Breast Feeding: Flashcards
(13 cards)
Anatomy of the breast - what tissue
- lobes of mammary tissue
- supported by fat and connective tissue
What structures are within the mammary tissue?
- sac like alveoli
- connected by a duct system
- duct system leads to the nipple
- alveoli surrounded by the smooth muscle
What cells are the alveoli lined with? What is their function
Lactocytes
Produce milk
How is breast feeding triggered?
- trigger = suckling
- oxytocin release
- from the posterior PIT
What is the action of oxytocin
- oxytocin causes smooth muscle round the alveoli to contract
- this squeezes milk into the ducts
What triggers the lactocytes to produce milk?
Sucking
- triggers prolactin release from ant PIT
- prolactin stimulates lactocyte milk production
Benefits of breast feeding to mother
- cheap and convenient
- reduced lifetime risk of ovarian and breast cancer
Benefits of BF for the baby
- optimum nutrition and hydration - carbs, protein, fatty acids to help brain development, micronutrients
- lower levels of childhood obesity and T2 diabetes risk
- immunoglobulins
- D+V, ear infection, respiratory tract infection lower risk
What do the WHO and UNICEF reccomend re breast feeding:
Breasts feed exclusively for first 6 years, continue for 2 years of age
- this does not happen often in the UK! - only 1%
What is done to encourage breast feeding?
Skin to skin:
- regulates HR, breathing, temp
- oxytocin release from the mother
- stimulates interest in feeding from baby
- colonise baby’s skin with mothers
What can untrained milk lead to?
Mastitis - therefore important for a good latch
What can a good latch cause?
- stops nipples becoming sore and cracked
- stops babies from using more energy than they get from the feed
- stimulates better and more milk production
- breast empties equally and fully
Who may not be able to breast feed
HIV positive women
Women who have undergone bilateral mastectomy
Women on certain medications
