A new study from Amsterdam UMC published in Nature Communications found that a second pregnancy changes a woman's brain differently than the first. Tracking 110 women with repeated brain scans, researchers discovered that while a first pregnancy most strongly reshapes the Default Mode Network — involved in self-reflection and social thinking — a second pregnancy shifts activity more toward attention-control and sensory-response networks. These changes may help mothers manage the demands of caring for multiple children. The study also linked pregnancy-related brain changes to maternal bonding and peripartum depression, marking the first evidence that cortical structural changes during pregnancy are associated with maternal depression. Timing of these associations varied by pregnancy history.
