* Have you ever hovered over your baby's crib all night making sure she is still breathing?
* Did you ever fall asleep clutching your baby's video monitor?
* Were you ever so worried about the cold weather that you bundled your child up so much he couldn't even walk (like Randy in A Christmas Story)? Oh and it was only 40 degrees outside!
* Do you ever wonder that you and your child could not survive a minute apart?
* Did you ever convinced yourself that a bruised knee is a symptom of some rare disease?
* Have you ever worried that you worry too much?
Most parents I know have done at least one of these things on the list. Parents worry so much about our children. Parents worry because they love their children and want them to be safe, healthy and happy. But there is also a biological reason that parents worry and it is not just to deprive parents of sleep and make them do things they would have scoffed at before having kids.
Postpartum there is an increase in cingulate gyrus activity (the cingulate gyrus is part of the limbic system responsible for repetitive care taking behaviors such as diapering and feeding) and an increase in oxitocin to foster parent-child bonding. The combination of these changes is a recipe for increased anxiety and irrational thoughts. It is evolution's way of helping sleep-deprived parents respond to their child's needs and keep them safe and healthy.
"Many new mothers describe bizarre fears about improbably and previously unconsidered catastrophes befalling their infants, even as they recognize that these concerns are irrational" - from Born to Love by Bruce Perry
So the next time someone tells you that you are worrying too much, you can blame it on evolution!
A special thanks to Brett Collins for contributing to this blog post!
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