A validating and descriptive read. Mother Brain takes a frank look at the science and social aspects of one of life’s largest changes: becoming a mother or a parent. In spite of the name, “Mother’s Brain” examines the neuroscience of mothers, fathers, and infants. It’s an excellent read for new parents who wonder why no one has told them what changes to expect for themselves in parenthood.

Meticulously researched, but because it’s told by a layman, difficult topics are explained in an understandable way. For example, to explain how many interpret the motherly spirit, Conaboy describes a mother bird, “She knew just what she was supposed to do… to protect them. That’s what I thought because that’s how the story goes. The one told across time and through generations… until it becomes a part of how we measure the world around us… We nest. We nurture. We defend, naturally. Then something happens: we have a baby of our own and we realize that sweet storyline that seemed full of truth and beauty: it’s bullshit; broken. Either that or we are.”

Parents spend time before a child’s birth learning how to care for their child: what supplies do you need? Is it ok to leave your child in their crib with a blanket? What are the ramifications of circumcision? Outside cursory warnings about PPD and PPA, I spent little time considering thinking the changes in my own neuropathy or life in general. This book gave a complete and detailed rundown of how having a child changes me and those around me.

Thanks to #NetGalley, Chelsea Conaboy, and #MacmillanAudio for sharing an advanced reader copy of this Audiobook. All thoughts are my own.

As a first time pregnant mom, I found this book refreshing in the field of parenting and childbirth books currently out there. Conaboy dives into the nuance and detail of what is actually happening to our brains while we are pregnant and parenting, including non-birthing partners, support network members who help caregive, and pregnant people who are trans or nonbinary. I have heard the many comments she seeks to debunk or add nuance to--that my brain will inevitably be deficient during this time; that my maternal instincts will guide me more than any book, friend, or professional; that pregnancy is so special, motherhood nearly divine. Trust me, I don't feel divine, and I resent when people tell me to "enjoy" pregnancy because I don't find it in the least enjoyable. And then I feel guilty because I think I *should*! I really appreciate Conaboy's honesty about her own experiences, combined with her journalistic investigation into the actual science behind our brain chemistry and pregnancy and parenting. Equally affirming about my own experiences, and enlightening about the ways non-birthing partners and support network members are changed by parenting, I really appreciated this book coming when it did in my own parenting journey. I feel better prepared and reassured.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the author. I tend to listen to audiobooks sped up 1.5x or 1.75x, but this one I listened to on 2x, because she reads it very slowly. Other than the slowness, her emphasis and intonation was perfect and added to my experience and understanding.

This book was both fascinating and validating of my own experiences as a parent. Some parts did drag a bit or got too wrapped up in repetitious facts but for the most part, I thought it was an interesting and comprehensive guide around the science of parenthood. It also did a good job of recognizing the intersectional aspects of parents’ lives - specifically related to race and gender identity.

I’m so grateful that I got to read this text. I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to making some videos for my TIkTok and other social media channels to recommend it to my friends and followers. It was an excellent read! 5/5 stars. I’m going to write a longer and more detailed review on my Goodreads and TikTok and I will link back once I’ve posted.

Mother Brain , How Neuroscience is Rewriting the Story of Parenthood
Author and Narrator, Chelsea Conaboy
Pub date: 9.13.22
12h 31min

Thank you @macmillanaudio, @henryholt and @netgalley for my advanced audio recording! There's no better audio experience than when the author narrates her own novel!

In Mother Brain, Conaboy shares her extensive research into the structural and functional brain changes that mothers undergo before, during, and after birth that involve our hormones, human nature, and our emotional and social psychology, It's a fascinating amount of research into a field that is surprisingly not already widely researched. What makes Mother Brain so interesting is not only the extensive neurobiological research, but also that Conaboy is a health and science journalist and a mother herself, so her approach is intelligent, witty, and empathic.

Mother Brain is truly an amazing insight into the parenthood, one in which I wish I had access to sooner in my parenting season, but may have been too much for me to comprehend during the earlier sleep- deprived season of parenting. An absolute must read for all parents and caregivers and for those who love a dive into neuroscience! It will change the way you think about your parenting and the way you thought you were parented. I only wish I had a physical copy so that I could take notes and highlight! Insightful and wise.

