Re: Pregnant Women and Mental Capacity

[Guest guest]

Carmen,

You are 100% correct. So much of the modern day pregnancy and

mothering symptoms that are now considered " normal " are purely results

of the abberation that is pre-conception and pre-natal nutrition. A

fetus will thrive either because of the mother or at her expense

practically as if it were a parasite. The fetus will either be fed by

a rich diet from its mother or the child will strip its mothers

reserves. I find it appalling how very many women I see who suffer in

this way. This is so far from normal its ridiculous. There is no

question that this is a modern day creation not an evolutionary

adaptation. And it saddens me to see so many powerful women fall for

the notion that this misery they feel is just par for the course.

Sincerely,

Dr. Marasco,BS,DC

Cincinnati, Oh

> It's real, all right, but I do NOT believe it is an adaptation that

> allows us to 'meet our kids' on their own level, nor that keeps us from

> shirking our new responsibilities. I believe has to do with nutritional

> depletion from pregnancy and lactation - a real brain fog thing. My

> third child is almost 6mo old, and the phenomenon gets worse with each

> child, which supports the nutrition hypothesis (I just discovered NT at

> the end of the 3rd pregnancy). I wouldn't say my analytical abilities

> are reduced, just ... less accessible. ;-)

>

> On my other two lists, which are primarily parenting lists, we just call

> it Mommy Mush Brain and leave it at that. It gets old, not being able to

> retrieve simple words like refrigerator and spoon in ordinary

> conversation.

>

> ~ Carma ~

>

> To be perpetually talking sense runs out the mind, as perpetually

> ploughing and taking crops runs out the land. The mind must be manured,

> and nonsense is very good for the purpose. ~ Boswell

>

> Carma's Corner: http://www.users.qwest.net/~carmapaden/

[Guest guest]

Hi, Carmen,

< My third child is almost 6mo old, and the phenomenon gets worse with each

child, which supports the nutrition hypothesis (I just discovered NT at

the end of the 3rd pregnancy). I wouldn't say my analytical abilities

are reduced, just ... less accessible. ;-)>

Glad to have confirmed for everyone that Mommy Mush Brain is a wide-spread

phenomenon. I also agree that the analytical abilities get pushed away--like

a coat you have to go to the closet to retrieve and put on when you need it.

Like any muscle, it comes back when used.

It was also worse for me with each child. Although I was far better nourished

with the third and forth--I also breastfed much more (which means more of the

hormone of forgetfulness, oxytocin), exclusively for more than a year.

< I do NOT believe it is an adaptation that allows us to 'meet our kids' on

their own level, nor that keeps us from shirking our new responsibilities.>

I stick with that. I think that mother-baby bonding is a miracle that is

accomplished with brain-changes in the mother. To love is to meet and be met.

A baby can't meet us in our adult-mentality; we have to meet the baby. The

extreme emotional vulnerability the mother feels and the reduction in her

strength are part of helping her to have empathy with the helplessness of the

baby. The mother's mind " spacing out " -- a baby has no sense of time or

place. I think it's helpful for bonding to 'meet' the baby 'there'.

If you look at all the traditional cultures that keep the mother in a distant

hut for forty days after birth, to offer her protection during this

vulnerable time, and the wide-spread tradition of family members relieving

her of her house and garden work after birth--it's all part of providing the

mother space for this special period. I am thinking now of my discussions

with people from rural Sri Lanka, who described this and said that a new

mother should have pretty much nothing to do but to focus on the care of her

baby.

It's extremely difficult to deduce what might be 'right' and 'normal' from

primitive cultures. In my reading, I dispaired of being able to draw any

conclusions. The more I read, the more I saw that mothering practices are

economically determined as much as anything else. For instance, the

difference between cultures that have a one-year or a two-year sexual taboo

on breastfeeding mothers (this taboo is found all around the world, so it may

represent a really old relic of human culture). In poorer cultures, it's a

two year taboo, so that the hard-working mother will not become pregnant and

has more calories to breastfeed longer.

Also, a culture that can afford to give a mother a period of rest will do so.

Going back to the fields after birth is not an ideal.

