Can you explain how the maternal brain changes structurally and functionally to better care for an infant?

Question

Dr. Gabrielle Manto, DC · Answer

The question is, can you explain how the maternal brain changes structurally and functionally to better care for the infant? Yes. So the first 40 days of motherhood, so the first 40 days of postpartum, the mother's rational thinking brain, decision-making brain, diverts its mental energy to the emotional reactive part of our brain. This helps the mom to be hypervigilant, to see if there's anything in its environment that might be threatening to the baby, so that mama bear instinct. This helps the mom to make sure she understands and deciphers the cries of the baby, so understanding a tired cry, understanding a poopy diaper cry, understanding a hungry cry, I'm in pain cry. This will also help the mom, and other changes that happen during the brain helps to reactivate the reward center of the mom's brain. So when she is gazing at her new baby, when she is smelling the new baby, when she is listening to the baby coo and caw, that also changes in the mom's brain to help the mom to better serve the baby and to better protect the baby and to care for each baby's needs. So those are just some of the ways that the brain structurally and functionally changes during the first 40 days of the postpartum experience, which we call the critical window of maternal brain or really synaptic pruning as well. So that is one of the ways that I can explain how the maternal brain changes structurally and functionally to better care for the infant.

Swimming

Strength

Triathlon

Photography

Track & Field

Nutrition

Physical Therapy

Running

Pets

Cycling

Podcasting

HealthCare

Musculoskeletal

Hockey

First Responders

Integrative Medicine

Chiropractic

Cross Country Skiing

Adaptive Sports

Climbing

Mental Health

Surfing

Tennis

Military

Mind Body

Scholars

Criminal Justice

Liquor

CrossFit

Golf

Soccer

Pickleball

Hunting

Public Speaking

Venture Capital

"Can you explain how the maternal brain changes structurally and functionally to better care for an infant?"