25/12/2023
You are not a milk factory. As you feed, your child's heart rate slows, their attachment hormones spike, their microbiome is nourished and their brain falls into a deep, restorative calm, much like adult brains do during meditation.
Suckling causes oxytocin release in both mother and child, promoting a felt sense of wellbeing, safety, love and contentment.
Oxytocin lowers blood pressure and stress reactivity in mothers. In infants, oxytocin increases resilience to stress and drives the formation of more oxytocin receptors in the amygdala (for healthy social behaviour and a lowered risk for anxiety).
Simultaneous oxytocin release, repeated over time, changes both mother and infant brains, in ways that underpin long term attachment and synchronicity. It literally rewires brains in favour of love and wellbeing.
You are not a milk factory. You are a retreat, a safe space, a perfect tonic.
You are laying the foundations of long term wellbeing with every feed.
You are a hero.
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