Brain changes make women better mums

Pregnancy changes a woman’s brain so she can cope with stress and is more in tune with her baby’s needs, research shows.

An expectant mother experiences massive hormonal fluctuations during pregnancy – more than any other time in her life – and the reproductive hormones may ready her brain for the demands of motherhood.

Scientists have suggested this may be why mothers wake up when their newborn stirs, while fathers carry on sleeping undisturbed.

There are reproduction-related cognitive and emotional changes, scientists say, and the result is a more sensitive, effective mother.

The review is published in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science.