Reese warned us that her baby boy, Tennessee, “stole her brain” a few weeks ago in an interview with British Magazine, Red. The Oscar-winning actress, 37, had her third child, Tennessee, in October with husband Jim Toth. She is also mom to 13 year old daughter Ava and 9 year old son, Deacon.
“Ever since I had the baby, I can’t remember anything. Serious, this child stole my brain,” says Witherspoon. “I’m losing friendships over forgetting to get back to people. But you can’t keep up with everything,” explains the busy mom.
It is comforting to know that celebrities can get “Mommy-brains” like the rest of us when we are running on little sleep and chasing after kids, particularly when there are multiple children to take care of the same time plus other responsibilities.
Reese says taking care of all three of her kids mentally is “like CNN ticker tape running through my mind at all times….”’Where is Ava? She’s okay. Good. Where is Deacon? He’s okay. Good. Where is Tennessee: Is he okay? Great. Back to Ava….’ It doesn’t stop.”
Reese’s emotional reserves have been put to the test lately with her recent arrest for disorderly conduct at the same time as her husband’s DUI. She has publicly admitted that she and her husband are “deeply embarrassed” adding “we know better. “ Clearly this mom was on overload and was letting loose a little too much that evening to be in a car driven by her husband who was also under the influence.
Reese does credit her girlfriends for getting her the hard times. “I don’t know what I would have done so many times in my life if I hadn’t had my girlfriends.” She adds, “It’s nice to hang with Drew because we both just had babies and we can support each other,” she says of Barrymore, who also welcomed a baby last fall, daughter Olive. “And Cameron is such a funny, bright, gal. She’s an incredibly sharp business-minded woman, but she disguises that side of herself. It’s her secret alter ego.”
Shortly after her arrest Reese relied on the help of her girlfriends, including Chelsea Handler, to help her weather the publicity storm. She admits, “They have literally gotten me up out of bed, taken my clothes off, put me in the shower, dressed me, said, ‘Hey, you can do this,’ put my high heels on and pushed me out the door!”
We should all remember to lean in on our girlfriends, particularly after having a baby, dealing with baby blues. Husbands and partners are great and essential to help with everything baby and otherwise. But our girlfriends do wonders for our psyches and can cheer us up during our baby blue and “Mommy brain” fog, they can keep us laughing and smiling though the best and worst of it all. So, don’t forget to call your girlfriends whenever you need a pep talk or a laugh (or they need one).