In both ayurvedic and TCM there is the understanding that the mother's body

is 'cold' after birth, and needs to be built up with special foods and herbs,

as well as detoxing. Since these are ancient systems of medicine, there's a

good chance that this situation in the postpartum is also ancient. What I

especially love are the detoxing techniques, for instance, that the

sweat-baths (saunas) of mesoamerica were ruled by the goddess of midwifry and

motherhood, and that sweat baths and detox massages are given to women after

birth in many cultures. There's wisdom there.

As to the skirting our responsibilities... I remember reading that and

thinking, " Hey, I don't need this! I'm not going to desert my baby! "

But if you think about the nervousness of new animal mothers......some will

eat their children if made nervous, or will be unable to suckle (no let-down)

if they feel observed. The chemistry of motherhood is ultra-sensitive, and

our body chemistry may well bear the traces of our more animal origins. I

don't like the thought myself. I'd like to think that our bodies are perfect

and will make life wonderful for us if we only treat them healthfully. But we

do have origins in the animal kingdom, and just as some chimpanzee mothers

will murder or desert their babies..... well, you get my point. I have to

admit that there may well be some kind of bio-chemical check on the

aggressive, nervous reactions of motherhood. I don't like the thought, but I

accept that it may be true.

> I believe has to do with nutritional depletion from pregnancy and lactation

> - a real brain fog thing.

As I wrote in another post, there is less postpartum depression in Japan, and

it may be due to the higher intake of omega-3s. Taking fish-oil does wonders

in dispelling brain-fog.

But it may also be that in primitive cultures, mothers expect to go into a

new kind of mind-space after birth, that they observe this in their older

sisters or aunts from the time they are little, so that when it happens they

can deal with it more easily than we. In other words, they may use the

brain-fog to focus solely on their baby and enter that special, more

intuitive and less analytical space where the miracle of bonding takes

place--in which we respond to each need of the baby almost instantaneously.

That said--I do believe that better diet will improve the experience of the

postpartum, and that there is a great distinction between feeling reduced for

a while, and becoming ill and depressed. NT offers so much on this point.

J.

>

>

> On my other two lists, which are primarily parenting lists, we just call

> it Mommy Mush Brain and leave it at that. It gets odd, not being able to

> retrieve simple words like refrigerator and spoon in ordinary

> conversation.

>

> ~ Carma ~

[Guest guest]

I did not say this well:

< For instance, the

difference between cultures that have a one-year or a two-year sexual taboo

on breastfeeding mothers (this taboo is found all around the world, so it may

represent a really old relic of human culture). In poorer cultures, it's a

two year taboo, so that the hard-working mother will not become pregnant and

has more calories to breastfeed longer.>

The two-year taboo ensures that the mother will not become pregnant too early,

to

avoid depletion because the level of nourishment is so low. If a mother is

breastfeeding, working, and pregnant, she will have gone beyond what her meager

diet can support.

Read " Correlates of the Long Postpartum Taboo: A Cross-Cultural Study " by

Jean-Francois Saucier, Current Anthropology Vol 13, April 1972 for some saucy

facts about pregnancy and postpartum traditions in primitive peoples.

HJ

[Guest guest]

I am not a women, but a farmer(not that that makes any sense) and it would

appear too me that calcium would be the lacking element to the brain fade you

are

talking about.

Calcium is lacking in all soil and food we consume from that soil, to the extent

that we have to feed calcium in the feed to maintain cows so the don't colapse

after calving. Also brain function is very dependent on calcium, as well as your

unborn child, If you were lacking it as a child yourself as most people were

from

1945 to the present on the SAD with increasing defecicency to present day, I

would tend to think that may be some of the problem. Unfortunately to regain

calcium levels after puberty is very hard, your body is already hard wired for

that level of calcium(to a degree) and to find a level of calcium that your body

can use is very hard. Organic farmers are no better in their understanding of

calcium levels and its role in the soil in general as commercial farmers.

Its to simple, and beyond most farmers comprehension of soil science and the

natural balance not just NPK.

raw milk of course is the best source, pastuerized milk now has no available

calcium due to the high temps(165 and above) that renders calcium usless.

