All female mammals are naturally gifted with a wonderful process - lactation, that is, the production of milk for feeding their offspring. And it is this food that is considered the best, balanced, nutritious, healthy and tasty for babies.
Instructions
Step 1
Lactation (from Lat. Lacto - milk content, milk feeding) is the process of formation, accumulation and periodic excretion of milk in humans and mammals. This process begins in the body after childbirth, and throughout pregnancy, processes take place in the mammary glands that prepare them for milk production.
Step 2
Successful lactation depends on many factors. The main one is the level of the necessary hormones in the blood. These hormones are prolactin, oxytocin, and placental lactogen.
Placental lactogen is actively produced in the body in the late stages of pregnancy, preparing the mammary glands for lactation. However, soon after giving birth, this hormone disappears from the mother's blood.
Prolactin is responsible for the milk production process. Thanks to him, milk accumulates in the alveoli, and then moves along the tubules, lactiferous ducts and lactiferous sinuses. It also regulates too strong or weak lactation.
Oxytocin is involved in the release of milk from the mammary gland.
Step 3
Milk proteins are synthesized from amino acids, fats from blood neutral fatty acids and free fat, milk sugar - lactose - from glucose. Therefore, the nutrition of a nursing mother should be complete and balanced. A young mother should receive 110-130 g of protein, 100-130 g of fat, 400-450 g of carbohydrates daily with food. In addition, you must drink at least 1.5-2 liters of fluid per day.
Step 4
Normally, a person's lactation period can last from 5 to 24 months, although you can often find mothers who breastfeed their babies up to 3-4 years. The amount of milk can reach from 600 to 1300 ml per day.
On the first day, not milk is released from the breast, but colostrum. On 2-3 days it is replaced by milk, however, its amount is still very small - 10-30 ml per day. A sharp rush of milk occurs more often on the 3-5th day. Often this process is accompanied by engorgement of the mammary glands, pain and sometimes an increase in body temperature.
The maximum amount of milk is produced 6-12 days after childbirth, and then the process of milk production stabilizes and as much milk is formed in the mammary glands as the baby needs.
If a woman for some reason does not breastfeed, then the lactation process stops after 1-2 weeks.
Step 5
The composition and appearance of milk changes at different times. Colostrum is white and does not yet possess a special fat content and nutritional value, this is still enough for a newborn. Transitional milk excreted in the first 2 weeks is yellowish, and mature milk is white with a bluish tinge. Many mothers get scared of this color and begin to think that their milk is not fat enough. On the contrary, everything is fine, mature milk is rich in proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
Over time, the composition of milk continues to change in accordance with the child's age needs.
Step 6
There are also deviations of lactation.
Hypogalactia - decreased lactation. This can be caused by both hormonal problems and fatigue, poor nutrition of the mother. Most likely, the reason is the so-called lactation crisis - a temporary decrease in the amount of milk. Do not rush to feed your baby with formula. Just apply it to your breast more often, drink more fluids, you can also drink special herbal preparations to improve lactation. And then the amount of milk produced will return to normal.
Galactorrhea is a spontaneous flow of milk from the mammary gland. The reason is the weakness of the muscle fibers around the nipple. This phenomenon occurs in women with increased nervous excitability. In this case, you should consult a doctor.
