>>I think maybe we are not quite hearing each other?  I am saying, more
stress horomes, less oxytocin.  We know that in labour, stress if extememe
enough will stop the production of oxytocin to the point where labour stops.
A stressed animal's labour will stop altogether untill the danger has
passed.

KMC researcher, Nils Bergman, says we are now stresssing mothers and babies
"beyond the limits of adaptability".  The words are easy to say, but the
implication are serious indeed.

I think the point made by Bergman above, is that if we continue to carry on
the way we are, it won't!<<

Hi Pat,
I do think that I am hearing you. I agree that we are leading lives that are
more often bringing a high level of chronic stress. But at the same time, I
wonder if it is really stress or the breastfeeding style that leads to milk
production problems. I will be the first person in line to say that I am
worried about environmental factors and their increasing impact upon
lactation. I also know that trauma can inhibit milk ejection, which in turn
inhibits milk production. Chronic extreme stress can do the same. How often
does this happen, though? That is the question. Perhaps we come at this
question from two different angles. I feel like I see too many women trying
to fit themselves into that box, while you wonder if that number is on the
rise. My recent review of these issues did give me renewed appreciation for
the robustness of the process of lactation in an otherwise normal, healthy
individual, especially as the triggers for oxytocin are both physical and
psychological. But to answer your question, I don't know. I can certainly
understand why we have so many stalled labors...... Not so sure about
breastfeeding, though. I think both sides can be argued.

Uvnas-Moberg is the one who has written eloquently on the topic of oxytocin
and its role in modulating stress. She believes that oxytocin is meant to
blunt that stress response. It is a different situation during lactation
than during labor. Giving birth is an extremely vulnerable event, whereas
lactation is less so and can occur "on the run" if need be. Mother really
cannot afford to stop having milk ejections, otherwise her child could
starve and will probably put her at higher risk by crying. I believe that
oxytocin "wins" more battles than it loses when it comes to stress and
lactation. 

~Lisa Marasco

Uvnas-Moberg Kerstin. Antistress Pattern Induced by Oxytocin. News Physiol
Sci vol 13 Feb 1998, 22-26.

Summary: Repeated oxytocin injections cause lowered blood pressure,
decreased cortisol levels, increased withdrawal latency, increased release
of vagally controlled gastrointestinal hormones, and increased weight gain.
Together, these effects form an antistress pattern. Nonoxious sensory
stimuli release oxytocin and induce an effect spectrum similar to the one
caused by oxytocin injections.

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