Got Milk? better be raw!!

son wrote:

> Hi, Carmen,

>

> < My third child is almost 6mo old, and the phenomenon gets worse with each

> child, which supports the nutrition hypothesis (I just discovered NT at

> the end of the 3rd pregnancy). I wouldn't say my analytical abilities

> are reduced, just ... less accessible. ;-)>

>

> Glad to have confirmed for everyone that Mommy Mush Brain is a wide-spread

> phenomenon. I also agree that the analytical abilities get pushed away--like

> a coat you have to go to the closet to retrieve and put on when you need it.

> Like any muscle, it comes back when used.

>

> It was also worse for me with each child. Although I was far better nourished

> with the third and forth--I also breastfed much more (which means more of the

> hormone of forgetfulness, oxytocin), exclusively for more than a year.

>

> < I do NOT believe it is an adaptation that allows us to 'meet our kids' on

> their own level, nor that keeps us from shirking our new responsibilities.>

>

> I stick with that. I think that mother-baby bonding is a miracle that is

> accomplished with brain-changes in the mother. To love is to meet and be met.

> A baby can't meet us in our adult-mentality; we have to meet the baby. The

> extreme emotional vulnerability the mother feels and the reduction in her

> strength are part of helping her to have empathy with the helplessness of the

> baby. The mother's mind " spacing out " -- a baby has no sense of time or

> place. I think it's helpful for bonding to 'meet' the baby 'there'.

>

> If you look at all the traditional cultures that keep the mother in a distant

> hut for forty days after birth, to offer her protection during this

> vulnerable time, and the wide-spread tradition of family members relieving

> her of her house and garden work after birth--it's all part of providing the

> mother space for this special period. I am thinking now of my discussions

> with people from rural Sri Lanka, who described this and said that a new

> mother should have pretty much nothing to do but to focus on the care of her

> baby.

>

> It's extremely difficult to deduce what might be 'right' and 'normal' from

> primitive cultures. In my reading, I dispaired of being able to draw any

> conclusions. The more I read, the more I saw that mothering practices are

> economically determined as much as anything else. For instance, the

> difference between cultures that have a one-year or a two-year sexual taboo

> on breastfeeding mothers (this taboo is found all around the world, so it may

> represent a really old relic of human culture). In poorer cultures, it's a

> two year taboo, so that the hard-working mother will not become pregnant and

> has more calories to breastfeed longer.

>

> Also, a culture that can afford to give a mother a period of rest will do so.

> Going back to the fields after birth is not an ideal.

>

> In both ayurvedic and TCM there is the understanding that the mother's body

> is 'cold' after birth, and needs to be built up with special foods and herbs,

> as well as detoxing. Since these are ancient systems of medicine, there's a

> good chance that this situation in the postpartum is also ancient. What I

> especially love are the detoxing techniques, for instance, that the

> sweat-baths (saunas) of mesoamerica were ruled by the goddess of midwifry and

> motherhood, and that sweat baths and detox massages are given to women after

> birth in many cultures. There's wisdom there.

>

> As to the skirting our responsibilities... I remember reading that and

> thinking, " Hey, I don't need this! I'm not going to desert my baby! "

>

> But if you think about the nervousness of new animal mothers......some will

> eat their children if made nervous, or will be unable to suckle (no let-down)

> if they feel observed. The chemistry of motherhood is ultra-sensitive, and

> our body chemistry may well bear the traces of our more animal origins. I

> don't like the thought myself. I'd like to think that our bodies are perfect

> and will make life wonderful for us if we only treat them healthfully. But we

> do have origins in the animal kingdom, and just as some chimpanzee mothers

> will murder or desert their babies..... well, you get my point. I have to

> admit that there may well be some kind of bio-chemical check on the

> aggressive, nervous reactions of motherhood. I don't like the thought, but I

> accept that it may be true.

>

> > I believe has to do with nutritional depletion from pregnancy and lactation

> > - a real brain fog thing.

>

> As I wrote in another post, there is less postpartum depression in Japan, and

> it may be due to the higher intake of omega-3s. Taking fish-oil does wonders

> in dispelling brain-fog.

