qiuling and traz
I did some reserach on breastfeeding during preg b4 I tried for second baby, and decided to continue (with the approval of my gynae lah of course)
The following article from International bf organization "La leche" is v informative and played an impgt role in me deciding to continue bf.
http://www.llli.org/NB/NBJulAug00p116.html
Here's an excerpt from another article:
http://www.attachmentparenting.org/artnewlook.shtml
Nipple stimulation releases the hormone oxytocin into the bloodstream. Oxytocin is important for breastfeeding because it is the chemical messenger that tells breast tissue to contract and eject milk (the "milk ejection reflex"). Oxytocin also tells the uterine tissue to contract. All women experience uterine contractions during breastfeeding, although they are usually too mild to be noticed. Nipple stimulation can be used to ripen the cervix when a woman is at term, and can also augment labor after it is underway. Postpartum breastfeeding efficiently shrinks the uterus back to pre-pregnancy size.
Given these associations, it seems a short jump to guess that breastfeeding might trigger labor before its time...
The specter of breastfeeding-induced preterm labor appears to spring in large part from an incomplete understanding of the interactions between nipple stimulation, oxytocin, and pregnancy...
Many discussions of breastfeeding during pregnancy mention "oxytocin receptor sites," the uterine cells that detect the presence of oxytocin and cause a contraction. These cells are sparse up until 38 weeks, increasing gradually after that time, and increasing 300-fold after labor has begun.7 The relative scarcity of oxytocin receptor sites is one of the main lines of defense for keeping the uterus quiescent throughout the entire preterm periodÑbut it is not the only one.
A closer look at the molecular biology of the pregnant uterus reveals yet more lines of defense. In order for oxytocin receptor sites to respond strongly to oxytocin they need the help of special agents called "gap junction proteins." The absence of these proteins renders the uterus "down-regulated," relatively insensitive to oxytocin even when the oxytocin receptor site density is high. And natural oxytocin-blockers, most notably progesterone, stand between oxytocin and its receptor site throughout pregnancy. 8 9 10
With the oxytocin receptor sites (1) sparse, (2) down-regulated, and (3) blocked by progesterone and other anti-oxytocin agents, oxytocin alone cannot trigger labor. The uterus is in baby-holding mode, well protected from untimely labor. 4
how come u 'blossom' so fast?? hehe...