Abstract:
The mother-infant relation is key to infant physical, cognitive and social development. Mutual regulation and cooperation are required to maintain the dyadic system, but the biological foundation of these responses remains to be clarified. In this study, we report the maternal calming responses to infant suckling during breastfeeding. Using behavioral measures and a Holter electrocardiogram as a readout of the maternal autonomic nervous system, the maternal activities during resting, sitting with her infant on her lap, and breastfeeding were assessed. We found that during breastfeeding, mothers talked less and maternal heart rate was lower than during sitting with the infant without breastfeeding. Congruently, maternal heart rate variability measurements indicated a higher parasympathetic activity during breastfeeding. Time-locked analyses suggested that this maternal calming response was initiated by the tactile stimulation at the breast by the infant face or mouth latch, which preceded the perceived milk ejection. These findings suggest that somatosensory stimuli of breastfeeding activate parasympathetic activity in mothers. Just as how the infant Transport Response facilitates the carrying of infants, the maternal calming responses during breastfeeding may promote efficient milk intake by inhibiting spontaneous maternal activities.
摘要:
母婴关系是婴儿身体的关键,认知和社会发展。需要相互调节和合作来维持二元系统,但这些反应的生物学基础仍有待澄清。在这项研究中,我们报告了产妇在母乳喂养期间对婴儿哺乳的镇静反应。使用行为测量和动态心电图作为母体自主神经系统的读数,产妇在休息期间的活动,和她的婴儿坐在她的腿上,和母乳喂养进行了评估。我们发现在母乳喂养期间,与未进行母乳喂养的婴儿坐在一起相比,母亲的说话较少,母亲的心率较低。一致地,产妇心率变异性测量表明母乳喂养期间副交感神经活动较高.时间锁定分析表明,这种母亲的镇静反应是由婴儿面部或嘴巴闩锁对乳房的触觉刺激引起的,在感知到的牛奶喷射之前。这些发现表明,母乳喂养的体感刺激激活了母亲的副交感神经活动。正如婴儿运输反应如何促进婴儿的携带一样,母乳喂养期间的产妇镇静反应可能通过抑制产妇自发活动来促进有效的乳汁摄入。