Saturday, February 06, 2010

Momnesia. It Really Does Exist!


Have you ever forgotten your friends' names or couldn't remember your own phone number? Have you ever torn your house apart, looking for your car keys...Only to discover they were in your pocket the entire time? Have you ever put someone on hold while on the phone...and then walked away and completely forgot that you had someone on hold in the first place?

I'm afraid to tell you this, but it's true, ladies!

Momnesia does exist.

Simple, uncomplicated, every day things that we used to never think twice about all of a sudden become a challenge. Forgetting that we've done things or that we have to do things just becomes part of our daily lives. Crazy.

Fatigue, stress, and hormones can contribute to this strange "loss of memory" or moments of sheer ditzy, scatterbrained behaviour.

My latest Momnesia moments:

1. Feeling upset with myself for forgetting to wish my twin nieces a Happy 1st Birthday, when I actually did wish them a Happy Birthday when I spoke to my brother on the phone.

2. Tearing the house inside out and upside down so I could find my 2008 Notice of Assessment (for tax purposes), only to discover that it was one of the first places I had looked. It was with the other tax papers...of course!

3. Calling my friend up to tell her something really important, only to forget why I called her in the first place.

4. Overbooking myself a million times over. What I would give for just one day to do nothing but laze around the house with Little One. Hasn't happened yet since we've been on the go every day of the week (appointments, meetings, errands, chores, online and offline work, visits, dinners, etc).

5. Forgetting the baby's wipes and soothers at home when we went on a day trip off-island. Gah.

6. Totally forgetting to give Hubby his messages and then get upset when he "forgets" to return phone calls he never even knew he received.

7. Crying my eyes out when Hubby makes himself bacon and eggs and completely dismisses my need for breakfast too...not remembering that he asked me twice if I wanted anything to eat for breakfast. Poor Hubby. I can only imagine how worried he was that his wife was "losing it".

The absentmindedness, ditsy behaviour, temporary memory loss, and general "not being with it" was happening too often. The more I spoke with other Mommy friends (and our family doctor and some of the nurses!), I discovered that there is a thing called Momnesia! After I gave birth to Little One, my doctor told me that I had "Mommy brain" and it was something that wasn't uncommon after having a baby.

Women can balance a zillion things at a time. However, if we pile too much on our plates, sooner or later, things will start falling off said plates. It's no wonder so many of us have these slip ups occasionally. I remember after Little One was born and I had to go for my six week postnatal follow-up, the receptionist asked me for my phone number. I stood there with a blank look on my face. I completely forgot what my phone number was! For the life of me, I had no idea what it was and it really upset me. The receptionist smiled and said, "It's okay. You've got baby brain. Don't worry about it. Oh, and it gets even worse as they get older!"

Great.

My friend, Maddy'sMom told me that Momnesia can last up to the time the baby turns two years old. In other words, I only have two years to use this "excuse"! ;)

I found this interesting book online. It's called Momnesia: A Humorous Guide to Surviving Your Post-Baby Brain.
In the meantime, time spent with family and friends is a good remedy. My friend, E and I have come up with what we call "Download Days". Every woman should have "Download Days" to just relax and chat with friends over dinner or tea. Or, if you are lucky like me to have friends like SuperAmazingMommy, key lime pie days are great too! I don't like sweets or baked goods, but one thing I have no reservations about accepting is a slice of key lime pie! The sour/tart flavour of the pie and some good laughs with friends are just the perfect combination for a Saturday "chill out" session. Thank you, SuperAmazingMommy, Maria @Notes from a Brown House, and E!Little One says that SuperAmazingMommy's key lime pie is the best ever!
Buy kids all the toys in the world and they just play with the boxes the toys come in. Give kids a Rubbermaid storage bin, and it's hours of entertaining themselves!
Little One and her "boyfriend" (SuperAmazingMommy's youngest son).
Little One standing on her own. Yikes! I think she'll be walking on her own any day now. The thought of her walking just makes me want to cry. Seriously.

14 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm just happy to know that it isn't just me. My latest moment includes beginning a story to make a valid point, forgetting why I started to tell the story, what point there was or even how the rest of the story goes... *sigh*

Unknown said...

