----- Original Message -----
From: "Karleen Gribble" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, April 14, 2008 11:51 PM
Subject: Re: [LACTNET] bad feelings with MER (long)

**Hi all,

> I'd suggest contacting Kerstin to ask about it, she's very nice!

**Haha, of course, I was thinking along the same line.
And concerning this, what Laurie said, as well:

What I found interesting is that oxytocin is associated with less feelings
> of depression, but maybe these affected women are experiencing a *drop* in
> oxytocin once the MER occurs. Or maybe some receptor is amiss and not
> processing things right. Also the above link found a correlation with
> other
> interpersonal relationships, handling stress, etc and how oxytocin had an
> effect on an individual. I would bet these authors would be interested in
> these symptoms in lactating women.
> Laurie Wheeler

**Kerstin told us about the drop in oxytocin and what I found really
interesting and what might be a nice little research project for those 100
moms you mentioned, Diane, is that Kerstin made a link to epidurals. At
labour/birth, there is clearly a high oxy level, but few minutes after
birth, with s2s, levels are even higher, she said. Mother Nature's whole
idea behind this is that oxy helps with the transition to maternal
behaviour. Oxy priming happens in this phase of motherhood. The problem with
an epidural is: it blocks pain stimuli through the spinal cord (which it is
supposed to do), but it *also* blocks the high oxy surge that is supposed to
help establish this transition! Kerstin said that women with epidurals don't
really know they miss out on oxy benefits, because they are not primed in
these first few minutes. They seem to be more even, less emotional. They,
sort of, don't have the nice ups and also don't have the sad downs.
Nevertheless, Kerstin wondered whether the overabundant use of epidurals
might be the cause of a generation or even consecutive generations that
partly lose the beneficial effects of oxy and thereby experience blunting of
the loving system, that oxy protects.
So, I now wonder, whether these are moms who had an epidural and if this
epidurals might have caused some suppression of oxy first, but because
Mother Nature is so strong, levels rise despite of the initial lack and now
cause more down effects. I don't know... it is mere speculation, no research
whatsoever to back up this idea of mine, but I'm just thinking further what
Kerstin told us.
And like Karleen, I think she would be greatly interested in receiving
information from us. We might forward the Lactnet-mails concerning these
cases, if posters are okay with that. Either Karleen or I could do that...

Warmly,

Marianne Vanderveen, Netherlands

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