Just a FYI.......  I spoke with Dr. Randall Craig today about some of my
research, and took the opportunity to ask him if he had heard of oxytocin
deficits, since we have all asked this question in the past. He said that it
does indeed happen sometimes--- even no oxytocin at all, and that this is in
the literature, though it's obscure literature. He commented to me that most
of the lactation research is happening in third world countries and appears
in those journals, which we unfortunately rarely see. Breastfeeding is more
important in those places!

One other interesting tidbit: he says that oxytocin upregulates its own
receptors, so the more oxytocin flowing, the more receptors proliferate.  He
also mentioned that oxytocin is closely related to ADH and so upregulates
those receptors as well.......... sometimes causing edema in the process.
Aha! Now I understand why pitocin-augmented labors can cause excess fluid
retention and edema.

Lisa Marasco IBCLC

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