lactation
Lactation is the technical term for the milk levy of mammals , including the expression of breast milk in humans. The lactation occurs through the mammary glands and usually begins after the birth . The daily amount of milk delivered follows a lactation curve .
physiology
During pregnancy or gestation , constant hormone levels ( estrogen , progesterone ) from the placenta and prolactin from the pituitary gland lead to the conversion of maternal breast cells into milk-producing alveolar cells ( lactogenesis ).
In the third trimester , colostrum may appear drop by drop . Breast milk ( lactation ) begins two to eight days after the birth , first under hormonal influence (suddenly decreased estrogen and progestin levels , increased production of prolactin from the pituitary gland ), then reflexively through the sucking stimulus of the child, which - also from the Pituitary gland - causes the secretion of the hormone oxytocin . Under the influence of oxytocin, the myoepithelial cells also contract around the milk-forming glandular vesicles (alveoli), so that the milk is actively expelled during breastfeeding .
The milk produced by the mammary glands represents a balanced and complete nutrition for the baby after the change in diet via the umbilical cord. With the colostrum, immunoglobulins are transferred to the baby to an increased extent .
The daily production amount varies in humans according to the frequency of donning and the duration of drinking. On average, infants aged one to six months drink 700 to 800 ml per day.
After weaning , milk production drops to zero within several weeks to months. If breastfeeding is only temporarily discontinued, breastfeeding consultants usually recommend the use of breast milk pumps . Relactation is the restoration of lactation in a woman after temporarily weaning. Induced lactation is the correct term for inducing milk flow in a wet nurse . Both are done by the child putting it on frequently and can also be supported with pumps.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Chapter 23.1 The Importance of Lactation for Brood Care. In: Wolfgang von Engelhardt (Ed.): Physiology of domestic animals . Enke Verlag, Stuttgart 2010, ISBN 978-3-8304-1078-2 ( limited preview in the Google book search).
- ↑ Remo H. Largo: Baby years: The early childhood development from a biological point of view. 17th ed., Piper, 2008, ISBN 3-492-23319-8 .