There is a lot of great information packed into this book. It is in no way a parenting book, but instead revolves around the neuroscience behind the changes that occur in the brain when becoming a mother. So much made me go “ah ha” and honestly validated a lot of what I have experienced as a mother of 2. The author shares she is NOT a neuroscientist and is a journalist and a mother. The problem isn’t that she isn’t equipped to write about this topic, but instead that there is a lack in evidence (studies) with this topic. With that being said, take that as you will when you read. Overall, really great information and highly recommend if you’re like me and have ever questioned why you are feeling the way you are — during / after becoming a parent.

Thank you to Macmillan and the author Chelsea Conaboy for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was incredible, and I wish it had been available earlier in my postpartum journey. This look at the neurological research of what happens during early parenthood was fascinating. It also helped me better understand the changes I experienced and feel less alone in my experience. I'm recommending this to all my friends who have asked me questions about what becoming a parent is really like.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance audio copy of this book.

I DNFed this audio book at about 35% of the way through. I am certainly interested in this topic and would like to know more about how our brains change after becoming mothers, especially as I'm a mom of two myself and became a mother later in life than most people do. However, I would prefer to read about topics in neuroscience from people who have actually studied neuroscience rather than from journalists who have a history of writing about health. I think I'm becoming a cranky old woman when it comes to my reading, because it often feels like writers who are younger than I am (which is quite a few of them) are not being very thorough in their work and are catering to an audience that doesn't require much of them. This might be an unfair assessment since I didn't finish listening to the book, but when I had made it more than a third of the way through and hadn't learned anything new, I figured I could safely put it aside. I know very little about neuroscience, so I was expecting to learn new and interesting things. This would definitely appeal to folks who haven't given it much thought or read about this topic before, as an entry into these ideas. It's not for me.

As a new parent, I found this absolutely fascinating. The topics explored were presented in a way that felt informative without going over my head, which I appreciate as a not particularly science minded person. Despite what you might think based on the title, I think this book did an excellent job examining the neurological effects of parenthood from all angles. Of course being a gestational mother has a massive effect on a person, but I’m so glad this book also included the experience of fathers as well as trans parents, adoptive parents, caregivers, extended family, etc. It’s shocking to learn how little research has been done on the topic and how much we simply label things as a “biological response” without any actual proof. I particularly enjoyed the part about how brands and influencers are attempting to capitalize on the self-doubt of new parents with “quick fix” programs and products, which is something I have become hyper aware of since becoming a mom and find super gross. If the neurology of parenthood is a topic of interest then I’d definitely recommend this one!

This book offers wonderful insight into a relatively new and under-researched science of parenthood.

The author debunks myths with real scientific evidence, exploring the ways that becoming a parent changes the brain. Down-to-Earth language explains many concepts in an easy-to-understand way that is relatable and impactful. Unlike the title suggests, this book focuses on parenthood rather than motherhood, citing the adoptive, trans, and other parents that are equally valid journeys into motherhood as gestational mothers. From mental health and PPD, to sex and gender, work, equity and science, and time, this book aims to change the way we view and talk about parenthood.

Fans of Emily Oster will love this book!

SO very grateful that I had the opportunity to listen to Mother Brain. This book offers tremendous insight into what happens in our brains to mothers of all kinds after birth. The studies mentioned in this book and the proof these studies bring to the table continues to encourage the research into postpartum and all it entails. Now that I am a mother myself, I found this book extremely interesting as I found myself relating to a lot of the stories shared and my own postpartum journey.

I was very excited about getting to give this a listen, thank you NetGalley. I liked that the author made sure to emphasize that the maternal instinct is human and not exclusive to cis women. I thought this was well written and made some good connections from the general struggles of caregiving with the he own so personal experiences.

Overall, this book had a lot of potential but ended up falling flat for me. I think if I had physically read it I would have taken more away from it but the narrator made it easy to zone out. That may just be my personal opinion. I typically enjoy books about Neuroscience but this was less of a science book and more of an examination of sociology via primarily personal accounts. I understand that there are limits in research on the subject and I do feel the author did a decent job of making the most of the information she did find. I wish it had been more comprehensive but still a listen. I always enjoy hearing different perspectives from parents.

I had really high hopes for this book after reading the description. I was particularly fascinated with the neuroscience aspect. That was before I realized the author was a journalist with no background in science. Its quite obvious when reading this that that is the case as she speaks with experts but spends most of the book asserting her personal beliefs. There was a lot of data used that supported her preconceived biases but not a lot of good science to back up her beliefs. I did find this pretty interesting but don't think the title is very fitting of encompasses what this is truly about. Thank you to the publisher & author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.