Got Milk!?
Breast milk production begins with the stimulation of mammary glands in a person’s breast, typically triggered by hormonal changes during pregnancy. After childbirth, the hormone prolactin plays a key role in initiating milk production. When a baby latches onto the breast and begins to suck, it stimulates nerve endings, signaling the release of prolactin.
Prolactin prompts the alveoli, small milk-producing sacs within the mammary glands, to take nutrients from the bloodstream and convert them into milk. Meanwhile, another hormone called oxytocin is released, causing the muscles around the alveoli to contract and push the milk into milk ducts.
The process of milk ejection, also known as the let-down reflex, is crucial for milk release. Some people can feel they’re let down, others can’t. Both are normal!
Oxytocin is released in response to the baby's suckling or other stimuli, such as pumping or hand expressing, which causes the milk to flow through the ducts to the nipple.
But be gentle expressing and massaging because some of these ducts are as delicate and as thin as a strand of hair!
The composition of breast milk changes over time to adapt to the baby's evolving nutritional needs. Initially, colostrum, a thick and yellowish fluid rich in antibodies, is produced in the first few days after birth. As the baby continues to breastfeed, mature milk replaces colostrum, providing a balance of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals essential for the baby's growth and development. Breastmilk is shown to continue to have amazing benefits for toddlers/children.
The continuous demand for milk by the baby helps maintain milk supply, and the process is finely tuned to respond to the specific requirements of both the mother and the infant.
Kinda amazing right!?
Happy Friday!
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