What is Oxytocin and how is it related to breastfeeding?

New moms get to hear the term ‘oxytocin’ quite often. This little hormone is popular as the ‘love hormone’ and there are reasons for that. It is related to your motherly love in an intricate way apart from its other relations.

What you might not know is that oxytocin is related to your breastfeeding as well. In this article, you will find out how deeply it is related to your breastfeeding:

What are the functions of Oxytocin?

First, let us discuss what is oxytocin?

The posterior lobe of the pituitary gland in the brain releases oxytocin. The pituitary gland has the size of a pea and is present at the base of your brain.

When you cuddle or hug someone, your brain releases oxytocin. It causes your uterine to contract during labor and it also helps in shrinking the uterus after the delivery. It enhances relaxation as well and helps you in getting rid of stress.

How is it related to Breastfeeding?

During breastfeeding, oxytocin is responsible for the muscles in the breasts to contract, which triggers the let-down reflex. In let-down, milk-making lands squeeze milk into the milk ducts so your breast milk goes through your breast into the mouth of the baby.

Oxytocin keeps getting released in the body when you breastfeed to maintain your milk supply and helps you in the expression o the same.

It makes you feel relaxed and happy when it’s released, especially during breastfeeding but it can also make you feel sleepy. Some moms feel a headache because of this hormone as well.

The release of oxytocin, right after giving birth, can be really painful because of the uterine contractions that could be similar to cramps. It is essential because it reduces postpartum bleeding and allows your uterus to return to its normal size.

How to see if your body has released Oxytocin?

When you feel a tingling in your breast, or uterus cramping, you can be certain that your body has released oxytocin. You will also feel relaxed, happy and could hear your baby swallow when it was released.

Sometimes new moms face the problem of their breasts ‘leaking’ when they hear a baby cry. It’s also because of oxytocin.

Does it keep releasing?

There are some things that can hinder the release of oxytocin:

-    Pain. After giving birth, if a mom is experiencing a lot of pain, it can disturb the release of oxytocin. Pain medication is prescribed in this case.

-    Drinking alcohol or smoking. Both of them can affect the release of oxytocin in your body.

-    Stress. It becomes difficult for your body to release the love hormone when you’re stressed out.

Due to these reasons, it is always necessary for a new mom to get proper nutrition and take full care of herself so she and her baby remain healthy.

Conclusion

With the above article, you shouldn’t have any more doubts regarding oxytocin and its importance. Understanding the science behind such activities helps you prepare, doesn’t it?

In case you have any doubts or questions, feel free to ask us.

4 Things you should know before breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is one of the most important tasks of a mom’s life. You wouldn’t want to make any mistakes in this regard.

But there are a number of things about breastfeeding which make new moms afraid.

To make sure that you are able to avoid all complications regarding breastfeeding and breast pumping, you should take a look at thepoints below.

These points will help you get prepared for breastfeeding and breast pumping:

Your Lactation Consultant wants What’s Best for You

Some moms begin to argue with their lactation expert. Some even avoid seeing a lactation expert because they have ‘different’ goals.

You should understand that whether you’re looking to breastfeed y our cute one for a year or for 4 months, the lactation expert will only provide you with insights on how you can do so effectively.

The expert will only suggest you things to do so both you and your baby remain safe. It is his/her job to inform you about the benefits of breastfeeding. Don’t get offended.

Prenatal Preparation is Always Beneficial

Be prepared. It will help you keep things in order and avoid any kind of mishaps possible. You will be able to avoid the last-minute panic situations and ensure that you get to breastfeed the baby properly.

What can you do for prenatal preparation?

-    Go to a prenatal class. There, you will learn the basics of breastfeeding and all the steps you will need to take before the process. It will help you get accustomed to the technicalities.

-    Buy the necessary gear. Find the right breast pump for your requirements and get it. We can help you in this process, and remove your worries.

Breastfeeding isn’t Always Easy

There’s a reason why lactation consultants exist. Breastfeeding isn’t easy. If it was easy, then nobody would need to hire a consultant for this task.

We know it’s a natural process but it has its difficulties. Just like you need to teach a baby how to walk, you need someone to teach you how to breastfeed.

It also means that you shouldn’t get overwhelmed or discouraged just because you find it a little difficult to do. Breastfeeding might a little complicated at first but as you and your baby do some practice, you will get good at it.

Always Have Confidence in Yourself

Remember that you can do this. There’s nothing stopping you from reaching your breastfeeding goals. Every mom has gone through the phase you’re going through.

