e002 – Insane in the Baby Brain – with Tia Slightham and Habiba Jessica Zaman

Ever forget your keys in the refrigerator for days in the newborn haze? Poured orange juice in your coffee? Showed up at the wrong time and day to an appointment? Well, you are not alone, so has our host Sabrina Greer. Let’s be honest people, how many of us have googled “is baby brain real?” On today's show, we’ve invited some real pros to join us today and dive into the psychology and science behind the infamous “baby brain” or “momnesia”. Tia Slightham is an incredible parenting consultant and founder of Tia Slightham, Parenting Solutions She is also an author in the YGTMAMA series, blogger, entrepreneur and a mother to two sweet boys Hudson (9) and Beckett (7). Tia was a kindergarten teacher before becoming a mama and has a Masters degree in Early Childhood Education. Tia’s passion to help children has come full circle, now teaching parents how to decrease their parenting struggles.       Habiba Jessica Zaman is a powerhouse psychotherapist and founder of North Star of Georgia, Multicultural Counseling & Consulting. She has a Master’s degree in Professional Counseling specializing in trauma with 15 years of experience working in the counseling field, including counseling, advocacy, guidance, and education. She is an author of 14 publications including recently published Beautifully Bare, Undeniably You, and a children’s book, published in 2012, titled But I’m Just Playing. Habiba is of Bangladeshi and American descent. She is a mom of two boys Riu and Luca and lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her family. “We kind of actually do lose our mind in that kind of sleep deprivation, you add all the hormonal things to that and it’s like a double whammy” ~Tia Slightham Listen in to hear Sabrina and our guests as they share some hilarious new Mom stories and delve into the truths about baby brain. Tia notes that “We kind of actually do lose our mind in that kind of sleep deprivation, you add all the hormonal things to that and it’s like a double whammy”. Habiba agrees that “we can all sit back and say that this definitely happens, it’s a chemical thing, it hormonal, it’s sleep deprivation, it’s all of the above”. “We can all sit back and say that this definitely happens, it’s a chemical thing, it hormonal, it’s sleep deprivation, it’s all of the above”. ~Habiba Jessica Zaman Our experts share some tangible tips for our Mamas on how to get through the brain fog. Habiba shares an important tool from her counseling background that can be applied to all new Mamas, the acronym HALT: (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired). If you are more than any one of these at any given time, you are your own worst enemy, so literally, halt and take a pause! Habiba gets real about the link between baby-brain and postpartum depression, as it is the most common complication of childbearing. If you think you may be experiencing postpartum depression the 10-question Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is a valuable and efficient way of identifying patients at risk for perinatal´ depression. The EPDS is easy to administer and has proven to be an effective screening tool.   Major takeaways from our guests during this “baby-brain” phase is don’t expect perfection and whatever habits you’re making, be prepared to break them! New Moms need to give themselves a break in the beginning phases especially, as Tia notes: “Don’t be so hard on yourself because everything is fixable”. In the thick of it, everything seems impossible, but nothing ever is Mama, we promise! Resources from our Incredible Mama Guests: From Tia Slightham FREE PDF Guide: “How To Get Your Newborn To Sleep Without Sleep Training”  (Birth-3 Months) PDF Guide: “Parenting Doesn’t Have To Be That Way”: 7...