Christina Schaefer RN, IBCLC, CPD

01/09/2026

🫶♥️🫶

01/06/2026

She Proved Women’s Brains Change During Motherhood, Permanently.
They told her motherhood was instinct.
Hormones.
Emotion.

Something soft. Temporary. Something you went back from once the baby slept through the night.

Then she put mothers in an MRI machine—and proved something far more radical.

Motherhood doesn’t just change your life.
It rewires your brain.

Permanently.

Her name is Pilyoung Kim, and her work changed how science understands motherhood—not as a phase, but as a neurological transformation on par with adolescence.

For most of modern medical history, the maternal brain was treated as an afterthought. Pregnancy research focused on the fetus. Postpartum research focused on pathology—depression, anxiety, breakdown. Motherhood itself was framed as something women handled, not something their brains actively adapted to.

Pilyoung Kim suspected that assumption was wrong.

She noticed a contradiction that wouldn’t let go.

Mothers routinely perform feats of attention, endurance, emotional regulation, threat detection, and multitasking that would overwhelm most people. They read micro-expressions. They wake instantly to subtle sounds. They anticipate needs before they’re expressed.

Yet culturally, motherhood was described as cognitive decline. “Mom brain.” Fog. Forgetfulness. Loss.

Kim asked a different question.

What if the maternal brain isn’t deteriorating—
what if it’s specializing?

Using high-resolution neuroimaging, she began studying women before pregnancy, during pregnancy, and after childbirth. What she found stunned even seasoned neuroscientists.

The brain didn’t just change.

It reorganized.

Regions associated with emotional processing, empathy, motivation, threat detection, and executive function showed measurable structural and functional shifts. Gray matter volume changed. Neural networks strengthened. Sensitivity to social cues increased.

This wasn’t damage.

It was adaptation.

Just as adolescent brains rewire for independence, maternal brains rewire for caregiving. The changes weren’t random. They were targeted. Purposeful. Evolutionary.

Most striking of all?

These changes persisted.

Years later, mothers’ brains still showed patterns distinct from women who had never given birth. The maternal brain did not “snap back.” There was no reset button.

Motherhood left a lasting neurological signature.

This explained something millions of women had felt but couldn’t articulate.

Why they sensed danger before it appeared.
Why they could hold an entire household’s emotional state in mind.
Why they felt both more vulnerable and more powerful than ever before.

It also explained why early motherhood feels so overwhelming.

A brain undergoing structural reorganization is not broken—it’s busy.

Imagine learning a new language while running a marathon while never sleeping fully while being responsible for another human’s survival.

That’s not weakness.

That’s neuroplasticity under pressure.

Kim’s research reframed postpartum struggle in a way many women had never been offered.

You are not failing to cope.
Your brain is actively remodeling itself for care.

The awe in this discovery is quiet but profound.

Motherhood is one of the few experiences that alters the adult brain at a structural level. Not temporarily. Not symbolically.

Physically.

And yet society treats it as invisible labor. Expected. Unremarkable. Something women should endure gracefully without recognition.

Science now tells a different story.

The maternal brain is more attuned, not less.
More responsive, not diminished.
More complex, not compromised.

That doesn’t mean motherhood is easy.
It means it is serious.

It deserves respect—not platitudes.

Dr. Pilyoung Kim didn’t romanticize motherhood. She measured it. And what she found replaced shame with pride.

The fog? A side effect of reorganization.
The intensity? A recalibrated threat system.
The emotional depth? Expanded neural connectivity.

Nothing about this is accidental.

Motherhood leaves a mark because it matters.

And once you see it that way, something shifts.

Exhaustion becomes evidence of work being done.
Sensitivity becomes skill.
Change becomes achievement.

The maternal brain is not a loss of self.

It is an expansion.

One that science finally learned to recognize.

If you value this work and would like to support the time, research, and care it takes to preserve and share women’s history, you can Buy Me a Coffee. Every contribution helps keep these stories alive and accessible, told with respect and truth.
Thank you for being here.
Thank you for remembering.
And thank you for honoring the women who came before us—and the legacy they continue to build.

https://buymeacoffee.com/ancientpathfb

12/26/2025

🤱♥️

Holding a sleeping baby provides comforting, predictable, nurturing touch (affective touch) that calms the baby’s nervous system, reducing stress hormones and strengthening the communication between the prefrontal cortex (PFC) (rational thought) and the amygdala (fear/emotion center). This builds a strong PFC-amygdala circuit, teaching the brain that stress is manageable and signals safety, which fosters better emotion regulation and reduces the likelihood of an overactive fear response, thereby lowering future anxiety.

🗂️How Holding Strengthens Connections:

📑Calms the Nervous System: Gentle, consistent touch stimulates the release of oxytocin and activates the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting calmness and reducing cortisol (stress hormone) levels.

📑Builds Neural Pathways: This soothing input, especially during sleep when the brain processes emotions, helps form stronger, more efficient neural pathways between the PFC and limbic structures like the amygdala.

📑Provides “Scaffolding”: A caregiver’s presence acts as external regulation, helping the infant’s immature central nervous system manage stress and build its own regulatory capacity.

🗂️How It Prevents Future Anxiety:

📑Better Emotion Regulation: A well-connected PFC can effectively “talk down” the amygdala, preventing overreactions to perceived threats.

📑Creates a “Blueprint” for Safety: Consistent positive experiences teach the infant’s brain that the world is safe and supportive, not threatening, creating a resilient foundation against anxiety.

📑Reduced Amygdala Reactivity: This early buffering effect leads to less intense fear responses and fewer “meltdowns.”

