July 01, 2011
One of the major sources of frustration and even guilt in early motherhood is breastfeeding. Yes, for some mothers breastfeeding runs utterly smoothly, but for others, breastfeeding challenges become a partially painful and uneven ordeal. The range of complaints includes cracks and fissures in the nipples, sore breasts, infections, fungi, concerns with having enough milk, and feelings of having to feed too frequently and thus becoming a milk-producing machine. These conditions make breastfeeding less of the pleasant bonding activity which most mothers envision for their unborn child. So, what can help these mothers? Perhaps a few breastfeeding tips and education.
The basics of breastfeeding include finding a proper position that suits you and your baby, so you both can relax. This may involve some experimenting, including propping yourself and your baby up with pillows.
The proper latching on of the baby to the mother’s breast is of fundamental importance and can make all the difference in the world, not least when breastfeeding is experienced as painful.
Being aware that the composition of the milk changes during each feeding helps too. The milk will change from being relatively light to become richer in fat during each feeding. The first part of the feeding serves to quench the baby’s thirst, the latter part to satisfy her or his hunger. Ending off a feeding prematurely will force the baby to demand more frequent feedings and thus less breaks for the mother.
Ending off the feeding prematurely can also lead to sore breasts and, eventually, also inflammations of the breast. When the milk is made to stagnate it can mess up the finely tuned system.
What is even more interesting is the correlation between levels of oxytocin in the parent’s blood and saliva and the quality of parenting that they are able to provide. High oxytocin parents seem to be more in tune with their babies and they derive more pleasure from their interactions with their baby, which then turns into a virtuous circle. Interactions with the baby are simple, straightforward, uncomplicated and fun.
What the researchers have recently established is that in any given group of human parents, there will be variations in the naturally occurring levels of oxytocin in their blood and in their saliva. Some parents will, for reasons as of yet unknown, have high levels of oxytocin, others will have low levels.
First Recourse: Mastering the Basics
The first recourse or breastfeeding tip is naturally to make sure that the basics are in place. There is plenty of literature out there, which an expectant woman can read at her own leisure. The website of La Leche League is a very good on-line source of information. La Leche League has also published a good and thorough book “The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding.” However, if the baby is already there, and the mother feels overwhelmed by the many demands of the little one, calling on a lactation consultant could be a wise measure.Mastering the Fundamentals
The basics of breastfeeding include finding a proper position that suits you and your baby, so you both can relax. This may involve some experimenting, including propping yourself and your baby up with pillows.
The proper latching on of the baby to the mother’s breast is of fundamental importance and can make all the difference in the world, not least when breastfeeding is experienced as painful.
Being aware that the composition of the milk changes during each feeding helps too. The milk will change from being relatively light to become richer in fat during each feeding. The first part of the feeding serves to quench the baby’s thirst, the latter part to satisfy her or his hunger. Ending off a feeding prematurely will force the baby to demand more frequent feedings and thus less breaks for the mother.
Ending off the feeding prematurely can also lead to sore breasts and, eventually, also inflammations of the breast. When the milk is made to stagnate it can mess up the finely tuned system.
Beyond the Basics: Unraveling the Persistence of Pain
Having adopted all these fundamentals, and even after enlisting the help of a professional lactation consultant, some women, however, still experience breastfeeding challenges such as intermittent or persistent pain. Some women experience brief periods where the breastfeeding lives up the pleasant expectations, interrupted by periods where breastfeeding challenges become a painful source of frustration. It is like a pendulum swing, going back and forth. For some women, having exhausted the sources of help and external advice, the pain and frustration becomes unbearable and breastfeeding becomes more of a threat to the bond of love and pleasure that any mother hopes to form with her baby. They then make the decision to switch to formula milk; a decision that should be respected.Insights into Oxytocin: A Key Player in Breastfeeding Pleasure
For some mothers the pain is sufficiently bearable for them to persist in breastfeeding and most will report that after a period ranging from a few weeks to several months, breastfeeding becomes the smooth and mutually pleasant bonding experience which they were hoping for. The scientific literature on breastfeeding offers relatively little direct insight into the possible mechanisms underlying these large variations in the breastfeeding experience. However, one candidate mechanism seems to involve the birth and breastfeeding hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin is the hormone that causes the uterus to contract during labor and birth. It is also responsible for the milk let-down mechanism by making the muscle cells surrounding the breast’s milk producing glands contract.Oxytocin: More Than a Milk Let-Down Mechanism
These are the classical and well-known effects of oxytocin, however, research in the past two decades has shed light on some highly interesting and relevant effects of oxytocin. The level of oxytocin in the body seems to correlate inversely with the level of stress hormones, heart rate and blood pressure. The more oxytocin you have flowing around in your body, the less stressed you are likely to be. And we know that stress is very counterproductive to breastfeeding. Oxytocin also seems to work as a pain reducer. So, the more oxytocin you have in your body, the greater your tolerance will be towards pain.Oxytocin's Influence on Parenting Quality
What is even more interesting is the correlation between levels of oxytocin in the parent’s blood and saliva and the quality of parenting that they are able to provide. High oxytocin parents seem to be more in tune with their babies and they derive more pleasure from their interactions with their baby, which then turns into a virtuous circle. Interactions with the baby are simple, straightforward, uncomplicated and fun.
What the researchers have recently established is that in any given group of human parents, there will be variations in the naturally occurring levels of oxytocin in their blood and in their saliva. Some parents will, for reasons as of yet unknown, have high levels of oxytocin, others will have low levels.