Oxytocin and Letdown
What is Oxytocin?
“Oxytocin,” also known as the love hormone, is released during breastfeeding and plays a very important role in lactation. You may have heard of the breastfeeding terms “let down reflex” or “milk ejection reflex.” This is because it causes the flow of breast milk to come down when you’re breastfeeding or pumping. It can also have a calming effect on you as a mother. When oxytocin is released, the mammary cells begin to contract.1
What Releases Oxytocin?
When your baby is suckling at the breast, sensory impulses travel from the nipple to your brain, triggering the pituitary gland to release oxytocin into your bloodstream. Even when your baby is doing any kind of stimulation at the nipple, such as licking or getting familiar with the breast, this can still release oxytocin and trigger a let down.1
What Does MER Feel Like?
MER stands for Milk Ejection Reflex also known as “let down”. Some women feel their let down and some do not. You may feel a mild tingling sensation or for others it may feel a bit intense. Some may even describe the feeling as “pins and needles”. After your baby is born and you begin to breastfeed, you will start to feel uterine cramping and sometimes it can feel similar to contractions you experienced during labor. This is caused by Oxytocin and it’s actually helping your uterus heal and shrink back down to the size it was before delivery. Women who breastfeed are at lower risk for postpartum hemorrhage.1
How Do I Know if I am “Letting Down”?
Your let down typically happens 1 to 2 minutes into the feeding and can last for several minutes. You may also have more than one let down during each feeding session. While baby is breastfeeding you can watch their feeding pattern, you may notice it changes from strong sucking to a more slow and steady suck and may even notice a few gulping moments.1
What is a Forceful Let Down?
A forceful let down also known as an overactive milk ejection reflex is when the milk comes down too quickly and forcefully for the baby while breastfeeding. When this happens, sometimes babies will start taking big gulps, choke on the flow of milk, unlatch, and even get frustrated. Although this can be an obstacle for breastfeeding, usually as the baby grows and establishes breastfeeding, they are able to handle it a lot better. Until it gets to that point a few ways to help are by doing the laid back breastfeeding position or also hand expressing through the let down and then latching your baby back on when the flow is back to normal. Yes, save that milk! The reason why the laid back breastfeeding position works may work well, because when you are in the laid back position, gravity helps the milk not come out so forcefully and the baby is able to still work for the milk while sucking without it being too much to handle.2,3
What If I Have Questions?
If you are interested in learning more, these Aeroflow classes expand on some of the topics discussed above:
- Ultimate Breastfeeding Prep
- Pumping 101
To register for these classes, log into your portal or click here.
Want More Info?
For a directory of Aeroflow’s other Care Guides offering information on pregnancy, baby care, and more, browse our comprehensive list of titles:
References