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Maternal oxytocin circulation is said to predispose women to bond and show bonding behavior, [5] [6] although this has been disputed. [7] Breastfeeding is also strongly believed to foster the bond, via touch, response and mutual gazing as it stimulates the experience with the baby gazing up and down the mother and drinking from the mother's ...
Because oxytocin plays a role in social bonding, maternal behaviors and emotional connections between people, it is also informally referred to as the "love hormone". [137] This term is not a medical or scientific name but is often used to describe oxytocin's effects on human behavior and emotions.
The maternal bond begins to develop during pregnancy; following pregnancy, the production of oxytocin during lactation increases parasympathetic activity, thus reducing anxiety and theoretically fostering bonding. It is generally understood that maternal oxytocin circulation can predispose some mammals to show caregiving behavior in response to ...
Reproductive benefits have also been found: studies in rats have shown that the release of oxytocin can increase male reproductive success. Oxytocin plays an important role in maternal pair bonding, and is hypothesized to promote similar bonding in social groups as a result of positive feedback loops from social interactions. [67]
Oxytocin is more often described as a hormone that facilitates bonding and not one that directly increases care. [26] [25] [27] [11] Also, the mice were responding to pup calls and the rhesus macaque infants weren't necessarily providing cues that would induce maternal care and support. Saltzman proposes that this is due to primates living ...
Breastfeeding enhances the mother-child bonding through manipulating the feelings of the baby and mother. A mother holds up her child, showing a maternal bond. [34] Regarding the babies, breastfeeding is a special physical interaction that provides comforting, analgesic, and relaxing effects. During weaning, breastfeeding is an approach to ...
This bond increases the mother's and child's abilities to control their emotions, reduce the stress response and encourages healthy social development in the child. [21] Physical contact during breastfeeding increases levels of oxytocin in the mother and child, which improves the mother-child bond.
Other changes such as menstrual cycle, [38] hydration, weight and nutrition [39] [40] may also be factors which trigger the maternal brain to change during pregnancy and postpartum. Maternal experience alters behaviors which stem from the hippocampus such as enhancing spatial navigation learning and behaviors linked with anxiety. [29]