>

> But it may also be that in primitive cultures, mothers expect to go into a

> new kind of mind-space after birth, that they observe this in their older

> sisters or aunts from the time they are little, so that when it happens they

> can deal with it more easily than we. In other words, they may use the

> brain-fog to focus solely on their baby and enter that special, more

> intuitive and less analytical space where the miracle of bonding takes

> place--in which we respond to each need of the baby almost instantaneously.

>

> That said--I do believe that better diet will improve the experience of the

> postpartum, and that there is a great distinction between feeling reduced for

> a while, and becoming ill and depressed. NT offers so much on this point.

>

> J.

>

> >

> >

> > On my other two lists, which are primarily parenting lists, we just call

> > it Mommy Mush Brain and leave it at that. It gets odd, not being able to

> > retrieve simple words like refrigerator and spoon in ordinary

> > conversation.

> >

> > ~ Carma ~

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thank you, that's very interesting. Calcium is highly represented in traditional

foods that are taken by women in the postpartum, such as sesame seeds. What do

you

give to supplement your cows?

Clearview Acres schrieb:

> I am not a women, but a farmer(not that that makes any sense) and it would

> appear too me that calcium would be the lacking element to the brain fade you

are

> talking about.

> Calcium is lacking in all soil and food we consume from that soil, to the

extent

> that we have to feed calcium in the feed to maintain cows so the don't colapse

> after calving. Also brain function is very dependent on calcium, as well as

your

> unborn child, If you were lacking it as a child yourself as most people were

from

> 1945 to the present on the SAD with increasing defecicency to present day, I

> would tend to think that may be some of the problem. Unfortunately to regain

> calcium levels after puberty is very hard, your body is already hard wired for

> that level of calcium(to a degree) and to find a level of calcium that your

body

> can use is very hard. Organic farmers are no better in their understanding of

> calcium levels and its role in the soil in general as commercial farmers.

> Its to simple, and beyond most farmers comprehension of soil science and the

> natural balance not just NPK.

> raw milk of course is the best source, pastuerized milk now has no available

> calcium due to the high temps(165 and above) that renders calcium usless.

> Got Milk? better be raw!!

>

> son wrote:

>

> > Hi, Carmen,

> >

> > < My third child is almost 6mo old, and the phenomenon gets worse with each

> > child, which supports the nutrition hypothesis (I just discovered NT at

> > the end of the 3rd pregnancy). I wouldn't say my analytical abilities

> > are reduced, just ... less accessible. ;-)>

> >

> > Glad to have confirmed for everyone that Mommy Mush Brain is a wide-spread

> > phenomenon. I also agree that the analytical abilities get pushed away--like

> > a coat you have to go to the closet to retrieve and put on when you need it.

> > Like any muscle, it comes back when used.

> >

> > It was also worse for me with each child. Although I was far better

nourished

> > with the third and forth--I also breastfed much more (which means more of

the

> > hormone of forgetfulness, oxytocin), exclusively for more than a year.

> >

> > < I do NOT believe it is an adaptation that allows us to 'meet our kids' on

> > their own level, nor that keeps us from shirking our new responsibilities.>

> >

> > I stick with that. I think that mother-baby bonding is a miracle that is

> > accomplished with brain-changes in the mother. To love is to meet and be

met.

> > A baby can't meet us in our adult-mentality; we have to meet the baby. The

> > extreme emotional vulnerability the mother feels and the reduction in her

> > strength are part of helping her to have empathy with the helplessness of

the

> > baby. The mother's mind " spacing out " -- a baby has no sense of time or

> > place. I think it's helpful for bonding to 'meet' the baby 'there'.

> >

> > If you look at all the traditional cultures that keep the mother in a

distant

> > hut for forty days after birth, to offer her protection during this

> > vulnerable time, and the wide-spread tradition of family members relieving

> > her of her house and garden work after birth--it's all part of providing the

> > mother space for this special period. I am thinking now of my discussions

> > with people from rural Sri Lanka, who described this and said that a new

> > mother should have pretty much nothing to do but to focus on the care of her

> > baby.

