Nipple Milk Spray

When we were children, as girls, we were always curious about why our mothers' breasts produced milk, but as children, we didn't have it. We didn't actually understand it until we grew up, and we still don't understand it today.

Normal breast structure

It has two hemispheres, located on the surface of the muscle and between the superficial fascia at the level of the 2nd to 6th ribs. The nipple is in the center of the breast, surrounded by the nipple, which is usually dark yellow. The breast is composed of skin, mammary ducts, connective tissue and adipose tissue, among which the mammary lobules, tubes and alveoli are the most important parts of the breast.

The development stage of the breast requires the participation of a lot of growth hormones, the most critical and important of which are estrogen and estrogens.

Question 1: Does the amount of milk have anything to do with breast size?

In fact, the size of the breasts does not determine the amount of milk, but is determined by the amount of fat, and the amount of milk is related to the growth and development of the mammary glands and milk ducts.

The amount of milk is determined by the baby's sucking situation.

When the baby sucks the mother's nipple, it will stimulate two hormones in the mother's body: milk secretion hormone and oxytocin (secreted by the hypothalamus-pituitary gland). They rush to the breasts through the blood circulation system and act on the muscle cells around the mammary alveoli and the mammary ducts. The muscles contract and send the milk to the nipple, so that the baby can get the milk. Therefore, the more the baby sucks, the greater the metabolism of male hormones and proteins.

The changes in the breasts during pregnancy are in preparation for milk production

The whole process of milk production during pregnancy

Pregnant women begin to secrete milk, which is colostrum, 2 to 3 days after giving birth. Transition milk is secreted 4 to 2 weeks after giving birth, and mature milk is secreted after 14 days. The metabolism of milk depends mainly on prolactin and oxytocin.

After the baby is delivered, the secretion of estrogen and luteinizing hormone decreases sharply, and the secretion of prolactin in the anterior pituitary gland increases significantly. Prolactin (lactin) acts on the milk-secreting cells of the mammary gland, activating the enzymes related to milk production through phosphorylation, promoting the production of milk protein, whey protein and triglycerides, and thus producing milk.

Question 2: What is the "milk ejection" reaction?

Oxytocin causes contraction in the breast, squeezing breast milk for the baby, which is the legendary "milk ejection" reaction. Many new mothers experience a tingling sensation in their breasts when they first start breastfeeding, which is a normal condition for milk ejection.