Robyn:
Oh, thank you for sharing that with me! Come to think of it, that has happened to me NUMEROUS times!! LOL! *sigh*

t said...

Hooray for her standing on her own! Gosh, Chrissy! I wish we still lived close to each other. You could come over to my condo any time for a download day and I'd come over to play with your adorable little miracle!

Lets schedule a phone convo. Will you be home this evening? I big fuzzy heart you!

Unknown said...

T:
We just got home. It's just after 4PM now. We'll be home for the rest of the evening if you'd like to call...or I can call you. Talk to you soon! XO

Anonymous said...

Oh Christina, I can totally one up you. The day after I had Sloane the nurse came to see me and asked what I had named her - I totally forgot and had to call over to the unit to find out!!!!! Completely true story!
Love Kristen

Unknown said...

Kristen:
HAHA! That is toooooo funny! I can totally see that happening though. That time spent in the NICU and just having had a baby can be a little crazy. I think the first few weeks were a blur. So much terminology to learn and trying to catch the doctors at "rounds"...enough to make one's mind blow up. Information overload. :)

caninecologne said...

hi c - wow! look at her stand!!!!! is she fully walking on her own now? it's going to be sooon!!! : )

love the pic of her with pie on her face!!!

btw, my girl is 9 and 1/2 and I still have 'momnesia'!!!!

word ver:
naith

Unknown said...

Canine:
WHOA! TC is 9 1/2 already!?!?! I remember you posting about her just turning 7! Time flies!

No, LO's not walking on her own yet. She's standing on her own really well, but is still VERY cautious! LOL! She's so funny.

Is it horrible of me to not want her to walk yet!?! I really don't want her to walk yet! LOL! Her learning to walk just reaffirms that she's growing up and isn't a baby anymore!! :( Okay, that sooooo sounds like I'm one of "those" parents, doesn't it?! LOL!

caninecologne said...

hi c - yes, 9 1/2! 10 in august.

the superbowl is on right now and i don't care! husband is watching it tho'.

i loved the early walking stages...we would call tc 'drunken master' because of her wobbly stance!

btw - thanks for talking w/bert the other day about our trip...looking forward to seeing you guys!

word ver:
pingaft

Unknown said...

Canine:
HA! Hubby was watching the Superbowl. I'm not a football fan. I just don't get it. Anyway, around 9 o'clock, I asked Hubby if I could change the channel and watch Big Love. LOL! He didn't seem happy, and told me to watch it on the internet. Then he changed the channel and watched Big Love with me. By the time Big Love was over, the Superbowl had just finished! LOL! Poor guy. He missed all the good parts of the game!

Unknown said...

Canine:
I wrote the dates of your trip when I was on the phone with Bert, but can't remember where I put the paper. Can you please let me know the dates again? Thanks!

Word ver: "hydro", as in "Our hydro bill was insanely high for some reason!". True story.

Unknown said...

Canine:
In the photos, Little One is wearing one of the many outfits you gave her! Thank you, my friend! xo

caninecologne said...

hi c- arriv at the island fri 6/11 in the aft. leave on the 16th.

word ver:
mobtu

Unknown said...

Canine:
Just sent you and Bert an e-mail. TTYS! :)

From Our Farm to Your Table

Blog Archive

Farmers Feed Cities

You Can Find Me Here!




Affiliates

Brand Ambassador for

For Fellow Bloggers

Connect With Advertisers - Sign up for SocialSpark!
A Reliable Blogger

Proud Recipient

© 2006 - 2012 Life on Manitoulin. All Rights Reserved. Powered by Blogger.

About the Blog Author


City girl moves to the country, falls in love, and marries a farmer. She tries to incorporate her city ways with her new country lifestyle and blogs to keep in touch with friends, family & students who live far, far away :) Can this city girl go country? Watch as she learns all sorts of exciting things about life on the farm and in a small rural community. *UPDATE* We are now parents! Our baby girl was born on Nov. 11, 2008 (at 28 weeks gestation- 12 weeks premature, but she's quite the trooper)!!!
Contact Me

Les Boutons!

Life on Manitoulin: Just a bunch of ramblings from a city girl gone country!

Life on Manitoulin: Just a bunch of ramblings from a city girl gone country!

Let's Connect

Members

Support


Photobucket


Related Posts with Thumbnails