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 Breastfeeding itself is a calming act. Sitting or lying down
several times a day while you are snuggling a secure, comfortable baby is sure to make
even a hyperactive person slow down. But the most high-strung of us may need
nature's other little benefit...the drugs.
Yes, during the breastfeeding process your brain will manufacture chemicals that will calm
you, give you a feeling of well-being and promote maternal behavior. Your
baby's sucking stimulates nerve endings in the areolae, which send messages to your hypothalamus
and pituitary gland (in your brain, causing them to start releasing oxytocin and
prolactin, breastfeeding hormones that will begin to calm and relax you.
A study published in the Journal of Nurse Midwives indicated that breastfeeding women have
less anxiety than their formula-feeding counterparts, reference below.
References
Summary: At one month postpartum, women who breast fed
their infants had scores indicating less anxiety and more mutuality than the women bottle
feeding their infants.
Author: Virden, S.F.,
Title: "The Relationship Between Infant Feeding Method and Maternal
Role Adjustment."
Published in: Journal of Nurse Midwives, 1988.
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