> >

> > It's extremely difficult to deduce what might be 'right' and 'normal' from

> > primitive cultures. In my reading, I dispaired of being able to draw any

> > conclusions. The more I read, the more I saw that mothering practices are

> > economically determined as much as anything else. For instance, the

> > difference between cultures that have a one-year or a two-year sexual taboo

> > on breastfeeding mothers (this taboo is found all around the world, so it

may

> > represent a really old relic of human culture). In poorer cultures, it's a

> > two year taboo, so that the hard-working mother will not become pregnant and

> > has more calories to breastfeed longer.

> >

> > Also, a culture that can afford to give a mother a period of rest will do

so.

> > Going back to the fields after birth is not an ideal.

> >

> > In both ayurvedic and TCM there is the understanding that the mother's body

> > is 'cold' after birth, and needs to be built up with special foods and

herbs,

> > as well as detoxing. Since these are ancient systems of medicine, there's a

> > good chance that this situation in the postpartum is also ancient. What I

> > especially love are the detoxing techniques, for instance, that the

> > sweat-baths (saunas) of mesoamerica were ruled by the goddess of midwifry

and

> > motherhood, and that sweat baths and detox massages are given to women after

> > birth in many cultures. There's wisdom there.

> >

> > As to the skirting our responsibilities... I remember reading that and

> > thinking, " Hey, I don't need this! I'm not going to desert my baby! "

> >

> > But if you think about the nervousness of new animal mothers......some will

> > eat their children if made nervous, or will be unable to suckle (no

let-down)

> > if they feel observed. The chemistry of motherhood is ultra-sensitive, and

> > our body chemistry may well bear the traces of our more animal origins. I

> > don't like the thought myself. I'd like to think that our bodies are perfect

> > and will make life wonderful for us if we only treat them healthfully. But

we

> > do have origins in the animal kingdom, and just as some chimpanzee mothers

> > will murder or desert their babies..... well, you get my point. I have to

> > admit that there may well be some kind of bio-chemical check on the

> > aggressive, nervous reactions of motherhood. I don't like the thought, but I

> > accept that it may be true.

> >

> > > I believe has to do with nutritional depletion from pregnancy and

lactation

> > > - a real brain fog thing.

> >

> > As I wrote in another post, there is less postpartum depression in Japan,

and

> > it may be due to the higher intake of omega-3s. Taking fish-oil does wonders

> > in dispelling brain-fog.

> >

> > But it may also be that in primitive cultures, mothers expect to go into a

> > new kind of mind-space after birth, that they observe this in their older

> > sisters or aunts from the time they are little, so that when it happens they

> > can deal with it more easily than we. In other words, they may use the

> > brain-fog to focus solely on their baby and enter that special, more

> > intuitive and less analytical space where the miracle of bonding takes

> > place--in which we respond to each need of the baby almost instantaneously.

> >

> > That said--I do believe that better diet will improve the experience of the

> > postpartum, and that there is a great distinction between feeling reduced

for

> > a while, and becoming ill and depressed. NT offers so much on this point.

> >

> > J.

> >

> > >

> > >

> > > On my other two lists, which are primarily parenting lists, we just call

> > > it Mommy Mush Brain and leave it at that. It gets odd, not being able to

> > > retrieve simple words like refrigerator and spoon in ordinary

> > > conversation.

> > >

> > > ~ Carma ~

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

we actually top dress a high % calcium lime (49%) directly to them. Is is very

very

fine as to allow adsorption, which is the problem of calcium supplements

unusable for

the most part by humans.

son wrote:

> Thank you, that's very interesting. Calcium is highly represented in

traditional

> foods that are taken by women in the postpartum, such as sesame seeds. What do

you

> give to supplement your cows?

>

> Clearview Acres schrieb:

>

> > I am not a women, but a farmer(not that that makes any sense) and it would

> > appear too me that calcium would be the lacking element to the brain fade

you are

> > talking about.

