Many women become forgetful during pregnancy. Nobody's completely sure why, but the physical changes that you're going through may play a part.
In early pregnancy, you may not be as sharp as usual if you're suffering from morning sickness, fatigue or insomnia. Your head may be buzzing with the knowledge that there's a new life inside you, and with all the changes the future holds. When you have so much to think about, it's easy to become distracted and forget things.
Later in pregnancy, your forgetfulness could also have a physical cause. Research has shown that your brain alters as pregnancy progresses. Some parts of the brain increase in size over pregnancy, but the overall size of your brain decreases, being at its smallest by the time your baby is full-term.
This may go some way to explain why short-term memory, concentration and your ability to retain new information is likely to be poorest in the third trimester.
Thankfully, these changes to your brain are only temporary, and you won't feel them. Your brain will increase in size again in the weeks and months after your baby has arrived. By the time your baby is six months old, your brain is likely to have returned to its pre-pregnancy size.
What else can forgetfulness indicate?
Though forgetfulness is normal in pregnancy, it can be one of the symptoms of depression, along with poor concentration or a vitamin deficiency.
The stresses and strains of pregnancy, especially if you're also caring for young children, can take their toll. Talk to your doctor if you also feel consistently down and low in mood. She will be able to give you the help you need.
What can I do about forgetfulness?
If you find yourself forgetting an appointment, or leaving your phone or keys at home, try these strategies:
1. Keep a detailed daily organiser in a prominent place in your home.
2. Always put items you use often, such as keys, in the same place.
3. Make to-do lists and tick tasks off.
4. Set alarms on your mobile phone to remind yourself to take your vitamin supplements, or your to-do lists, or about other routine activities that may be forgotten.
5. Leave messages for yourself on a small reminder board or fridge in your kitchen.
6. While at work, your forgetfulness may have more of an impact. Leaving memos for yourself on your computer or using an online organiser may make things easier.
7. Check your belongings before leaving home or the office and make sure you have important things like your purse, mobile phone, credit cards, medicines and keys.
8. Just accept it. Forgetfulness is also pretty common in people who aren't pregnant. Don't get worked up every time you forget something, or enter a room and wonder what you came for.
If forgetfulness is becoming a problem, try to simplify your life, even if that's easier said than done. Try to prioritise the important things. You don't have to decorate right now, or clear out every cupboard before your baby arrives. This sort of self-imposed stress can lead to forgetfulness.
Absent-mindedness is one of the many hallmarks of pregnancy, so be kind to yourself. If you can't think straight, take some time out to clear your mind. Take a long bath, go for a walk, have a leisurely dinner with your husband, or put your feet up with a good book. And ask for help from family and friends if you're feeling stressed.
