slip mom’s minds - turns out, this is likely just the result of sleep deprivation and exhaustion.

But, what is actually happening inside a mother’s brain? Hi mom!

Hello sons and daughters, Lissette here for Dnews. Many mothers report that having a child

is one of the most meaningful events they’ve ever experienced. It’s life changing. And

from a science perspective, they’re right - even when it comes to the structure of their

brains.

Mothers experience neurological changes that start in pregnancy and continue throughout

early motherhood. In a study published in the Journal Behavioral Neuroscience, researchers

looked at moms’ brains at 2-4 weeks after giving birth and then again around 3 months

later. Using mri technology, they found that mothers had increased gray matter in certain

areas: the parietal lobes, prefrontal cortex, and others. Yes, their brains literally grew.

What’s more, some of the growth happened in areas like the amygdala and hypothalamus,

which are associated with emotional regulation, survival instincts and hormone production.

The changes here seem to be linked to mother’s having a positive view of their babies and

an increase in positive feelings towards them - it’s what helps moms get up 5 or 6 times

at night to a screaming baby without losing any love for them.

In a study, researchers at The University of Toronto Mississauga analyzed the brain

activity of 22 mothers to see if there was anything special going in their amygdala when

mothers looked at their babies versus the babies of strangers. What you’d expect is

that mothers would respond more strongly to their own babies. And some women did - these

women reported higher feelings of satisfaction with motherhood, a more positive mood, and

generally good experiences with being a mother.

Conversely, when the amygdala did not become more sensitive during motherhood, it ended

up affecting the bond between mother and child negatively. The women who had reduced amygdala

responses to photos of their babies reported poorer quality of maternal experience, including

increased levels of stress and anxiety. Essentially, these mothers felt they were having a hard

time. We know from other studies how important activating these brain regions can be in buffering

against negative emotions or feelings in new mothers. In fact, postpartum depression is

associated with the binding sensitivity of receptors in the brain that affect the amygdala

and other structures involved in the dopamine reward system.

This is the same system that is activated when we fall in love with our high school

sweetheart. In fact, studies have shown that the same neurological processes are involved

in falling in love romantically as with falling in love with your baby. One hormone involved

in this process is oxytocin - commonly dubbed the love hormone for its role in bonding and

affection. Your body releases it when you hug someone or cuddle - it’s when you get

that “ahhhh” feeling and everything is ok.

But it is also released when women are giving birth, it’s associated

with breastfeeding, and it facilitates bonding with a newborn. The hormone spikes during

pregnancy and regions with high density of receptors for oxytocin, like the amygdala,

are specifically activated in mothers’ brains when responding to babies faces and scents.

In one study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, researchers gave women baby

pajamas that were worn by two day old newborns. In one group were mothers who had just given

birth and in the other, women who had never had children. When the women were asked to

sniff the PJs, all women could smell the “baby scent” to the same degree. But what was

happening in their brains, was different. Mothers had more intense brain activity in

the dopamine reward system, than women had never had children. This system is involved

in reward learning and its the same that makes us crave certain foods or become addicted

to drugs. It motivates us to act in ways that get us closer to the reward - in mother’s

cases, a baby. So yes, mothers can pretty much be addicted to babies.

It’s why moms can’t stop with the kisses - even when you’re 22. So how about you

show your mom some love in return - with something special from Kay Jewelers. Because, every

kiss begins with Kay. Look at the spelling, it’s right there. Kay Jewelers is one of

our sponsors at Discovery Digital, they help keep the lights on and the episodes coming,

so if you want score bonus points with mom, go ahead and check out Kay’s line of jewelry.