Baby Brain: The surprising neuroscience of how pregnancy and motherhood sculpt our brains and change our minds (for the better)

If you think baby brain is bad for you, think again – because neuroscientist Dr Sarah McKay (author of The Women’s Brain Book) has looked at studies and talked to experts from all over the world and the proof is in: giving birth is one of the best things to ever happen to a woman’s brain.



Moreover, the positive effects of baby brain last well beyond the baby stage – even into old age, with elderly mothers’ brains showing resilience to ageing. Plus, the benefits of baby brain show up for non-birth parents – even fatherhood has a profound effect on the hormones and brains of men.



This fascinating book weaves together baby brain research and interviews with neuroscientists and women’s health specialists – many of whom are mothers – with personal experiences from parents concerning baby brain, nesting, maternal instinct, social support, anxiety and sleep. In each aspect the conclusion is clear: having a baby improves a mother’s memory, and makes her smarter and more empathetic, intuitive and socially savvy.



Baby Brain contains the ultimate good-news story about mothers’ brains, backed up by scientific research from leading experts and presented in highly readable bite-sized sections by one of Australia’s leading science communicators.

Format: Paperback
Pages: 320
Imprint: Hachette Australia
Publication date: 26/04/2023