A Mother's Brain

‘This fascinating book uncovers the biological brilliance of the maternal mind and is an evidence-based guide to one of the most profound transformations in human life.’ Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, author of Inventing Ourselves: the secret life of the teenage brain

A powerful, awe-inspiring, beautiful book ... groundbreaking. Lucy Jones, author of Matrescence

AS FEATURED IN THE BBC DOCUMENTARY BABY BRAIN: WHATS REALLY GOING ON?

85 per cent of women experience pregnancy at some point in their lives. It is a process necessary for the existence of our species. Yet the effect of this life-creating and life-altering experience on the women who undergo it has had little serious, rigorous study – until now.

In A Mothers Brain, neuroscientist and leading expert on the maternal brain Dr Susana Carmona draws on her cutting-edge research to demonstrate the ways in which pregnancy profoundly transforms the body, from the reshaping of a woman’s immune system and hormonal dynamics to the geography of her cortex and its plasticity. Tracking the rapid changes in mothers’ brains from preconception to several years after childbirth, Carmona explores how the brain nurtures maternal well-being and the mother-baby bond, facilitating the transition to motherhood, and reveals how some cells with the baby’s genetic code even cross into the mother, residing in her brain for the rest of her life.

In this landmark new book, Carmona writes empathetically about the challenges of motherhood, dispels harmful ‘baby brain’ stereotypes and presents a powerful argument for the end of gender bias in women’s health. Evidencing that pregnancy alters the brains even more than adolescence, neuroscience, at last, supports what women already suspected: motherhood transforms us.

"Illuminating, crammed full of fascinating research, a must read for mothers to be, and their partners!" Dr Hannah Critchlow, author of The 21st Century Brain

‘Dr Susana Carmona has been a pioneer in shaping our understanding of the maternal brain.’ Dr Lisa Mosconi, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Menopause Brain