Breastfeeding Effects On Your Brain

If you are a breastfeeding mother, it is likely that you will sometimes feel distracted and forgetful. Things are constantly disappearing from your thoughts, leaving you feeling confused and frustrated. This lack of concentration can be a breastfeeding effect on your brain

During this time, your body is full of hormones that all do their own thing. They create chaos in your brain, leaving you feeling confused and flooding your system with substances that soothe your senses.

This brain fog can be alarming for new moms. It contributes to our general state of nervousness and can make us more prone to mistakes. And of course , how could we forget that this cascade of hormones comes at a time when we are already sleep deprived and under pressure.

What are the effects of breastfeeding on your brain?

This happens because the areas of your brain that are responsible for accuracy and concentration focus on seeing and protecting your newborn. They remain this way for the first six months of your baby’s life.

The consequence is that breastfeeding mothers may struggle to formulate words or follow any conversation that is a little intellectually demanding . They will to some extent lose its usual mental agility and sharpness.

However, the benefits far outweigh the potential negative effects of breastfeeding on your brain. Your baby is your perfect neurological partner, and the exchange of messages that take place through breastfeeding creates an outbreak of new neuronal connections in a mother’s brain.

The degree of hormonal responses varies over time and depending on how often the baby eats. The more you breastfeed, the greater this growth. It responds to substances such as prolactin and oxytocin, the main hormones responsible for strengthening the emotional bond between mother and child.

So a simple glance, a gesture or aen of your baby’s skin will put the idea of ​​feeding them into your head. Your breasts begin to warm up and may leak milk. For the child, the reward is immediate. Not only do they receive food, they also receive love and support from their mother.

D u post these drugs to your child, which in turn releases oxytocin, so they feel safe and comfortable.

Withdrawal symptoms during weaning

It is common for mothers to suffer from withdrawal symptoms when they are away from their child. This can lead to feelings of fear, anxiety and even panic.

The origin of these symptoms is neurological and chemical, more than psychological. This seems to happen because the brain is gradually preparing to adjust hormone levels if the mother and child are somehow separated.

Levels of oxytocin, which regulate stress, suddenly drop. Do not forget that oxytocin only lasts three hours in the bloodstream.

When weaning begins, mothers may experience the same symptoms. When stopping breastfeeding often coincides with going back to work, it can be an emotional bruise, for new mothers.

The consequence is a state of distress and anxiety when the flow of oxytocin that flooded the brain during breastfeeding is suddenly interrupted.

Many mothers try to smooth this transition, by using a breast pump to extract milk at work whenever they can. This way, they can gradually ease the use of breastfeeding and continue breastfeeding their babies on the weekends.

Doing this not only ensures that milk production can continue, it also replicates the emotional and physiological pleasure of breastfeeding, for both mother and child.

Source: The Female Brain, by Louann Brizendine