Oxytocin is a key hormone in breastfeeding — so important that it gets a chapter all to its self in Hale and Hartmann’s Textbook of Human Lactation. Oxytocin in the hormone that triggers “let-down” or milk ejection. The milk ejection is necessary for babies to get enough milk from their mothers. As we learn more about oxytocin, we learn that it plays complex roles in physiology and social interactions. Here is yet another interesting report:

The brain centers triggered by a betrayal of trust have been identified by researchers, who found they could suppress such triggering and maintain trust by administering the brain chemical oxytocin. The researchers said their findings not only offer basic insights into the neural machinery underlying trust…

This opens up interesting questions about breastfeeding and the social interactions. How are mothers affected by breastfeeding? How is oxytocin affecting mother-baby interactions?