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What You Should Know About Your Let Down Reflex

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

In this Article

• How Does the Let Down Reflex Work?
• What Are Signs of a Good Let Down?
• Complications of the Let Down Reflex

When your baby first latches on to nurse, they don’t actually get much milk at first. Instead, their suckling sends a message to your body to release the milk stored in your breasts. The strength and timing of the let down reflex, also called the milk ejection reflex, varies from mother to mother. 

How Does the Let Down Reflex Work?

If milk came out of your breasts instantly when your baby latched on, you’d probably leak constantly. Instead, your breasts store the milk until it’s needed. Most often, your let down reflex is triggered by a particular suckling motion your baby makes to stimulate milk production.

The let down reflex is a physiological response to your baby’s sucking. They stimulate small nerves in the nipple, which causes prolactin and oxytocin to produce milk and let down milk, respectively. The reflex is often accompanied by a tingling sensation in the nipple, but not all women experience that.‌

If you pay attention to your baby’s nursing patterns, at first their suckling will be faster and shallower to stimulate the release of milk. Once your milk lets down and your baby is drinking, their suckles will be deeper and longer. If they nurse longer and need more milk, they may adjust how they suck to stimulate more milk flow. 

Other let down triggers. Since your brain is wired to care for a newborn, other things may trigger the let down reflex. If your baby cries, or if you hear any baby cry, your milk may let down in response. If you go too long without nursing and your breasts get too full, your let down reflex may trigger to relieve the pressure.

Strong emotions may also trigger a let down of milk. If you are feeling intensely stressed, angry, or sad, your body may take that as a sign that you need to nurse your baby or release milk to alleviate pressure.

If your milk is not letting down, you can physically stimulate the nipple to allow let down. Try gently rolling your hand down your breast toward the nipple, then massage gently. It can also help to relax and think about your baby.

What Are Signs of a Good Let Down?

Breastfeeding is wonderful for your baby, but it is often full of doubts and questions. Are you producing enough milk? Are you doing it right? This extends to the let down reflex, too. You may wonder if your let down is strong enough or too strong. 

Here are signs of a healthy, functioning let down response:

Uterine cramps. You may notice that your uterus cramps during a let down in the days following birth. This is natural and nothing to be concerned about. As with menstrual cramps, for some the cramps are mild and barely noticeable, while for others the contractions can be more painful.

Change in sucking pattern. You may notice a change in your baby’s sucking pattern during a nursing session. Their suckle will go from being short and fast to long and slow once milk lets down. If they need more milk, their sucking may change again to encourage another let down.

Your feelings. Moms often report that they feel very relaxed and even sleepy when their milk lets down. This is a side effect of the oxytocin released during let down. You may also feel suddenly thirsty, which is your body’s way of preparing to replace the milk being removed during a nursing session.

Complications of the Let Down Reflex

Oversupply milk ejection reflex. A powerful let down is often accompanied by an oversupply of milk, sometimes called oversupply milk ejection reflex (O-MER). When your let down happens, you may notice that your baby sputters, coughs, and even chokes on your milk. Your baby may bite down to slow the milk flow. You may leak when not nursing or notice that your baby has more frequent but short feedings if you have an oversupply.

If this happens, keep a bib or cloth handy to catch your milk when it first lets down so that your baby doesn’t choke. After a moment when the let down slows, you can try latching your baby again. You can also restrict your milk flow by squeezing your areola during breastfeeding.

Talk to your doctor about safe ways to decrease your oversupply so that your let down is less strong.

Dysphoric milk ejection reflex. In some women, breastfeeding can create a negative physiological response, leading to negative emotions like guilt, anxiety, depression, and sadness. It is usually an isolated response that occurs only when you first let down your milk and into the first few minutes of breastfeeding. This is called dysphoric milk ejection reflex (D-MER) and is different from postpartum depression. 

There is still more research needed on the causes and effects of D-MER. Talk to your doctor if you are struggling with negative emotions during breastfeeding. 

Weak let down. You may have a weak let down if your baby seems frustrated while nursing. They may not be getting enough milk, or they may not be getting milk as fast as they want it. Using a breast pump can supplement less successful nursing sessions.‌

When pumping, look at photos and videos of your baby to try and encourage a let down. And just as you do when breastfeeding, try to relax. Take deep breaths and think about your little one, letting go of any stress.

