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Postpartum Contractionms During Breastfeeding

Postpartum Contractions During Breastfeeding & Oxytocin: What Happens To The Milk Ducts and Uterus

Is It True Breastfeeding Can Trigger Uterine Contractions?

Postpartum contractions often happpen during breastfeeding following delivery, and someties for weeks or months afterwards. This is a true statement. This is also perfectly normal; these contractions in no way indicate that something is wrong. Cramping can occur due to the involution, or shrinking, of the uterus following the newborn's birth. Increased bleeding and discharge of the myconium is expected.

Why Does My Uterus Throb When I Feed?

It's all about the oxytocin. Oxytocin is a peptide hormone, but also serves as a neuropeptide. It's esrtablished medical fect that oxytocin can initiate, or strengthen, contractions during the birthing experience. When you feed your baby at your breast, both your newborn's, and your own, oxytocin level will rise. This rise in oxytocin causes uterine contractions, and these contractions help restore the uterus to its pre-pregnancy state.

How Does Oxytocin Make Milk Flow?

A new Mom's milk production is hormonally controlled by oxytocin, prolactin, and estrogen (to some extent). When a baby suckles at her Mommy's breast, the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland, deep within the mother's brain, secretes prolactin while the posterior lobe secretes oxytocin. These two hormones travel via the bloodstream to the breast tissue. This is in response to the nipple being stimulated.

The rise in oxytocin when feeding actually begins with merely gazing at your baby or holding him. Sometimes, even a thought. Once the baby attaches to the nipple properly (a deep latch that is likewise not painful) and begins suckling, there is an even sharper rise in oxytocin. The oxytocin causes the myoepithelial cells surrounding the alveoli within the mammary glands to spasm, or contract rhythmically. This is the same hormone that can cause uterine contraction, and so you may experience both at the same time.

Because the milk is literally being squeezed out of your breast by this action on smooth muscles within your breast tissue, when you're finished feeding and disengange the baby from your nipple, you will sometimes see streams of milk ejected into the air from your nipple.

What is the Role of Prolactin In Breastfeeding?

Prolactin is actually the hormone that causes the cells of the alveoli within the mammary glands, or mammary ducts, in the breasts to begin secreting milk. Each breast, also known as a complex mammary gland, has about ten to twenty simple mammary glands within, each a mini-milk factory. Cuboidal cells within the myoepthelial cells of the breast actually create the milk from the nutrients in the mother's blood.

Why Is Oxytocin Called The Love Hormone?

Oxytocin is called the "Love Hormone" because it's released when we're affectionate. It's even released merely by thinking of someone we love. It's also intrinsically links mother and baby. This is why gazing into your baby's eyes, or thinking about your newborn, may be enough to experience an uncontrolled let-down reflex. This may happen even when the baby is not nursing. (Be prepared with nursing pads!)

Is My Baby Using My Nipple As a Pacifier?

There are two knds of activity the baby may engage in while latched: Active Sucking and Passive Sucking. As you might have guessed, active sucking brings the baby milk, and passive sucking does not bring the baby any nutrition, and only serves as a way for the baby to confort herself.

But even Passive Sucking can promote the release of oxytocin. There is no right or wrong; if you wish to permit your baby to Passive Suckle, that is your own choice. It is not a harmful practice and is actually a normal part of infant development. And, it is nipple stimulation, and so it can actually help you increae your production. Passive Sucking is a shorter and less deep motion, and the baby's lower jaw does not move up and down.

How Do I Know I Have An Active Oxytocin Reflex?

According to the WHO, there are many ways to know that your oxytocin reflex is active. Here are the signs for Mom to look out for:

"A tingling sensation in the breast before or during a feed;
milk flowing from her breasts when she thinks of the baby or hears him crying;
milk flowing from the other breast when the baby is suckling;
milk flowing from the breast in streams if suckling is interrupted;
slow deep sucks and swallowing by the baby, which show that milk is flowing into his mouth;
uterine pain or a flow of blood from the uterus;
thirst during a feed."


See NIH entry for the preceding, taken from a textbook

Can Breast Massage Increase Milk Production?

Breast Massage can help increase milk production in a number of ways. Firstly, there's the choice of massage oil. Certain massage and essential oils have been shown in studies to increase milk production, even when applied dermally. These are also traditional herbs employed for postpartum women in the Indian Ayurvedic system of healing. Other oils may help with mastitis, which may be caused by an improper latch.

Secondly, manual stimulation of the nipples will invariably increase both oxytocin and prolactin levels, and so breast massage will invariably raise crucial hormone levels.

Thirdly, a trained Postpartum Massage Therapist can help you deal help with any clogs that you may have in your milk ducts.

Can Therapeutic Massage Increase Milk Production?

In general, Therapeutic Massage has been shown to raise ocytocin levels in the person recieving the session, regardless of postpartum status. (not breast massage, specifically) This has been verified in numerous health studies confirmed with blood collection pre- and post-massage. Postnatal Massage, even without breast massage, can increase oxytocin.

How Does Oxytocin Make Me Feel?

Oxytocin elicits the "mothering instinct." It also produces a mental state of placid calm. If you feel calm or almost sleepy during, or after, breastfeeding, it is probably due to higher levels of oxytocin coursing through your bloodstrram. Oxytocin makes you want to cuddle with your baby, and also makes you feel comfy and snuggly when you do.

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