Dear Friends:

If nipple stimulation (i.e. endogenous oxytocin release)  was enough to
induce labor, then every baby born in the world would be too premature to
survive.

There was some thought that this might work back in the 80s, and I remember
doing Non-Stress Tests (what a crazy name for such a stressful event!) with
pregnant women who were told to do nipple stimulation to stimulate
contractions. But the practice has been abandoned for labor induction,
because it doesn't work. (The uterus contracts from the moment of
implantation right up to delivery.....the contractions of an NST were not
effective ones, and would not encourage the uterus to open.)

30 years ago, women who wanted to breastfeed were told to hand express
newborn milk....with no increase in prematurity. There is at least one
article about it from 1958.

 •
 •J Obstet Gynaecol Br Emp. 1958
•Jun;65(3):448-9.
–“The value of antenatal massage of nipples and expression of colostrum*.” *
(Ingleman-Sundberg)
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My understanding is that uterine oxytocin receptors don't wake up until the
last 4 weeks of pregnancy...in most women. We'd all be reluctant to suggest
prenatal expression of newborn milk to a woman with a history of premature
labor. There are enough midwives on this list to give opinions here!

warmly,
-- 
Nikki Lee RN, BSN, Mother of 2, MS, IBCLC, CCE, CIMI
craniosacral therapy practitioner
www.breastfeedingalwaysbest.com

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