What is the principle of breast lactation?

Breasts are very important organs for women. Breasts can not only make women more beautiful, but also produce milk immediately after giving birth to provide food for the baby. However, the amount of milk a woman produces is limited by many factors. In fact, if new mothers want to have enough milk after giving birth, they need to be adequately prepared. It is important to maintain a good attitude at ordinary times.

What is the principle of breast lactation?

When the baby sucks the mother's breast, the sensory impulse is transmitted from the mother's nipple to the brain, and the anterior pituitary gland at the base of the brain reacts by secreting prolactin. Prolactin reaches the breast through the blood, causing the lactating cells to secrete milk. About 30 minutes after breastfeeding, prolactin reaches a peak in the blood, causing the breasts to produce milk for the next feeding. During this breastfeeding, the baby eats the milk that is already in the breast.

More prolactin is produced at night, and the more sucking there is, the more milk the mother will produce. In addition, when the sensory impulse is transmitted from the nipple to the brain, it also stimulates the posterior pituitary gland at the base of the brain to reactively secrete oxytocin. Oxytocin reaches the breast through the blood and causes the muscle cells around the mammary alveoli to contract. This causes the milk in the alveoli to flow through the ducts to the milk sinuses, at which time the milk is ejected. This is the milk ejection reflex. Oxytocin is produced faster than prolactin and is prepared for this breastfeeding, prompting the milk in the breasts to flow out.

Oxytocin can take effect before the mother wants to breastfeed and the baby sucks. If the milk ejection reflex is not good, the baby may have difficulty breastfeeding. It seems that the breasts have stopped producing milk, but in fact the breasts are producing milk, but it is not flowing out.

The milk ejection reflex is easily affected by the mother's thoughts, feelings and emotions. Therefore, if the mother feels happy, or thinks about the cuteness of her child, and believes that her milk is the best for her child, it will help to establish the milk ejection reflex and allow milk to be discharged smoothly. It should be noted that there is a substance in breast milk that can also reduce or inhibit milk production. If there is a lot of residual milk left in the breast, the inhibitory factor causes the lactation cells to stop producing milk. This effect can prevent the breast from being too full and causing adverse consequences.

When breast milk is released through sucking or expressing, the inhibitory factor is also released at the same time, and the breasts will secrete more milk. In view of this situation, mothers are advised to let their babies suck more if they want their breasts to continue producing milk; if they need to be weaned, they must stimulate their breasts less.

Understanding lactation:

A. The three elements of breastfeeding: baby, brain, and breast. When the baby sucks the breast, signals are sent to the brain, and the hormones that produce milk act on the breasts, prompting the mammary glands to squeeze and secrete milk.

B. The secretion of milk follows the principle of supply and demand balance: through the stimulation of the baby's sucking, the mother's body will receive information to decide how much milk to secrete; the more the child sucks, the more milk will be secreted.

C. Breasts are factories, not warehouses. Storing or hoarding milk will not increase milk production.