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Paul Nelson reportingIt's a very common complaint for many young mothers. They say their memories just aren't what they used to be. Some psychologists say they're starting to take notice of these memory problems.
You know, Taylorsville resident Anna-Marie Johnson really does have a beautiful kid. I asked him his name, and then his mom asked him, "Can you say Xavier?" He replied, "Zay-yah."
Johnson says her son is her love, the apple of her eye and possibly the reason her mind is a little off from before.
"I forget things more often. I used to be really good at remembering dates and remembering specific events. I seem to forget those," she said.
Johnson says she thinks it stems from having a lot on her plate right now, and she is, in no way, alone in this. Counselors say they see this all the time with mothers. Psychologists say there's no official name for this phenomenon, but some people have nicknamed it "momnesia."
Licensed clinical social worker Anne Evans-Cazier said, "If you're pregnant, you're starting to think, ‘Oh my gosh, the baby's going to come. I'm going to need this. I'm going to need that. You're sort of adjusting and adapting to all these new ideas, and you might just be distracted."
Some therapists say it might come from sleep deprivation, or from moms shifting their focus to the baby. However, others like Evans-Cazier say some cases might be a sign of something more serious.
"Most of the ones that have come in to see me, actually if you look a little deeper, really what you're talking about there is either anxiety or more often depression," she said.
Evans-Cazier says there are a few things to look for. "What's your overall mood? Are you very emotional? Are you quite tearful? Are you feeling a lot of guilt? Are you having thoughts of death?"
She says if you have any concerns about this kind of thing, you should speak with your doctor. She says she has seen some men have memory lapses after their wives give birth, so even dads can have "momnesia."
E-mail: pnelson@ksl.com