Surrome day and great liability: as mother irritation

Content:

• Responsibility
• Multivativity and constant concentration of lactation
• Hormonal races
• Sleep disadvantages and joint sleep shortcom sleeping with a child
• Groundhog Day - repeating the same story
• Sensory overload
• Not finishing it

A “young mother” is not the age of the mother herself. This is her "status" next to a child under 7 years old. “Young mother” is one of the most burning “professions”. And the most important. Below are the answers to the questions: “Well, why are you tired, you are sitting at home?!”, “Well, what kind of mother am I?!”. And thoughts about what to do with it.

Modern motherhood is full of myths about how “ideal and right”. All these myths feed the biggest fear - to be (appear to be) a bad mother and harm the child in some way. nine0007

There are no categorical norms and rules. There is something that is suitable and acceptable for a specific woman, a specific family, harmoniously for a specific child living in specific circumstances.

When a “young mother” has outbursts of aggression, it is still “good news”: she has little strength left to react. Mom's irritation is a sign that there is no strength for an adequate reaction, for flexibility, for a sense of humor, for a change in position, for diplomacy and tolerance. But for "self-defense" - there is still. The bad news is that this is still not the most harmonious reaction, causing a feeling of guilt in the mother herself, which exhausts her even more. The next natural state is depression, apathy, tears. Irritation is a symptom and a reason to do something until the forces run out. nine0007

So, let's figure out what forces are spent on and what can be done with it.

Liability

Permanent. For the life and safety of those who cannot take care of themselves. (If it is seasoned with anxiety, the expenditure of energy increases many times over.)

What to do:

1. Remember that the child has a strong self-preservation instinct. And he will signal when something threatens him.
2. Imagine that he has the power of his own Destiny, his potential. nine0010
3. Try to secure the space of the apartment so that it is possible to reduce control and anxiety.
4. Give the child "safe freedom" as much as possible. The wonderful words of Janusz Korczak that our fear for the life of a child separates him from life itself. The right to take risks, to be exposed to danger, is one of the inalienable rights of a child, he insisted. This does not mean being careless, it means trying to protect the child, not to hide him from life itself. From the point of view of an anxious parent, the world is full of dangers, but by forbidding the child to experiment, take risks, try the world around, there is a risk of making him apathetic and indifferent to everything - “putting out life itself”. nine0010
5. Allow yourself to take care of yourself responsibly - remember your instinct for self-preservation.
6. Give yourself the opportunity to "share responsibility" - invite a nanny, or a grandmother, or friends. Who can definitely be trusted with a child for a while. Well, of course, learn to trust a husband who can definitely cope with the task.

Multitasking and a constant state of concentration

(Perfectionism increases the load.)

Our brain, our nervous system is able to maintain a certain, not very large, by the way, number of tasks and impulses. nine0007

What to do:

1. Don't keep everything planned in mind. Write a list.
2. Allow yourself to deviate from your plans.
3. Remove from the list of tasks that is not vital. And not all tasks need to be done by yourself.
4. Give yourself the opportunity to pause for 5-10 minutes - without thinking about “so, what else do I need to do”, without a phone, social networks.
   Write a list in advance of what brings pleasure and is a resource. (You can search in such "channels": taste, aroma, what you can look at, movement, communication or silence, sound, prayer-meditation, reading, learning, touch - a feeling of "pleasure" for the skin-body.)
5. Ask relatives and friends for help. For many of them, this can be pleasant and important. It is also advisable to remember that it is usually easier for male husbands to help us when they are asked for something specific than when they are left to guess and feel guilty about something not done.
6. Try to remove guilt and anger at yourself if something does not work out or does not work out the way you would like.
7. Ask yourself what is the worst thing that will happen if I don't do this? As a rule, the worst thing is the feeling of one's own "badness", subjective, of course. nine0010

Maintenance of lactation

Remember that often the state of fatigue during breastfeeding is natural and indicates that the body does not have time to restore the resource.

Vitamins are important if you believe in them. And food that still needs to be taken orally many times a day regularly. Water. Oxygen (walks). Sleep - as much as possible. You can and should seek support from lactation consultants.

Hormonal surges

Yes, hormone levels fluctuate frequently. It affects the emotional and physical state. It is important to be aware of this. Not to throw responsibility "on hormones." And in order to choose for yourself "your own stabilizing method" - it is better not to use medication, of course: breathing, yoga, bodily practices. nine0007

Lack of sleep and co-sleeping with the child

There are myths about the co-sleeping of the child and parents. There are children and parents who do not need it. There are mothers for whom it is important at a particular moment in their life to save energy on getting up at night to see their child. There are children who had difficulties in childbirth, who initially have elevated levels of cortisol - they calm down and stabilize, feeling their mother's smell and warmth. And co-sleeping is therapy for their nervous system.

