You are staring at a blank slide deck, and for the first time in your career, you cannot remember what day it is. It feels like your brain has been packed into boxes and moved across town while you weren't looking.

I want you to take a deep breath right now. Just one. In through the nose, out through the mouth. I know that feeling. I really do. You’re sitting there, maybe in a conference room with air conditioning that’s slightly too cold, or hunched over your laptop at the kitchen table because that’s where the quiet is. And you’re trying to pull together a quarterly review, a client pitch, or just a simple update for your team. But your mind is... slippery. Words feel heavy. Concepts that used to come effortlessly are hiding behind a thick fog. And beneath that confusion is this sharp, prickly layer of shame. You think, 'I’m supposed to be capable. I’m supposed to be on top of things. Why can’t I focus?' Let me tell you something important before we go any further. You are not losing your mind. You are not becoming less intelligent. You are navigating a physiological shift that is literally rewriting your neural architecture. Science says so, but your body decides how it feels. And right now, your body is working overtime to build a human being. That takes energy. That takes resources. And sometimes, the collateral damage is your short-term memory.

Let’s ground this in what is actually happening inside you, because understanding the mechanism can help dissolve the fear. During pregnancy, your estrogen and progesterone levels skyrocket. These hormones are crucial for supporting the fetus, but they also have a profound effect on your brain. They increase blood flow to certain areas and promote neuroplasticity—the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections. Essentially, your brain is pruning away connections that aren't necessary for survival and motherhood to make room for the instincts you’ll need postpartum. It’s like a computer running a massive software update in the middle of a workday. The screen freezes. The mouse stops responding. Not because the computer is broken, but because it’s busy installing something critical. This is often called 'pregnancy brain' or 'mommy brain,' but those terms feel dismissive, don’t they? They sound like jokes at cocktail parties. They aren’t jokes. They are biological realities. Your hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory and learning, is actually undergoing structural changes. It’s adapting. So when you forget why you walked into the room, or you lose your train of thought mid-sentence, it isn’t a failure of competence. It’s a side effect of creation. Recognizing this distinction is the first step in treating yourself with the kindness you deserve.

Okay, so if your internal hard drive is undergoing maintenance, we need to rely on external storage. This is where we get practical. Small tweaks, big ripple effects. Start by dumping everything out of your head and onto paper. I don’t mean typing it into a document that might crash; I mean pen and paper. Write down every single task, every data point, every question you expect to be asked. Get it all out. When you try to hold information in your working memory during high-stress moments like a presentation, you’re using up cognitive bandwidth that is currently limited. By writing it down, you free up that RAM. Create a cheat sheet. Not for cheating, but for anchoring. Have a physical card or a printed outline in front of you. If you lose your place, you don’t have to panic. You just look down. There is no shame in referencing notes. In fact, in professional settings, having detailed notes often signals thoroughness, not weakness. Use bullet points, not full sentences. Full sentences require more processing power to read aloud. Bullet points are visual triggers. They remind you of the concept without forcing you to memorize the script. Give yourself permission to be imperfectly prepared. Perfectionism is a luxury your brain doesn’t have right now, and that is okay. Adequate preparation is the goal. Flawless performance is not required for you to be valuable.

Another powerful tool is simplification. When your cognitive load is high, complex narratives become harder to track. Strip your presentation down to its absolute core. What are the three main points you need your audience to walk away with? If you can’t articulate them in thirty seconds each, you have too many points. Focus on those three. Build your entire deck around them. This reduces the mental effort needed to recall information during the talk. You are guiding the conversation, not reciting a textbook. Also, consider the format. If you are presenting live, ask a colleague to cover for you during the Q&A if you feel overwhelmed. If you are presenting virtually, use slides heavily. Visuals can carry the weight of the information so your voice doesn’t have to. Speak slowly. We tend to rush when we are anxious, especially when we fear forgetting our next line. But slowing down gives your brain time to access the words. It makes you sound more confident, even if you feel shaky inside. Silence is not your enemy. A two-second pause while you check your notes looks like thoughtful consideration to the audience. It does not look like confusion. Reframe those pauses as tools, not failures. You are in control of the pace. You set the rhythm. Breathe into the silence. Let it settle. Your presence is enough.

Now, let’s talk about your energy reserves. Pregnancy is exhausting. Period. Add a major presentation on top of that, and you are asking your body to perform at peak capacity when it is operating at baseline efficiency. You need to manage your energy, not just your time. Schedule your most demanding prep work during your personal peak hours. Are you sharper in the morning? Do it then. Is your mind clearer after a nap? Protect that nap fiercely. Do not skip sleep to prepare. Sleep is when your brain consolidates memory. If you cut sleep, you cut your ability to recall information. It’s a false economy. Also, lower the stakes in your own mind. Yes, this presentation matters. But it does not define your worth as a woman, a professional, or a mother. You will survive if you stumble. You will survive if you forget a number. The world will not end. Often, we catastrophize these moments because we feel vulnerable. Remind yourself: 'I am doing my best with the resources I have today.' That is a complete sentence. It is a valid statement of fact. Compare your current self to your pre-pregnancy self, and you might feel a deficit. But compare your current self to what you are capable of handling, and you will see resilience. You are adapting. You are growing. This fog is temporary. The skills you have honed over years of your career are still there. They are just buried under hormonal shifts and fatigue. Trust that they are accessible. They are.

I want to leave you with this image. Imagine you are carrying a heavy box up a steep hill. You are tired. Your arms ache. You might stumble. But you are still moving forward. You are still climbing. That is what you are doing right now. You are carrying the weight of creating life while simultaneously carrying the weight of your professional ambitions. It is heavy. It is hard. And it is incredibly impressive. Be gentle with yourself when the fog rolls in. Do not punish yourself for it. Instead, equip yourself with strategies. Use your notes. Simplify your message. Rest when you need to. And remember that this season is passing. The clarity will return. The sharpness will sharpen again. But for now, you are allowed to be soft. You are allowed to be messy. You are allowed to just show up as you are. You are enough, exactly as you are, fog and all. Thank you for trusting me with your questions. Keep going. One step at a time. One breath at a time.

I’m Kelli Furey, and I’ll be right here next week with another practical guide to navigating your health journey. Until then, be kind to your mind. This episode is general information, not medical advice — please talk with your own doctor about your health.