‘Baby brain’ is a real thing!

A new study has found so-called ‘pregnancy brain’ is a real thing.

The study, from researchers at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona and Leiden University in The Netherlands, looked at the brain scans of women before they became pregnant, soon after they gave birth, and two years later, to see how the brain changed.

The researchers found "substantial" reductions in the volume of grey matter in the brains of first-time mothers.

The grey matter changes occurred in areas of the brain involved in social interactions, which would help new mothers recognise the needs of their child, be more aware of potential social threats and become more attached to their baby.

The researchers compared mother's brains with those of first-time fathers, men without children and women who had never given birth.

Just by analysing the brain images, computers were able to pick out the women who had been pregnant.

Researchers said the scale of brain changes during pregnancy were similar to those seen during adolescence.

Many women say they feel forgetful during pregnancy and put it down to 'baby brain'.

But they found no evidence of women's memory deteriorating.

The study found 'pregnancy brain' lasted for at least two years after giving birth.

There were no changes in first-time fathers' grey matter.