Here's how neurobiological, psychological, and social processes prepare our brains for the transition to parenthood, writes thetruedrdoom
Luckily for me, one of the leaders in studying the parental brain and the transition to parenthood is a professor in my own department at the University of Denver,Examining the parental brainand the early postpartum period.
These changes allow for mothers to be more sensitive to their baby and to look out for potential threats to their baby. These changes are designed to allow mothers to bond with and care for their own baby specifically. For example, mothers actually show greater activity in their brains when looking at pictures ofbaby smiling compared to other babies smiling . They also show greater brain activity when they listen to their own baby crying versus other babies crying. These findings may contribute to the strong urge mothers may feel to soothe their baby when they are crying, and also to the sense of joy when looking at their baby’s smile. How much mothers' brains respond to their own baby’s cry has also been associated with how sensitive their parenting behavior is and their understanding of their baby’s mental state . There is also evidence that fathers’ brains change during the transition to parenthood, with increases in the brain’s gray matter found in areas of the brain associated with parentaland decreases in gray matter in other areas . These changes could lead to changes in paternal mental health or parenting behaviors. As a result, the biological changes associated with pregnancy and childbirth are not the only drivers of changes in the parental brain. If that were the case, we would only see changes in the parent who gave birth to the baby. Instead, parenting itself may be driving these changes.
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