Nov. 11, 2022

Fresh Take: Chelsea Conaboy on "Mother Brain"

Society has held that maternal instinct kicks in as soon as a baby is born, and that women are wired to be superior caretakers. Chelsea Conaboy, author of MOTHER BRAIN, tells us that the parental brain is real- but far more complicated than we think.

Why do so many mothers struggle with new parenthood if the maternal instinct is supposed to "kick in" and tell us all exactly what to do? In her new book Mother Brain: How Neuroscience Is Rewriting the Story of Parenthood, Chelsea Conaboy cracks the myth of the maternal instinct wide open.

In this episode, Chelsea explains:

  • How caring for a baby changes the brain of both biological and nonbiological parents, both gestational and non-gestational, and for far longer than we realize
  • Why the traditional view of "baby blues" falls far short of what new parents need
  • Why the parent-child bond is a two-way street, and how each of our children changes our brains further
  • How we can use this new science to improve outcomes for all parents


Here's where you can find Chelsea:

Website: motherbrainbook.com

Twitter: @cconaboy

IG: @chelsea.wonder


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