Groundhog Day - repetition of the same story

It is within our power to make the smallest changes possible. For example, turn on the background of the radio or audiobook. Give yourself permission to change your plan of action. Hang garlands around the house. Order pizza. Walk down another street in other places.

To afford a swimming pool, a master class at a music school (takes 1 hour), lying in the bathroom, going to the cinema with her husband - this will only make the most beloved and small children feel better.

Sometimes I suggest for moms who can’t leave the house in any way, such a game (if there is no way to make external changes, we can make internal, even minimal ones): imagine that you are a cat mom today - and you do everything from this roles, and today you are a mother-queen ... (Only it is important to remove all roles from yourself later.)

Sensory overload

Jumping, crawling, pinching, stroking her. There are constant sounds nearby - babies cry, scream, laugh, stomp ... All sensors - channels of perception - are overloaded.

It is necessary to give yourself a "sensory rest" - a time of pause, "untouchability", silence. This is a necessity of the nervous system.

It is important to explain to your husband that you really need tenderness and bodily contact, but the body from overload can experience "panic" and a state of insensitivity or hypersensitivity. nine0007

Not bringing it to the end

Inability to control something - to bring it to the end. Enjoy the completion of the process and the opportunity to "put an end."

When we are satisfied with the result, the hormone dopamine helps us regain strength. We feel a surge of energy. "Young mothers" often depend on the regimen and condition of the children. They can start an action or plan to do something while the child is sleeping... But he is not sleeping at all...

What to do:

1. Break large tasks into many small ones. Celebrate success - the completion of each - even with the words “Oh yes I am! Oh, well done! ”, Even with checkmarks and flowers-marks, even with sips of juice.
2. Thank the child for sleeping peacefully, helping, participating, playing. Children are very sensitive to this, check it out.
3. Train yourself to enjoy the process.
4. Include in the list of important things that bring pleasure - start there. nine0010
5. Learn not to feel guilty about unfinished actions.

Lack of personal territory

It is important that each person has something about which he can say "mine". When something small appears - your own spoon-plate-chair-plaid-book, or 5 minutes of time - the opportunity to stand in the shower... . It is important for a child to see and feel that the mother is realized in something other than him. nine0007

Possible lack of "personal money"

Sometimes "young mothers" - who are on maternity leave - do not allow themselves to claim part of the family budget. And they start saving. Of course, this topic should have been raised before pregnancy and discussed with her husband. There is a family budget. And money “comes” to the family to solve common problems. The attitude towards the distribution of the budget is a projection of the attitude towards oneself. It is important to regain the opportunity to use the common resource without feelings of guilt and shame - in a harmonious and balanced way. nine0007

All this, seasoned with self-doubt, fear of making a mistake, perfectionism, inability to speak openly about needs, ask for help, can lead to a burnout trap. And all of the above are “growth zones”.

And most importantly, all this prevents you from feeling your own child, about whom the most professional specialists cannot write in the most advanced books.

And all this affects the relationship with the father of the child, who is primarily a husband who often wants to help, but does not understand what is happening to his wife and what help is needed. And which has its own burnout factors. nine0007

The arrival of a baby exacerbates hidden conflicts, both internal and external. And it is important to gradually deal with these internal conflicts.

The worst option is to start demanding from relatives that they take pity on us, support us, give us something. It is more harmonious to understand what we can do ourselves. What can we ask for.

It is important to realize that we have voluntarily decided to bring the Child into the world. Our task is to learn how to redistribute the load and recover. Feeling the boundaries of personal territory, being able to take care of yourself is an important skill that we pass on to a child from the first months of life. nine0007

And each of us is the best mother for her best child in the world. The same mother who is exactly what he needs and is important.

Maternal benefits of breastfeeding

1 Moberg KU et al. Oxytocin effects in mothers and infants during breastfeeding. Infant . 2013;9(6):201-206. - Moberg K. et al., "The effects of oxytocin on mother and child during breastfeeding." Infant. 2013;9(6):201-206.

2 Sobhy SI, Mohame NA. nine0028 The effect of early initiation of breast feeding on the amount of vaginal blood loss during the fourth stage of labor. J Egypt Public Health Assoc . 2004;79(1-2):1-12. - Sobhi SI, Moham NA, "Early initiation of breastfeeding and its effect on vaginal bleeding in the fourth stage of labor." G Egypt Public Health Assoc. 2004;79(1-2):1-2.