Parenthood Changes Our Brains. Emerging Research Tells Us How — And How Much

In the first year of life, babies’ brains are changing drastically, forming more than a million new neural connections every second. During adolescence, children and teenagers undergo puberty, in which their brains, bodies and psyches are being reshaped. The majority of the human population will experience a third life event that can usher in changes of a similar magnitude, and that is the transition to parenthood. For generations, new moms and dads have described feeling fundamentally changed by the arrival of a baby. It’s only recently that scientists have been able to see that change in the brain itself. Although that research is still in its early days, the findings are clear: Pregnancy and new parenthood leave lasting marks on a person’s brain, especially a mother’s.

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