7/28/2019 The Milk of LOVE

1/2

The milk of love

By Nabila Fowles-Gutierrez Wed, Jun 22, 2011

For the last few years, a multitude of international health agencies including UNICEF and WHO realized the benefi

and importance breastfeeding. Maternal milk has been the subject of studies, academic papers and books. For midwsuch as me and other healthcare professionals who have always supported the concept of breastfeeding, it has helpe

arm us with the vital physiological, informational based on sound academic research.

However, one aspect of lactation seems to have been overlooked, and that is love. In our search for sciencestatistics, we seem to have forgotten the importance of something as basic as love within this process.

In my midwifery practice, I have spent many years helping women with breastfeeding concerns, and this can one o

most vulnerable times in a womans life, and it comes with many challenges. One of the challenges I face practitioner is balancing information-giving with practical and emotional support, making me realise how preciou

years of motherhood are, and how supporting this passage in a loving way can help profoundly. Through this quag

of information-giving, quoting statistics and focusing on offering informed-choice it can be easy to forget the b

and simple things which bring motherhood to life, without which the body sometimes is unable to function. The bhuman connection of love.

Following birth, a great many physiological and hormonal changes take place in a womans body. One of the horm

which play a major part in this change is oxytocin. Oxytocin is sometimes referred to as a love hormone.

produced deep within the brain by the pituitary gland. It is released by the brain and enters the blood stream, causnumber of physiological processes in the body. Following childbirth, this rise of oxytocin levels create

overwhelming feeling of love between a mother and her baby, whist at the same time, triggering strong, powe

contractions within the uterus, causing the expulsion of the placenta. During the first hour or so following birth, thisn oxytocin caused a surge of colostrums (first milk) from the mothers breast. This understanding of physiology ha

to a better understanding and approach to the management of childbirth in the first hour or so after delivery. M

midwives in the UK now understand that this first golden hour following birth is extremely valuable in suppobreastfeeding.

You may ask what has love go to do with it? Well, our increased understanding of the role that hormones pla

human behaviour is helping us to gain a better understanding of the approach we should take in supporting mothers

want to breastfeed their babies, and for me, it has helped me to gain a fuller understanding of the importancsupporting and nurturing love, particularly in these early days of motherhood.

During my years spent on busy postnatal wards, I have cared for and cuddled many crying Mums, who for what

reason don't feel that they can cope, and sometimes they feel like they have failed or are ready to give up, particu

when they feel unable to breastfeed. These Mums may have been up all night with a screaming baby, and unable t

anything at all. Sometimes, night staff have resorted to giving formula to babies, in a desperate attempt to calm th

http://aaila.org/author/nabila-fowles-gutierrezhttp://aaila.org/author/nabila-fowles-gutierrezhttp://aaila.org/issue/march-april-2013/article/the-milk-of-lovehttp://aaila.org/author/nabila-fowles-gutierrez

7/28/2019 The Milk of LOVE

2/2

down. These poor women, in the morning, are often in a near-hallucinatory state of mind. My approach is always t

back to the beginning, and that means establishing one-to-one love. When I teach breastfeeding, I never star

teaching positions and attachment or giving too much information. I start with the basics of one-to-one human conThis normally begins by stripping babies, down to a nappy, and asking Mum to undo her blouse, and I smile and h

Mum her baby, placing a big blanket over the two. Then I say "Breastfeeding isn't just food...breastfeeding is everyt

to your baby, but most of all, it is LOVE". I help Mum's and babies to gaze into each other's eyes, and I encouMums to talk or sing to their babies. I leave them for a while and come back to try to proceed to the feeding part

very often, I come back and find babies spontaneously feeding from a smiling Mummy. Other times, I might offer s

hints and tips on positioning, and in nearly every case, with very few exceptions, with this confidence

empowerment, mums are able to breastfeed successfully.

Physiologically speaking this skin-to-skin contact, and increased sensory bonding helps to produce a rush of "l

oxytocin in both Mums and babies, and without these, there is no milk which will quench or satisfy a newborn. B

need love, not just milk; literally, the milk of LOVE. A mother who is cooing and holding a baby will naturallmore inclined to feel love for her newborn, in turn the milk which is produced and stored in the breast can the

released to the baby. This surge of oxytocin also causes strong contractions in the uterus, which help to bring it b

over time to its pre-pregnant state. The more time we take to reflect on the miracle of this simple act, the more we

be inspired. Love really is a miracle.

As Muslims, we can draw many lessons from this story of love, and indeed, it is at the heart of all creation. Firstly

story of love between Allah (SWT) and Adam (AS). Through His love for Adam, He created a companion who A

could in turn to in love. The essence of how we are here is love, and without this biological and spiritual understandwe would be disconnecting from the most basic of things. Being in tune with love at the most basic level helps u

connect our Creator and in turn the origins of mankind. Remembering that mothers milk is not just food but m

mportantly love, can help us to connect to the origins of mankind. What a wonderful and beautiful connec

alhamdoullilah!

ByNabila Fowles-Gutierrez

am a Venezuelan-born, London based Muslim Midwife, activist, musician, producer, writer broadcaster. I work as a midwife in Kings College Hospital in South London, and have a special interebreastfeeding, women & mental health, and postnatal problems. Outside of midwifery, I am an amember of the Muslim community, where I engage in dawah projects, interfaith and peace activism.

http://aaila.org/author/nabila-fowles-gutierrezhttp://aaila.org/author/nabila-fowles-gutierrez