If they can do it then so can you. All you need is patience and belief in yourself. With the help of these two qualities, you’ll be able to make it without any problems.

One of the many jobs of a lactation consultant is to increase the self-confidence in moms. Always know that you can achieve your breastfeeding goals and that too, with ease.

Conclusion

With the above knowledge, breastfeeding will be a breeze for you. If you have any suggestions or any questions, feel free to ask us.

We would love to help you out.

Everything you need to know about Breast Pump Suction Strength

Breast pumps make the life of a mom easier. They help you focus on work and chores without compromising with the nutrition of your little angel.

But if you’re a new mom or if you’ve never used a breast pump, then it’s essential that you understand their suction strength and measurement.

Understanding these basics will help you find the right breast pump for your needs. It will also ensure that your experience remains comfortable and enjoyable.

And you don’t have to worry much, because this article will provide you with the necessary information about this subject:

How do you measure Breast Pump Suction?

The unit for measuring the suction strength of breast pumps is mmHg. It is called a millimeter of mercury (Hg is the chemical symbol for Mercury) and it is the manometric unit of pressure.

You’ll get to see the mmHg listing on every breast pump available in the market. Breast pumps tend to be in the 220-350 mmHg range, where 350 is the highest you’ll find in any breast pump.

In case you have any doubts regarding the suction strength of a breast pump, feel free to ask us your questions.

How do Breast Pumps Match a Baby’s Natural Sucking?

Modern breast pumps can imitate the sucking pattern of an infant. Thanks to the latest technologies, this imitation helps you, the mom, in generating sufficient milk and maintaining your milk supply.

These pumps imitate the baby’s sucking through different options:

•    Expression:

Babies don’t suck the milk continuously. They slow down in-between the sessions while they swallow the milk.

The ‘Expression’ mode imitates this sucking pattern. Basically, it imitates the pauses a baby takes between sucking the milk from your breast for swallowing.

•    Let Down:

When the baby sucks your breast continuously, it is called the let-down. When a baby sucks your breast, it starts the release of oxytocin. Oxytocin contracts the glands present in your breast to contract.

As those glands contract, they release milk into the milk ducts, which push the milk through the breast.    

•    Undulation:

This feature mirrors the moments of an infants’ tongue during the sucking session. Undulation tries to imitate the sucking pattern of older infants.

•    Flutter Sucking:

Some older infants follow a rhythmic sucking patent where they change the flow’s intensity and speed fast. This is termed as ‘flutter sucking’ and if your baby is older than a month, then it would be the right pattern for you to use.

For the maximum benefit, you should keep switching between the different settings. It will help you get multiple let-downs and as a result, you’ll find it easier to express milk.

How to Choose the Right Suction Speed

Now you know about the different suction settings, it’s is also vital for you to get accustomed with the suction speeds of the breast pumps.

 Knowing when you should use a particular setting will keep your pumping experience comfortable.

When to Choose High Strength:

You should keep your breast pump at a high strength setting when it’s going to replace direct breastfeeding. It could be because the baby isn’t able to latch properly or it could be because of your separation from the baby in the initial weeks.

While you’re trying to establish an adequate milk supply, you should use this setting. It ensures that your body receives the required signals to enhance your milk supply.

When to Choose Low Strength:

When you pump occasionally and breastfeed most of the time, it would be better if you keep the pace low or medium.

We recommend keeping the suction strength of the pump at 150 mmHg when you are pumping on a regular basis with established milk supply.

A Word of Caution:

High suction strength can reduce your milk supply too. Constant high-speed suction puts a lot of stress on your breasts and this can cut off the flow in the milk ducts.

How should you go about this issue? Simple, just turn down the suction speed whenever you feel any pain or discomfort. Pain changes your body’s focus from producing milk so your supply gets lowered.

And we don’t want that, do we?

Why is the Breast Pump not working for you?

Maybe you’re able to generate enough milk with the breast pump? Or maybe you’re experiencing some other problem with the pumps?

In any case, the cause of your problem could be the breast shield and not the pump itself. Maybe it doesn’t fit on your breast properly. For a proper solution to this problem, you should contact a lactation expert.

If the breast shield or the flange is not according to the size of your breast and nipple then it can cause you difficulty in expressingmilk. The flange should remain in proper contact with your nipple.

Conclusion

Although this article doesn’t discuss much, we hope it was able to help you get rid of any doubts or confusion regarding breast pumps’ suction speeds.

If you have any other questions regarding breast pumps, feel free to let us know.