Thank you, Dr. Oz

Tuesday's Oprah (a show I TiVo because Erin and I enjoy it while she eats) was a Dr. Oz episode. Dr. Oz is Oprah's doctor, and they will periodically have a show that covers a myriad of health issues. I almost always learn something from these episodes. In yesterday's episode a woman Skyped in and asked, "Why is it that since having my son I will be in the middle of a sentence and forget a word?" Her three-month-old son lay sleeping in her lap. Dr. Oz immediately said, "You have Mommy Brain."
My tired Mommy Brain perked up at this point. I listened with glee as Dr. Oz explained that during pregnancy the baby finds Omega 3 fatty acids where it can. The brain is formed heavily of fat, so much of this searching from the baby results in fat coming from the mom's brain. By the time the baby is born a woman's brain has shrunk EIGHT PERCENT. Now, I am not gleeful because I have literally lost brain mass. I am gleeful because there is a legitimate explanation for what I am experiencing. I cannot remember anything lately.

Dr. Oz continued on that women don't need to worry because the brain will bounce back with Omega 3 fatty acids in the diet and with sleep. I don't like fish, so that is not really good news for me, but I will be having this for lunch today:
As far as the sleep goes, this is my downfall right now. I have an infant who gets up a minimum of two times during the night and a preschooler who wakes up once a night at some point, and then tries to get up shortly after five. We then try to make him go to bed again until six, but by that time getting any more sleep is a moot point. Except for Erin, who by six is in a long stretch. This is because she and her brother have a carefully planned trade-off system so that they don't sleep simultaneously. I like to think it's because they don't want to me to be lonely.

I've been blaming the brain freeze issues on sleep deprivation all along, but it's nice to get some scientific backing on it. So yes, I am still literally losing my mind, but it's not my fault, LOL. And maybe there is hope, maybe I will actually get smarter as this woman believes.

Oh yeah, and the woman who Skyped in on Oprah... I'm biting my tongue to not shout bad things at her. Her son sleeps through the night. Grr.