What makes milk. Where does milk come from? In just a couple of hours at home, bacteria begin to form in fresh milk.
Most of the myths about breastfeeding are related to ignorance of the principles and work of the gland. Let's fill this gap in education :)
Two hormones are responsible for the production and secretion of milk: oxytocin and prolactin. Prolactin is directly responsible for milk production. It is produced ONLY in response to the baby sucking at the breast. Moreover, if the child is applied incorrectly, then it will be poorly developed. It looks something like this: the child begins to suckle the breast - a signal about this enters the brain - the pituitary gland of the brain begins to produce prolactin - prolactin enters the bloodstream - thanks to this, milk is produced between feedings - when the child starts sucking again, it is this prolactin produced in the previous feeding that causes mammary glands produce milk. Those. every time we feed a baby, we “order” milk for the next feeding. Prolactin does not live in the blood for long, about an hour and a half, so feeding every 3-4 hours reduces milk production approximately exponentially.
The second hormone - oxytocin - is responsible for the release of milk from the breast. A lot of things influence its production: the suckling of the baby at the breast, the sight, the smell, the crying, thoughts about the baby. This hormone suppresses stress and self-doubt.
Its production during feeding looks like this: the baby sucks at the breast - the pituitary gland produces oxytocin - oxytocin causes the breast muscles to contract, helping to squeeze milk out of the milk ducts - the woman feels this as a tightening, engorgement and buzzing in the chest, calling it "milk rush". As successful lactation is established, these "tides" cease to be felt, but this does not mean that oxytocin is not produced.
Milk is divided into "front" and "back". The anterior is produced between feedings and accumulates in reservoirs in front of the nipple. It is very rich in carbohydrates, the main of which is lactose. This milk is very thin and not fat at all. many women believe that they have poor quality milk because it is "clear". But this is the correct "front" milk. It's a drink for a child.
"Hinder" milk is produced ONLY at the time of feeding. It does not "spout" like the "front", but is squeezed out drop by drop. It is rich in proteins and fats. It contains enzymes that help digest lactose, namely lactase and lipase. If the child is limited in attachments, often change the breast and take it away, then the child may begin lactase deficiency, which is treated very simply - it is enough to establish proper breastfeeding. Also, a baby may not get enough milk if he does not latch correctly, for example, if he suckles only the nipple or a small part of the areola.
Why can some women feed once every 3-4 hours, but they have enough milk and there is no need to switch to supplementary feeding? This is due to the structural features of the breast - a large, extensible "reservoir" (sinuses) for the accumulation of "forward" milk - and due to the specific hormonal background, but these are exclusively genetic, hereditary factors.
Why should the regime be developed together with the child? Firstly, the fact is that the breast needs stimulation every 1.5 - 2 hours in the first 3 months of the baby's life. Secondly, the baby needs to suck on the breast not only for food, but also for comfort, physical contact with the mother, etc. Such a need, on the one hand, is deeply individual, on the other hand, it has a clear framework; from 40 minutes to 2 hours. usually 1-1.5 hours. Do not be afraid to put the baby to the breast as often as he asks. He won't eat more than he needs. Spitting up is also not something to be afraid of. Normally, the child has the right to spit up every time after feeding 1-2 tbsp. and once a day with a "fountain" -3 tbsp. l. If the baby correctly captures the breast, then he should not suck in air during feeding.
The stomach is not actually involved in the digestion of milk. Milk passes through it in transit, stays in it for 15-20 minutes, and then enters the intestines, where it digests itself and is absorbed by the intestinal walls. With frequent feeding, the stomach DOES NOT stretch, and at night it should not rest, it almost does not work anyway.
Night milk is the most low-fat, and the fattest around 2-3 pm (lunch, after all).
After 6 weeks of life, the child begins to poop less often than in the first weeks of life. This happens due to the establishment of lactation - colostrum contains laxative components, while mature milk does not. Therefore, the child can poop as 3-4 times a day (a little bit) and once every few days. Milk is well absorbed by the body and its "waste" gradually accumulates in the intestines and "comes out" once every few days. Their color is yellow or light brown, inclusions of white lumps (fat) are possible, the consistency is mushy, the smell of cottage cheese. If all the characteristics of the stool are normal, then the child does not have constipation and does not need laxatives. Please note that pediatric norms are designed for artificial babies, for whom constipation is a common and very harmful phenomenon, so they must poop every day.
A nursing mother needs to consume as much liquid as she wants. Studies show that mothers who drank more than 2 liters per day had significantly LESS lactostasis, but at the same time - significantly more diuresis (urination) and a decrease in the amount of milk compared to those who drank less.
