As your pregnancy progresses have you found that your brain power seems to regress? Dawn Gay investigates the 'preg head' phenomenon

Thoughts of baby-feeding regimes, childcare and nursery colour schemes can mean the brain is stretched to full capacity during pregnancy. As a result, phone numbers are forgotten, calendar dates missed and misplaced car keys are never retrieved.

Research suggests that between 50 and 80 per cent of pregnant women experience memory loss or 'baby brain', as it is sometimes known.

Stress and memory loss

Pregnant women are often dealing with everyday pressures, such as running a home or working full time. But add to this the anxiety of bringing a new person into the world and the nine months can be quite overwhelming.

Dr Sandra Wheatley, a social psychologist and spokesperson for The British Psychological Society explains: 'A pregnant woman's head is so busy and buzzing, especially during the first pregnancy.

'There is a psychological theory that there is only so much space in the brain. If you are thinking about a new or important thing, like having a baby, you will be pre-occupied and will end up using brain space. You will be distracted by the wonder (and discomfort) of what is going on in your body.'

Louise Sumser, a primary school teacher, has a toddler and second baby on the way. She adds: 'I have been very forgetful ever since I had my two year-old as well as while pregnant.

'I put this down to being sleep-deprived and having to think about too many things at once. I am now 'with child' once more and having lots of lapses. I forget I have said things and repeat myself a lot. I was at a restaurant with Mum and Dad celebrating their ruby anniversary and toasted them twice within about two minutes. That was quite scary.'

Working through memory loss

Working through pregnancy can prove a struggle for women who usually thrive on pressure, if memory loss occurs. Dr Wheatley says: 'We still feel the need to be the best we can and women try hard to maintain high standards during pregnancy. But the additional pressure on the inside takes up head space instead.'

Lauretta Fox, who works in marketing, is in her second trimester. 'My forgetfulness is increasing by the day,' she admits. 'I just had a piece of paper in my hand to file away in a particular drawer but by the time I opened the drawer I had forgotten why I was opening the drawer and what I was going to file. I'm only 18 weeks pregnant. It's amazing that I still remember where I work!'

Mind blanks

It can be worrying for women who start to forget the simple things that they used to recall automatically. For example, there may be problems remembering a phone number previously known by heart or forgetting a point while mid-sentence.

Dr Wheatley explains: 'We can put a great deal of pressure on ourselves. Everyone forgets things and it's easy to blame pregnancy. Moving house or changing job is just as likely to stretch the brain. Pregnancy is simply on the list of pressure situations where we are more vulnerable to making simple mistakes.'

Dr Louise Knight, an editorial director from Ely, is five months pregnant with twins. She says: 'I am aware that my driving is no longer quite as accurate as it was and I had a rather embarrassing episode in Waitrose car park recently where I couldn't manoeuvre out of a space without repeatedly hitting the metal post on my right hand side.

'After I'd hit it three times, a lady came over to advise me how best to turn the wheel to avoid the post. Only then did I realise that I was not thinking rationally. I could have exited the space easily but had a total mental block about how to do it.'

Short-term memory loss

The most common type of forgetfulness during pregnancy is related to the short-term memory, where we store our daily information. You get to the shop only to forget what you went for, for example, or can't remember where you parked the car.

Georgina Cox from Kew is six months pregnant with her first child. 'I tend to forget absolutely everything,' she says. 'My brain can only cope with one thought at a time. Multi-tasking is out of the window. I feel a bit like my grandmother must have felt - long-term memory is fine - it's the short-term memory which is sporadic, to say the least!'

Feeling hormonal?

Studies show that hormones affect mood and anxiety levels during pregnancy. Dr Pam Spurr, psychologist and author, agrees memory is down to an emotional state. 'As a mother and psychologist I know that memory is affected with hormonal changes,' says Pam. 'Our whole emotional and intellectual abilities get affected. It's one of nature's ways of slowing us down during pregnancy so we're not juggling too much.'

Tips to help you remember

Sleep well
Recharge your brain every day with a good night's sleep, or take a power nap during the day to help you feel refreshed.

Make notes
Write down everything you need to remember and carry a 'to do' list. Cover your desk with reminders on post-it notes or set reminder alarms on your mobile phone.

Prepare yourself for pregnancy
'Things will happen that you have no control over, but if you have thought through all eventualities and are semi-prepared, you won't feel out of depth,' says Dr Wheatley.

Exercise your memory
Try to retain as much information as you can. The mind is like a muscle that needs flexing. So, shop from memory, using your list as back up.

Try not to worry about it!
'If you are using up valuable memory and energy by worrying, try to stop. You might find extra gigabytes are freed up,' adds Dr Wheatley. 'It's only for nine months and your memory will come back.'