A study published in Nature Communications has found that a second pregnancy changes the brain in ways that overlap with, but also differ from, the changes seen during a first pregnancy. Researchers at Amsterdam UMC followed 110 women over time, including women expecting their first child, women pregnant with their second child, and women who remained childless. Using repeated brain scans, the team tracked structural and functional changes and reported that each pregnancy appears to leave a distinct imprint on the maternal brain.
The researchers said the largest brain changes during a first pregnancy were seen in the Default Mode Network, which is associated with self-reflection and social thinking. During a second pregnancy, that same network changed again, though less strongly. Instead, the most pronounced changes were observed in brain systems involved in directing attention and responding to sensory information. Researcher Milou Straathof said those shifts may help explain adaptations linked to caring for more than one child, though that interpretation remains the team’s assessment rather than an established clinical conclusion.
The study also reported a relationship between pregnancy-related brain changes and the emotional bond between mother and child. That association was stronger after a first pregnancy than after a second, the researchers said. The team further identified links between structural changes in the brain’s cortex and peripartum depression in both first and second pregnancies, describing it as the first evidence connecting cortical changes during pregnancy with maternal depression. They said the timing differed by pregnancy history: among first-time mothers the associations were more apparent after childbirth, while among women in a second pregnancy they were more noticeable during pregnancy.
Researchers said the findings add to a still-developing understanding of how pregnancy affects the brain over time. Elseline Hoekzema, who leads the Pregnancy Brain Lab at Amsterdam UMC, said the results show that the brain changes not only during a first pregnancy but during a second one as well, with both shared and distinct patterns. The team argues that the work could help improve recognition and treatment of maternal mental health problems, including postpartum depression, by clarifying how the brain adapts to motherhood.
