In honor of every doulas favorite holiday, today's blog is going to be about oxytocin (the LOVE hormone)!
Oxytocin plays an important role in many aspects of our lives, from social bonding, to bonding with your mate, to aiding in reproduction & nurturing our babies... these things would all be difficult to accomplish without this amazing hormone.
Have you ever seen a couple that is newly in love? They seem to have trouble keeping their eyes (and their hands) off of each other. That is because when we hold hands, hug, kiss, cuddle and make love, we are being rewarded with huge doses of oxytocin. Oxytocin evokes feelings of contentment, reductions in anxiety, and feelings of calmness and security when in the company of your mate. When making love, and especially following an orgasm, our bodies release high levels of oxytocin, which help us to feel connected to our mate. It's no wonder that when a couple is separated for a long period of time, anxiety can increase due to lack of physical affection.
A recent study showed that oxtocin may even promote fidelity within a monogamous relationship. In this study, men were given a dose of synthetic oxytocin, and were shown a picture of their significant other, and a picture of another woman. When they saw the picture of their significant other, the two areas of the brain responsible for feelings of reward and pleasure lit up! However, the sight of other women had the opposite effect, suppressing feelings of pleasure. In this same study, oxytocin caused men in a monogamous relationship, but not single men, to increase the distance between themselves and an attractive woman by 10-15 centimeters during a first encounter.
During labor, oxytocin causes uterine contractions, communicates with the woman's brain to release endorphins, and helps to shrink the uterus back down after delivery. When breastfeeding, the infants suckling stimulates the nipples and causes the release of oxytocin, which not only causes the body to have a let down of milk for the baby, but also causes uterine contractions to support the shrinking of the uterus and lessen postpartum bleeding. This may also be why breastfeeding mothers are 50% less likely to experience postpartum depression than their non-breastfeeding peers.
Oxytocin also promotes mother-child bonding. Studies show that female rats that are virgins find pups to be aversive. However, once they've given birth, the brain is transformed, so they find the pups irresistible! This is very similar with humans women!
Other fun facts that I learned while writing this blog:
Wound healing- Oxtocin is thought to modulate inflammation by decreasing certain cytokines. Thus, the increased release in oxtocin following positive social interactions has the potential to improve wound healing.
Oxytocin & singing- When we sing, we release oxytocin and endorphins! When we sing with others, it promotes bonding. I knew there had to be a reason why I love to sing, all the time!
I hope you all enjoy my blog! Don't forget to release oxytocin today!
Lots of Love,
Andrea
