Thanks for replying to my email. Sorry I don't know your name.

you wrote:
>  the simple way I explain the separation situation to new mothers is
> that the minute the placenta pulls away from the body, new hormones start
> flowing throughout her body.  The next step is to give the mother's body
the  message,   ' yes indeed there is a baby to feed' and this is where
nipple
> stimulation comes in.  The more hand stimulation, massaging, pumping,
hand  expression, the better off she will be, because this keeps the
hormone
levels high and is a constant message that there is  a baby to feed.

This all makes sense to me but I suppose what I'm really trying to
understand is the physiology and biochemistry. I presume when you refer to
hormones you mean prolactin. Are we talking about the development of
prolactin receptors in the first couple of days?

Just to restate what I am trying to understand. Why is breast expression
important in the first couple of days post partum for the establishment of
breastfeeding? There are more questions in my earlier email. Is this
something that we really don't yet understand?

This is a quote from Riordan and Auerbach "....breastfeeding is not a major
factor in the *initiation* of lactation but it is for the *continuation* of
lactation"

The bottom line is should I be concerned that my sister in law, separated
from her baby, did not begin expression until 40 hr post partum. Did this
place her lactation at risk?

I've searched the archives but only found one question, essentially asking
what the rationale is behind recommendations to pump xhrs after birth.
There was not an answer.

Karleen Gribble

             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html