> > Calcium is lacking in all soil and food we consume from that soil, to the

extent

> > that we have to feed calcium in the feed to maintain cows so the don't

colapse

> > after calving. Also brain function is very dependent on calcium, as well as

your

> > unborn child, If you were lacking it as a child yourself as most people were

from

> > 1945 to the present on the SAD with increasing defecicency to present day, I

> > would tend to think that may be some of the problem. Unfortunately to regain

> > calcium levels after puberty is very hard, your body is already hard wired

for

> > that level of calcium(to a degree) and to find a level of calcium that your

body

> > can use is very hard. Organic farmers are no better in their understanding

of

> > calcium levels and its role in the soil in general as commercial farmers.

> > Its to simple, and beyond most farmers comprehension of soil science and the

> > natural balance not just NPK.

> > raw milk of course is the best source, pastuerized milk now has no available

> > calcium due to the high temps(165 and above) that renders calcium usless.

> > Got Milk? better be raw!!

> >

> > son wrote:

> >

> > > Hi, Carmen,

> > >

> > > < My third child is almost 6mo old, and the phenomenon gets worse with

each

> > > child, which supports the nutrition hypothesis (I just discovered NT at

> > > the end of the 3rd pregnancy). I wouldn't say my analytical abilities

> > > are reduced, just ... less accessible. ;-)>

> > >

> > > Glad to have confirmed for everyone that Mommy Mush Brain is a

wide-spread

> > > phenomenon. I also agree that the analytical abilities get pushed

away--like

> > > a coat you have to go to the closet to retrieve and put on when you need

it.

> > > Like any muscle, it comes back when used.

> > >

> > > It was also worse for me with each child. Although I was far better

nourished

> > > with the third and forth--I also breastfed much more (which means more of

the

> > > hormone of forgetfulness, oxytocin), exclusively for more than a year.

> > >

> > > < I do NOT believe it is an adaptation that allows us to 'meet our kids'

on

> > > their own level, nor that keeps us from shirking our new

responsibilities.>

> > >

> > > I stick with that. I think that mother-baby bonding is a miracle that is

> > > accomplished with brain-changes in the mother. To love is to meet and be

met.

> > > A baby can't meet us in our adult-mentality; we have to meet the baby. The

> > > extreme emotional vulnerability the mother feels and the reduction in her

> > > strength are part of helping her to have empathy with the helplessness of

the

> > > baby. The mother's mind " spacing out " -- a baby has no sense of time or

> > > place. I think it's helpful for bonding to 'meet' the baby 'there'.

> > >

> > > If you look at all the traditional cultures that keep the mother in a

distant

> > > hut for forty days after birth, to offer her protection during this

> > > vulnerable time, and the wide-spread tradition of family members relieving

> > > her of her house and garden work after birth--it's all part of providing

the

> > > mother space for this special period. I am thinking now of my discussions

> > > with people from rural Sri Lanka, who described this and said that a new

> > > mother should have pretty much nothing to do but to focus on the care of

her

> > > baby.

> > >

> > > It's extremely difficult to deduce what might be 'right' and 'normal' from

> > > primitive cultures. In my reading, I dispaired of being able to draw any

> > > conclusions. The more I read, the more I saw that mothering practices are

> > > economically determined as much as anything else. For instance, the

> > > difference between cultures that have a one-year or a two-year sexual

taboo

> > > on breastfeeding mothers (this taboo is found all around the world, so it

may

> > > represent a really old relic of human culture). In poorer cultures, it's a

> > > two year taboo, so that the hard-working mother will not become pregnant

and

> > > has more calories to breastfeed longer.

> > >

> > > Also, a culture that can afford to give a mother a period of rest will do

so.

> > > Going back to the fields after birth is not an ideal.

> > >

> > > In both ayurvedic and TCM there is the understanding that the mother's

body

> > > is 'cold' after birth, and needs to be built up with special foods and

herbs,

> > > as well as detoxing. Since these are ancient systems of medicine, there's

a

> > > good chance that this situation in the postpartum is also ancient. What I

> > > especially love are the detoxing techniques, for instance, that the

> > > sweat-baths (saunas) of mesoamerica were ruled by the goddess of midwifry

and

> > > motherhood, and that sweat baths and detox massages are given to women

after

> > > birth in many cultures. There's wisdom there.

