Breastfeeding Is More Than Just Breast Milk

Today in the Miracle of Motherhood, we would like to share with you a few facts about breastfeeding that you may not yet know. So keep reading if you are interested in this topic!

Breastfeeding is one of the closest, warmest and most memorable moments a woman experiences when she becomes a mother.

Breastfeeding means feeding a person who is not yet able to act on their own.

It gives your baby the necessary defense mechanisms against pathogens, and breastfeeding  also  strengthens the mental relationship between the child and the mother that has already begun in the womb.

Breast milk is more than just food

Breast milk is the best food your baby can get.

There are also recommended substitutes for situations where the baby is unable to tolerate the milk or the mother is not producing enough of it. However, there is no substitute for breast milk.

The first yellowish liquid rising from the breasts is colostrum. Together with breast milk, it gives the baby resistance to the pathogens to which he is exposed on a daily basis.

In addition to gaining food and resilience, holding and stroking a baby during breastfeeding promotes his or her psychological well-being.

As a mother, also keep in mind that emotions are transmitted through breastfeeding – both negative and positive.

If you are breastfeeding your baby in a quiet place where both you and your baby feel comfortable, he or she will be happy.

And if, on the other hand, you are impatient or feel nervous, confused, or uncomfortable… Then you pass on the same feelings to your child.

That’s when she cries, writhes and is out of her mind.

Oxytocin and its important role in breastfeeding

We can all agree that breastfeeding requires dedication, responsibility, and most of all, love.

Did you know that the hormone that makes you love your baby so much is also responsible for the secretion of milk from your breasts?

Oxytocin, commonly known as the love drug, is responsible for catching your baby even before it is born.

This hormone also plays a fundamental role in the excretion of milk from your nipples whenever your baby needs food.

Now we will explain how this happens.

When a woman is giving birth, the production of oxytocin in her brain increases.

This hormone will also make the love you feel for your baby stronger over time.

During childbirth, the mother’s brain produces large amounts of oxytocin. Immediately after delivery, the mother’s instinct grows more strongly.

High levels of oxytocin guarantee love at first sight and displace pain, fatigue, and any other feeling that is not affection, protection, and love for the newborn.

As the baby sucks on the mother’s nipples, a nerve response travels to the mother’s brain, leading to the release of oxytocin.

This hormone travels through the blood vessels to the chest, where the muscle cells become irritated, and then the breast tissue contracts and the glands begin to secrete milk.

Due to the density of breastfeeding, this activity becomes reflexive; in other words, some mothers secrete milk when they hear their baby crying.

While not very common, some women may also excrete milk when they hear children scream on television or nearby.

Mom, breastfeeding is a unique time in your life.

Over the years, when you see another mother breastfeeding her baby, you longingly remember the pleasant moments you and your baby spent together.

So enjoy this warm episode provided by nature and live every minute as if it were your last.