Australian scientists have finally confirmed what we’ve all been thinking: Baby Brain is real.

Far from an old wives’ tale, researchers at Deakin University in Victoria found that cognitive functioning was far lower in pregnant women than non-pregnant women.

This minor lapse in memory is most common in women in their third trimester, as researchers found in their 20 studies of 1,200 women.

Published in the Medical Journal of Australia, the study found that “general cognitive functioning, memory, and executive functioning were significantly reduced during the third trimester of pregnancy, but not during the first two trimesters.”

Via White House Black Shutters

According to Associate Professor Linda Byrne, Baby Brain – which often leads to minor memory lapses, impaired professional performance, and difficulty in executing complex tasks – comes down to grey matter reduction.

“It looks like the reason pregnant women have grey matter reduction is because they’re probably recruiting those areas to more important areas associated with the business of child rearing — so things like bonding, and social cognition,” Byrne explained.

While Byrne has said that the study should be interpreted with caution, the findings are just the first step in research to understand how these changes affect the lives of pregnant women.

So, the next time someone tries to poke fun of your slight Baby Brain induced mishap, throw science in their face.