Breast Milk Production: Essential Ingredients, Calories and
Nutrition Baby Needs
Breast milk is created in by groups of breast cells
called the alveoli, which take proteins and other nutrients
from the mother's blood supply and transform them into milk.
The milk travels from the production sites through milk ducts
to the sinuses, where it is stored until being released
through the nipple for breastfeeding. The little bumps present
on the nipple are the Montgomery glands, and supply the nipple
with a skin oil that helps prevent chapping and dryness.
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When you're pregnant, your nipples become larger and darken, so
that once your baby is born, it's easier for him or her to find
the nipples and latch on. There are around 15 openings in each
nipple through which milk can flow during feeding: the suckling
of the baby stimulates what's called the "let down" response or
reflex, which sends the milk from the milk sinuses to the baby's
mouth. Other things can stimulate the milk let-down response;
hearing a baby cry, thinking about your baby, sexual activity
that releases hormones which also impact breast milk production,
to name a few.
You don't have to have big breasts to do a good job feeding your
child. Milk production operates independently of breast size,
and the more you breastfeed your child, the more milk your body
will produce. Alternatively, mothers who don't breastfeed their
children find that their milk supply dries up. One of the
biggest challenges that midwives and lactation consultants face
is in teaching young or impoverished mothers that breast milk is
not only free food for their infants, but also happens to be the
healthiest food for them, providing antibodies and increasing
babies' immunity and strength in ways that formula cannot.
The first milk your body produces is called colostrum, a
substance that gives infants unparalleled protection from
illness. Pediatricians recommend that new mothers feed their
babies within an hour after birth, setting the stage for future
nursing while providing new babies with the best nutrition
available. Human breast milk is a mixture of proteins, enzymes,
sugars, vitamins, minerals, hormones and antibodies that do good
things for mothers as well as babies. Research has shown that
infants who are fed solely with breast milk during the first six
months or even better, the first year of life, significantly
reduce their chances of getting infections, or having intestinal
problems (including later diseases like Crohn's disease)
When your baby begins to nurse, the nerve endings in the nipple
send signals to the pituitary gland, which releases the hormone
prolactin. The presence of prolactin activates the alveoli,
which creates breast milk. The pituitary gland also releases
oxytocin, which contracts the cells of the nipple, resulting in
the let-down response. Oxytocin also causes contractions in the
uterus, which helps it shrink after childbirth, lessening any
post-partum bleeding. Oxytocin is also considered the hormone
behind the "mothering response", the feeling of closeness and
caring exhibited by mothers for their children. The presence of
oxytocin in both mother and child during breastfeeding helps
create strong bonding between the two.
Many women gain 25 pounds or so during pregnancy, and despair of
taking it off once the baby is born. Another benefit of
breastfeeding is that the process burns up about 500 calories a
day, so that weight loss of a pound a week while nursing isn't
unusual. If you breastfeed your baby for at least six months,
that translates to a loss of about 24 pounds, not including the
weight you lost during delivery of your child. When
breastfeeding, you do have to watch what you eat; alcohol is
prohibited as it passes directly into your milk; your baby may
react to spicy or gassy foods you eat, prompting you to decide
that coleslaw should be avoided until your child is no linger
nursing. Caffeine can make babies edgy and is best avoided. You
may find you need to drink more liquids than usual, since your
body is using water to make milk.
Continue reading more information about
Breastfeeding
in Public Places
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