These changes in the breast are sometimes not felt by the woman until the baby is born.
The alveoli make milk in response to the hormone prolactin. The levels of prolactin rises when the baby suckles.
Aside from this, oxytocin (another hormone), causes small muscles around the cells to contract. This allows the milk to move through a series of small tubes called milk ducts. This moving of the milk is called let-down reflex.
Oxytocin also causes the muscles of the uterus to contract during and after birth which lets the uterus go back to its original size. Oxytocin also lessens any bleeding a woman may have after giving birth. The release of both prolactin and oxytocin may be responsible in part for a mother’s intense feeling of needing to be with her baby.
Breastfeeding is associated with a healthy infant gut
Early colonization of the gut by microbes in infants is critical for development of their intestinal tract and in immune development. A new study, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Genome Biology, shows that differences in bacterial colonization of formula-fed and breast-fed babies leads to changes in the infant's expression of genes involved in the immune system, and in defense against pathogens.
The health of individuals can be influenced by the diversity of microbes colonizing the gut, and microbial colonization can be especially important in regulating both intestinal and immune development in infants. However, little is known about the potential interactions between the host's health at a molecular level, their gut microbes, and diet.
