19/08/2024
🥰What are Prolactin and Oxytocin and why are they important for breastfeeding?
Prolactin
Prolactin is a hormone made in the pituitary gland of the brain, it is the main hormone necessary for the production of breast milk. During pregnancy, prolactin prepares your breasts to make breast milk.
The high levels of oestrogen and progesterone produced by the placenta, prevent the prolactin from making a large amount of mature breast milk.
After your baby and the placenta leave your body, your oestrogen and progesterone levels go down which allows the prolactin to rise and signal to the milk-making glands in your breasts to make breast milk.
In the first few days after the birth of your baby, prolactin is responsible for the tremendous surge in breast milk as your colostrum changes over to transitional breast milk.
After the birth of your baby, the initial increase in prolactin is what gets milk production started, but it’s not enough to maintain the production of breast milk. To keep making breast milk, you need to breastfeed or express. The best way to increase your prolactin levels is to breastfeed or express very frequently.
Oxytocin
Oxytocin is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland in the brain. It has many functions in the human body. It increases relaxation, lowers stress and anxiety, lowers blood pressure, and causes muscle contractions.
Oxytocin is also the hormone involved in social relationships, bonding, trust, and love and is known as the mothering hormone, the anti-stress hormone and the hormone of love
During childbirth, oxytocin causes the uterus to contract and push out the baby.
Breastfeeding stimulates the release of oxytocin from your brain. It allows your baby to get the breast milk from your breasts and it causes your uterus to shrink down after the birth of your baby.
Oxytocin fosters love, nurturing, and a strong emotional bond between you and your child.
When your baby breastfeeds, or you express your breast milk, the nerves in your breasts send a signal to your brain to release the hormones oxytocin and prolactin.
The prolactin tells the milk glands in your breasts to make more breast milk, and the oxytocin is responsible for getting the breast milk from your breasts to your baby.
The Signs That Your Body is Releasing Oxytocin
How can you tell if the oxytocin in your body is doing what’s its suppose to do? Here are some of the signs you can look for:
A tingling or a pins-and-needles sensation in your breasts.
Cramping in your uterus when you breastfeed.
Hearing your baby swallow while you’re breastfeeding.
Breast milk is leaking from your breasts.
Feeling happy and relaxed after you feed your baby.
Stress, tiredness and pain can interfere with the Release of Oxytocin
Stress, tiredness, illness, fear, embarrassment, alcohol and smoking can all affect the release of oxytocin, interfere with your let-down reflex, and keep your baby from getting the breast milk from your body.
If you’re in pain following a caesarean section, or for any other reason, you should talk to your Doctor about pain medication. If you are experiencing pain whilst breastfeeding please get help and advice from your midwife, health visitor or infant feeding peer support worker
The first two weeks of breastfeeding are critical. Most new mothers experience some baby blues which come with the extreme changes in hormones just after birth and with the beginning of breastfeeding. You can lessen the impact of the changes by arranging a support system. Let your friends and family help you if you need a break. Let them cook for you or watch the baby while you take a nap.
You need rest and sleep. Your baby’s sleep patterns have a big impact on your own sleep. For your own physical and emotional health, it is important that you get the sleep your body needs to lessen the effects of hormone changes. Try to relax when breastfeeding and rest as much as you can, which may mean ignoring the housework!
Keep your baby close to you and let the oxytocin and prolactin work to give you all of the calming and bonding help with your baby.
