According to researchers at the Australian National University in Canberra, women do not suddenly become "fuzz-heads" the minute they get knocked up. In fact, scientists found that having babies may actually improve brain function. Over a period of several years, professor Helen Christensen conducted a series of interviews with 2,500 women ages 20-24. She had them preform various logic and memory tests, and found that the women who were pregnant during the second or third batch of interviews performed just as well a they did before. There was also no significant difference between the pregnant women and the control group.

Christensen's findings go against previous research, which found that pregnant women consistently performed worse on verbal and memory tests than their peers. However, Christensen argues that her decade-long study is the most comprehensive in the field and effectively disproves the "preg head" myth. Similar research from the Richmond University in Virgina backs up Christensen's findings, and indicates that pregnancy may increase life-long mental ability and protect against diseases in old age. Furthermore, Christensen mentions a study performed on rats in Singapore which found that pregnant rats had improved multitasking ability: "The rat data suggests that mother rats navigate mazes more efficiently, have less anxiety and fear and excel at multi-skilling. That sounds to me like almost every mother I know."

Pregnant Women's Brains Are Not Mush, Says Study [Telegraph]
Having Babies Can Sharpen Women's Minds [Guardian]

Related: Are Pregnant Women Dulled By "Fuzz-Head" Hormones?

One week before giving birth to little Archie Arnett, writes New York's Emily Nussbaum, the Saturday Night Live funnylady "went out there swinging, her immense belly swaying over the Weekend Update desk, performing a wild, aggressive Sarah Palin rap—effortlessly shooting down both a dancing moose and the actual Sarah Palin." Inspiring? Sure. Amy Poehler is awesome, but does anyone actually think that she would be less so because she's with child? Does carrying a fetus render a woman brain damaged?


Which is why the following is so baffling:

Anchor Campbell Brown savaged spin doctors throughout her first trimester, sharpened by fuzz-head hormones that fell other women.

Sorry? Other knocked-up women are walking around befuddled and bewildered? Isn't every pregnant working woman out there doing her job? While you may not see them rapping or interviewing Democratic strategists, don't you know pregnant women who make quick business decisions, instill fear in underlings, lift grocery bags, corral kids and always have a witty comeback? What do you think they'd say about the idea that they're thought of as "fuzz-heads"?

Because Our Pregnant Women Kick Ass [NY Mag]