There's Laughter In Your Breastmilk

by Valorie Delp | More from this Blogger

I'm sure you're all wondering what on earth this is about! It has long been known that babies pick up on the moods around them. If you don't believe me, try not smiling at your baby when you pick him up. In fact, the next time you're on the phone and slightly annoyed. . .watch your baby. Babies are experts at reading people, picking up the tones in our voice and reading between the lines. Perhaps there is some science behind some of this interpersonal acuity.

Apparently, researchers in Japan wanted to see if there was something they could do to treat a the most common skin allergy among babies--mild atopic eczema. (This is eczema that is an allergic reaction to something like dust mites.) The recruited a group of breastfeeding mothers and divided them into two groups.

Both groups were to feed their babies as was needed but one group was shown a boring weather channel. The other group got to watch Charlie Chaplin movies. After two feedings with either the weather or Charlie, the women's breast milk was tested. The babies were then exposed to dust mites and latex. You're likely going to guess the results. . .the babies of the women who laughed more had substantially less of a reaction.

The secret may lie in melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone associated with relaxation. People with eczema have substantially less amounts of melatonin in their system. However, it was found that the mothers who laughed a lot more had breast milk with much higher levels of melatonin.

Perhaps this is another way in which an infant picks up on mom's mood. Apparently hormones are transferred to the breastfeeding infant through the breast milk. This would explain well the stress/low production cycle that many women experience in the early days of their breastfeeding careers.

Learn more about Valorie Delp

Hello everybody! My name is Valorie and I am one busy lady! When I'm not writing or editing for families, I am busy trying to get my brood of 5 in line.

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