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    Open Mouth, Insert Foot

    April 14th, 2008

    Post by S

    Maybe a better title is “My brain is shrinking”.

    A little back story is needed to start this post. When we started down the road to parenthood A gave me a book, “The Expectant Father“. I, of course, read it cover to cover. No really, I did. It was just over a year ago. It’s a great book that goes over the pregnancy month by month with sections like “What Going On with Your Partner”, “What’s Going On with the Baby”, and “What’s going On with You”.

    Since it’s been a while, I still pick up the book and read the relevant Month’s chapter – typically I read the chapter in bed. As I read the chapters, I like to think that I’m learning something that A doesn’t already know. I now realize that this feeling is completely ridiculous. After A has read a few books and some very detailed posts on the Nest, there is really no new information that my single little book is going to reveal. But she usually just lets me ramble about random statements while she is actually tuning me out.

    As I’m reading the chapter for the 6th Month, I decide to read out loud so I can school A in some new information! Maybe she would like to know more about “A Few Positively Odd Things Your Partner Might be Experiencing”.  So here is what I was reading, out loud:

    if your partner has been forgetful lately, or seems to be losing a lot of things — including her memory — it may be because her brain is shrinking.

    A looks up and gives me an evil eye. So I continue reading while thinking that I’m sharing some info that will help her explain some of the Baby Brain episodes. I may even earn some ‘good husband’ points!

    Yep. Anita Holdercroft, an English anesthesiologist, found that during pregnancy, women’s brains actually get 3 to 5 percent smaller.

    A is still staring at me, this time the stare is more intense, so I keep reading (out loud remember):

    Now that you know this, it’s probably best that you  keep it to yourself. After all, there’s really no nice way to tell someone that her brain is shrinking.

    Of course, I stop reading out loud at that point. And A asks, “Who’s brain is shrinking?”

    I think I was just experiencing some sympathy brain shrinkage. But one thing’s for sure, we won’t be having any more reading out loud story time with the baby books.