PMID: 33584178

10/25/2025

"The review found that babies who have skin-to-skin contact with their mother within the first hour of birth are more likely to see a variety of benefits, including exclusive breastfeeding, optimal body temperatures and optimal blood sugar levels. While possible benefits for the mother were also studied, such as effects on blood loss and timing of placental delivery, the evidence was less certain."

The 2025 Cochrane review on immediate and early skin-to-skin contact after birth highlights that further randomized controlled trials comparing skin-to-skin contact with ‘usual care’ are no longer ethical.

The findings show there is now enough evidence to make immediate skin-to-skin contact after birth the global standard of care, and as WHO already recommends skin-to-skin the standard of care, the authors argue that randomizing the separation of mother and newborn may no longer be justifiable.

Read more:
https://centerforbreastfeeding.org/cochrane-review-2025

10/11/2025

🤗❤️

10/09/2025

💤 She enjoys sleeping on her mammary foam pillow. 🤱💥😜

Because honestly, who needs Tempur-Pedic when mom comes standard with warmth, comfort, and unconditional love?

Hopefully, behind every well-rested baby (and milk-drunk smile) is a support system making sure mom gets her own moments of rest, too. 💕

✨ Here’s to the team effort that makes nurturing look effortless.

09/27/2025

✨ Sometimes the simplest gift makes the biggest impact ✨

Today I had the joy of delivering a donated Willow pump to a family in need. 💗 Adequate milk removal is one of the most important foundations for keeping milk supply steady … whether that’s at the breast, with hand expression, or with a pump. Having the right tools can mean the difference between stress and confidence for a parent working hard to feed their baby.

🌿 If you have an unused pump tucked away, consider donating it—your generosity can truly change someone’s breastfeeding journey.

🌸 If you’re a family in need of a pump or extra support, please reach out. No one should have to walk this path alone.

Together, we can make sure every parent has what they need to nourish their little one. 💕

09/15/2025

Don’t mind us. We are just working our muscles over here. 💪🏋️

08/24/2025

🫶🤗🫶

07/23/2025

What a great resource! 🤩🤩

𝓢𝓲𝓬𝓴 𝓴𝓲𝓭𝓼 𝓸𝓷 𝓿𝓪𝓬𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷? 𝓘’𝓿𝓮 𝓰𝓸𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾.
I’ve got you covered — from the east to the west end + beyond! I bring pediatric sick visits straight to your vacation rental or hotel, so you can skip the crowded urgent cares and receive the pediatric focused care you can trust.

Whether it’s a fever, ear pain, rash, or anything in between — I provide expert care in the comfort of your own space.

📍 Serving all of 30A + surrounding areas
👩‍⚕️ Pediatric NP-owned and operated
🏡 In-home visits | 🧪 On-site testing | 💬 Text/Phone/Virtual support

Call or Text 850-303-6797 to book!
www.saltandsunpediatrics.com 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓲𝓷𝓯𝓸

07/08/2025

🌞Morning Light = Mama’s Mood Reset🌿

Postpartum healing isn’t just about sleep and snacks (though yes, please). One of the most powerful yet overlooked mood-balancers?

Early morning sunlight.

Just 10–15 minutes of light exposure within the first hour of waking can:

✨ Reset your circadian rhythm, helping you fall asleep faster at night
✨ Boost serotonin, the “feel-good” hormone—yes, even when you’re running on coffee and cuddles
✨ Support healthy melatonin production (aka deeper, more restorative sleep when you do get it)

Bonus? Babies benefit too. Their little bodies begin syncing with day-night cycles through you. ☀️👶
So, cozy up near a window or step outside with that morning cup. It’s free medicine for your hormones, mood, and milk supply.

06/10/2025

There are interesting conversations surrounding microchimerism in mental health. 👀

During pregnancy, fetal cells migrate out of the womb and into a mother’s heart, liver, lung, kidney, brain, and more. They could shape moms’ health for a lifetime, Katherine J. Wu reported in 2024:⁠ https://theatln.tc/qozjIdje

During pregnancy, fetal cells migrate out of the womb and into a mother’s heart, liver, lung, kidney, brain, and more. They could shape moms’ health for a lifetime, Katherine J. Wu reported in 2024:⁠ https://theatln.tc/qozjIdje
⁠
The presence of these cells, known as microchimerism, is thought to affect every person who has carried an embryo, even if briefly, and anyone who has ever inhabited a womb. The cross-generational transfers are bidirectional—as fetal cells cross the placenta into maternal tissues, a small number of maternal cells migrate into fetal tissues, where they can persist into adulthood. ⁠
⁠
Genetic swaps, then, might occur several times throughout a life. Some researchers believe that people may be miniature mosaics of many of their relatives, via chains of pregnancy: their older siblings, perhaps, or their maternal grandmother, or any aunts and uncles their grandmother might have conceived before their mother was born. “It’s like you carry your entire family inside of you,” Francisco Úbeda de Torres, an evolutionary biologist at the Royal Holloway University of London, told Wu.⁠
⁠
Some scientists have argued that cells so sparse and inconsistent couldn’t possibly have meaningful effects. Even among microchimerism researchers, hypotheses about what these cells do—if anything at all—remain “highly controversial,” Sing Sing Way, an immunologist and a pediatrician at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, told Wu. But many experts contend that microchimeric cells aren’t just passive passengers. They are genetically distinct entities. And they might hold sway over many aspects of health: our susceptibility to infectious or autoimmune disease, the success of pregnancies, maybe even behavior. ⁠
⁠
If these cells turn out to be as important as some scientists believe they are, they might be one of the most underappreciated architects of human life, Wu writes.