> > >

> > > As to the skirting our responsibilities... I remember reading that and

> > > thinking, " Hey, I don't need this! I'm not going to desert my baby! "

> > >

> > > But if you think about the nervousness of new animal mothers......some

will

> > > eat their children if made nervous, or will be unable to suckle (no

let-down)

> > > if they feel observed. The chemistry of motherhood is ultra-sensitive, and

> > > our body chemistry may well bear the traces of our more animal origins. I

> > > don't like the thought myself. I'd like to think that our bodies are

perfect

> > > and will make life wonderful for us if we only treat them healthfully. But

we

> > > do have origins in the animal kingdom, and just as some chimpanzee mothers

> > > will murder or desert their babies..... well, you get my point. I have to

> > > admit that there may well be some kind of bio-chemical check on the

> > > aggressive, nervous reactions of motherhood. I don't like the thought, but

I

> > > accept that it may be true.

> > >

> > > > I believe has to do with nutritional depletion from pregnancy and

lactation

> > > > - a real brain fog thing.

> > >

> > > As I wrote in another post, there is less postpartum depression in Japan,

and

> > > it may be due to the higher intake of omega-3s. Taking fish-oil does

wonders

> > > in dispelling brain-fog.

> > >

> > > But it may also be that in primitive cultures, mothers expect to go into a

> > > new kind of mind-space after birth, that they observe this in their older

> > > sisters or aunts from the time they are little, so that when it happens

they

> > > can deal with it more easily than we. In other words, they may use the

> > > brain-fog to focus solely on their baby and enter that special, more

> > > intuitive and less analytical space where the miracle of bonding takes

> > > place--in which we respond to each need of the baby almost

instantaneously.

> > >

> > > That said--I do believe that better diet will improve the experience of

the

> > > postpartum, and that there is a great distinction between feeling reduced

for

> > > a while, and becoming ill and depressed. NT offers so much on this point.

> > >

> > > J.

> > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > > > On my other two lists, which are primarily parenting lists, we just call

> > > > it Mommy Mush Brain and leave it at that. It gets odd, not being able to

> > > > retrieve simple words like refrigerator and spoon in ordinary

> > > > conversation.

> > > >

> > > > ~ Carma ~

> > >

> > >

> > >

[Guest guest]

>> < I do NOT believe it is an adaptation that allows us to 'meet our

>> kids' on their own level, nor that keeps us from shirking our new

>> responsibilities.>

>> I stick with that. I think that mother-baby bonding is a miracle that

>> is accomplished with brain-changes in the mother. To love is to meet

>> and be met. A baby can't meet us in our adult-mentality; we have to

>> meet the baby. The extreme emotional vulnerability the mother feels

>> and the reduction in her strength are part of helping her to have

>> empathy with the helplessness of the baby. The mother's mind " spacing

>> out " -- a baby has no sense of time or place. I think it's helpful

>> for bonding to 'meet' the baby 'there'.

Okay, but I think we're talking about two very different things here.

You're talking about mother-baby bonding and the near-psychotic focus a

mother has on her newborn child, and corresponding lack of interest in

almost anything else. Absolutely that is adaptive, hormonal in nature,

and meant to be.

But I'm talking about sheer nutritional depletion that leads to brain

fog and utter exhaustion, makes it difficult to deal with day-to-day

duties, and in extreme cases may lead to post-partum psychosis. I don't

believe this is adaptive or helpful in any way. Far from leading to

increased focus on the baby, it makes it MUCH more difficult to respond

empathetically, and tends to lead to disattachment rather than

attachment behaviors. (Wanting to shut yourself in the closet to escape

the crying baby isn't very adaptive.) I've had low blood sugar since I

was a kid, and it was getting gradually worse as I aged, but my first

pregnancy at age 30 accelerated it, and my second less than two years

later really heated things up. I'm holding steady with the third,

because I had almost 4 years to recover.

~ Carma ~

To be perpetually talking sense runs out the mind, as perpetually

ploughing and taking crops runs out the land. The mind must be manured,

and nonsense is very good for the purpose. ~ Boswell

Carma's Corner: http://www.users.qwest.net/~carmapaden/