Dr. Dan interviews health journalist, author, parent Chelsea Conaboy about her book Mother Brain: How Neuroscience Is Rewriting the Story of Parenthood. This interview - like Chelsea’s book - explodes the concept of “maternal instinct” and tells listeners a new story about what it means to become a parent. Conaboy talks to Dr. Dan about the changing, parental brain – and offers revelations that will enlighten and educate.

On today’s episode we learn that new parents undergo major structural and functional brain changes, driven by hormones and the deluge of stimuli a baby provides. These neurobiological changes help all parents—birthing or otherwise—adapt in those intense first days and prepare for a long period of learning how to meet their child’s needs. This provocative interview shatters many myths and changes the parenting paradigm. It’s a powerful listen for all parents and caregivers.

Chelsea Conaboy is a health and science journalist. She was part of the Boston Globe’s Pulitzer prize–winning team for coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing. Chelsea lives in Maine with her husband, children, and her own changing maternal brain. Visit Chelsea’s website www.chelseaconaboy.com.

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