Parenting young children or cognitive decline??

[Anonymous]

I'm a 38 year old working mother of 2: a 1 year old and a 4 year old. Over the last month or two, I'm noticing that my memory is failing me, both short and long term. I can't remember the name of someone or recall a holiday taken years ago. At work, I sometimes struggle to remember acronyms or whether I was present at a recent meeting - and what was discussed.

Has this happened to anyone else? Is it stress / tiredness? Or something more sinister?

[Anonymous]

My guess is tired mom brain. But you might want to get your thyroid level checked-it can't hurt.

[Anonymous]

I’m in the same boat. 6yo and 3yo. I’m chalking it up to mom brain….but it’s gotten worse over the past year or two.

[Anonymous]

Hmm, I wouldn't be terribly worried but I would get it checked out. Some of this is normal, like not remembering a name or what was discussed at a meeting, but not remembering the meeting at all seems slightly unusual.
It's probably sleep deprivation. Adequate sleep is so important--do anything you can to make sure that you're getting at least 6 hours a night.

[Anonymous]

Normal both for this age (even with older kids) and for parenting young kids. You've got the double whammy.

Just because it's normal, doesn't mean that it isn't a sign that you need some self-care.

[Anonymous]

I would guess it's severe sleep deprivation. How much sleep are you getting a night right now? If your 1 year old isn't sleep trained, get on it. Give it two weeks of 8 hours a night, and see how you feel.

Your body is telling you something. If sleep doesn't fix it, then I'd see a doctor.

[Anonymous]

I had kids at age 26 and 29, and I felt fine as far as memory and mental sharpness goes until I was 39. So yours might not be related to little kids either.

[Anonymous]

Did you feel something similar when your first child was younger? Because I felt like this until my son was 1.5 years old.

[Anonymous]

Momnesia. How much sleep do you get?

I would monitor it, but you are unlikely to get anything useful like an MRI for "I forgot where we went on vacation".

How "booked" is your life? Do you have all the mental load or is your DH also a fully modern man carrying a lot of tasks beyond "taking out the garbage"

[Anonymous]

It served me well when I’ve had similar concerns to take a week (or as close to a week as I can manage) and take very good care of myself.

I found when I was operating on eight hours of sleep, adequate exercise, and also doing things like yoga or meditation to manage my stress and anxiety, I felt worlds better physically and was mentally sharper. This sounds obvious, but when you are in the thick of everyday life, these are the first things to go.