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What could be more wonderful and surprising than the female body? Capable of carrying life, giving it, nourishing and cherishing it, all in its simplest form. So, from the moment milk is produced to the moment it rises, from the mother's breast to baby's mouth, how is the milk you use to breastfeed made?
To understand breastfeeding, get to know the breast
By the time you learn of your pregnancy, your body has already begun to prepare itself, and with it, your breasts. To enable you, if you so wish, to breastfeed your baby, they are undergoing numerous transformations, most of them initiated by hormones.
From the mammary glands to the milk ducts, via the veins, fatty tissue and contractile cells used to allow milk to flow, is an entire organ, emblematic if ever there was one, which combines its forces to achieve lactation.
- Mammary glands produce breast milk.
- Milk ducts transport breast milk from the mammary glands to the nipples.
- As blood vessels, they carry the nutrients in breast milk (water, minerals, vitamins, etc.).
- These contractile cells enable milk to flow during suckling.
- Adipose tissues support and protect the breast and its biological functions.
Did you know? From the middle of pregnancy, your breasts produce colostrum. This first milk, which is not a milk, is particularly rich in proteins and antibodies for your baby.
Prolactin and oxytocin: the milk hormones
Alongside the physiology of your breasts, hormones play a considerable role in the production of the milk you give your baby.
When your baby is born, the expulsion of the placenta causes progesterone levels in your body to fall. The prolactin can then come into play as the main hormone triggering and maintaining lactation.
Did you know? The earlier and more often baby feeds, the more prolactin receptors there are, and therefore the more efficient lactation.
The other lactation hormone isoxytocin. Best known for its soothing effect on you and your baby (also known as the "feel-good" hormone), it is also linked to the milk ejection reflex.
In concrete terms, when your baby sucks, it stimulates your nipple, which triggers the secretion of oxytocin, releasing milk from the alveoli and sending it to the milk ducts.
Did you know? Oxytocin secretion is also linked to the emotional, to the psyche. Shock, trauma or pain can therefore inhibit its production.
Baby makes the magic happen
Because the female body is a sacred and wonderful instrument, the key to lactation is your baby. It's by bringing him close to your breast, by allowing him to suckle, that you trigger your ability to feed him, in 3 distinct stages.
- As soon as your baby latches on, a signal is sent to your body.
- Your brain receives it and releases the corresponding hormones (prolactin and oxytocin) in response.
- Thanks to them, your breast starts to work, allowing breast milk to flow into your baby's mouth.
Did you know? When it comes to the breast, lactation and breastfeeding are primarily concerned with the mammary areola and its nipple. Made up of tiny orifices that form the ends of the galactophore ducts, the nipple enables the expression of breast milk produced by the mammary gland.
Breast milk, a pure product of love
Not only is breast milk - according to the recommendations of the WHO - the best food for your baby from birth, but also, your body adapts its composition and production to your child's needs.
In the first few days of breastfeeding, breast milk production increases steadily until it reaches its peak at around one month. Your body then regulates itself according to your little one's appetite. It's the rhythm of feedings that determines the quantity of milk produced.
The composition of your milk also changes to meet your baby's specific needs as he grows, but also with each meal. For example, milk at the beginning of feeds is liquid and abundant, while milk at the end of feeds is enriched with fat to help baby achieve satiety.
Did you know? Breast milk is produced continuously until your reserves are full. The mammary glands work between feeds, but also during them, so that your baby always has enough to drink, one breast at a time.