Breastfeeding is the best way to naturally raise a healthy baby. With mother's milk, the baby receives all the necessary nutrients, hormones and protective antibodies that control its harmonious development. It is the healthiest food for your baby and is free of bacteria, heavy metal salts and allergens unlike artificial baby food.
How is breast milk produced and where does it come from?
The female breast is a rather complex mechanism. In addition to fat and muscle tissues, it contains special sac cells - alveoli, which, as it were, interlock with each other, forming clusters. It is from these cells that milk enters the nipple through the tubules. And the milk itself is formed as a result of the action of reflexes and hormones. Even during pregnancy, a woman begins hormonal changes, during which the mammary gland is prepared to produce breast milk. At the same time, it begins to develop, and the breasts, respectively, increase in size. After the birth of a child, the hormones progesterone and estrogen decrease, and in return, the production of prolactin increases, which stimulates the production of milk in the breast.
Composition of breast milk
The main constituent element of breast milk is ordinary water and its share is about 87%. That is why, with natural feeding, pediatricians do not recommend supplementing the child with additional water, and due to its biologically active property, it is easily absorbed. Also, breast milk contains approximately 7% carbohydrates, which provide the baby's body with energy and help in the process of assimilation of nutrients. Fats, whose share is about 4%, contribute to the structure of cells, including cells of the brain and central nervous system. Breast milk, due to the presence of 1% of proteins in it, supports the child's immunity and ensures its intensive growth and development. Another important element is vitamins and microelements, thanks to which the child's body resists infections.
How is breast milk produced in a woman's breasts and what contributes to this?
There is an opinion that the amount of milk produced depends on how much a woman eats, drinks and rests. Of course, these are important factors affecting the quality of breast milk, but they do not affect its quantity. The production of the hormone prolactin, which is responsible for the formation of milk, is activated when the baby begins to suckle at the breast. And the more often and longer you put the baby to the breast, the more breast milk will be produced, or rather exactly as much as your baby needs.
Taste and color of breast milk
There are several factors that affect the taste of breast milk:
It is no secret that the color of breast milk depends on its fat content. Moreover, its composition changes during one feeding. First, the baby sucks out the "front" milk, which is more watery, has a bluish tint and completely satisfies the baby in drinking. Next, the so-called "hind" milk comes to the baby, which has a higher fat content and therefore, it is thicker and has a white color. It, in turn, makes the baby feel hungry.
Remember, there is no answer to the question of what kind of breast milk should be. And your milk is the best and most necessary in the world for your child.
There are no cows, but milk is in bulk in stores! Who are we milking? Two-thirds of the milk actually turned out to be just a mixture of vegetable fats with water ...
HERE and ONCOLOGY is ubiquitous.
The results of the all-Russian check of milk can be shocking: two-thirds of the product in Russia turned out to be counterfeit. And this official wording is the mildest. In simple terms, 60% of everything that is sold in stores is not milk at all, but a mixture of vegetable fats with water.
Another test in the Samara region showed that palm oil replaces milk fat in 60% of samples of milk, cottage cheese and sour cream. A cheap substitute of plant origin itself turned out to be third-rate - category C. And they add it, without hesitation, to the most popular products of the middle price category. All because palm oil is called harmful in Russia only in words. It can be officially used in industry.
Cheap fake milk flooded other regions as well. So in the Orenburg region last year, the number of samples of milk in violation of technical regulations increased by one and a half times. Cheeses were tested in the Tver region. Moreover, both ours and imports. Every fifth item turned out to be a fake. Moreover, ingredients that do not correspond to the labeling, for example, sodium nitrate, were found even in Belarusian-made products. We have always considered it to be natural.
Last year, Russia imported a whole sea of palms - almost 800,000 tons of oil. And all of it ended up in one form or another on the table of the Russians, the supervisory authorities note.
Only real gourmets can distinguish the taste of cheese from a tropical tree or from under a Vologda cow. For example, deputies of the State Duma who are accustomed to natural products.
And domestic cheese and butter producers have learned to adapt vegetable concentrate to the process of import substitution. They replace not imported oil, but the taste of imported oil. It turns out Nizhny Novgorod with a New Zealand accent.
The excise tax on the so-called harmful products - with a high content of fat and sugar - will help separate wood oil from natural. For example, soda and palm oil. This is also being discussed in the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and while the government is thinking about expanding the excise list, we are absorbing a new taste with the milk of the motherland - palm.
So if somewhere they produce hack-work, then in Russia they have long since wiped their noses at all the hack-workers of the world.
If this article on our website was useful to you, then we offer you a book with Recipes for a living, healthy diet. Vegan and raw food recipes. And also we offer you a selection of the best materials of our site according to our readers. You can find a selection of the TOP of the best articles about a healthy lifestyle and healthy eating wherever it is most convenient for you. Myths: Where does milk come from?!