in their brain including higher levels of oxytocin (which can be mirrored in their babies) and in men lower levels of testosterone. There is still a lot of research being done in this field but I find it so fascinating.

Here’s a quick reminder of some important labor and postpartum hormones:

Oxytocin: the “love” hormone contracts the uterus and helps progress labor, after birth oxytocin helps with birthing the placenta, stopping bleeding, bonding with your baby, and breastfeeding
Prolactin: increases as labor approaches, helps stimulate milk production
Relaxin: secreted by the placenta in the final stages of pregnancy to help prepare of labor, relaxes the ligaments in the pelvis and softens and widens the cervix
Progesterone: helps prevent premature delivery, some research shows the dramatic drop in both progesterone and estrogen after delivery may be linked to postpartum depression, it’s estimated that your progesterone and estrogen levels return to their prepregnancy levels around 6 months postpartum
Estrogen: helps with uterine contractions and cervical dilation, drops after giving birth
Adrenaline: the “fight or flight” hormone”, evolutionarily helpful because this hormone help stall labor if the laboring person was unsafe and needed to move

My husband and I also dive into how we navigate our personal roles as parents and discuss how evolution and society play a part in defining those roles and expectations. I have found it incredibly important to keep this an open conversation and remind myself that roles can shifts as needed. I’ve had to check in with my personal boundaries and needs and be open to evolving what I do in a day.