Baby Love: How it Protects
By Carrie Vittitoe The heart palpitations a new mother feels when falling in love with her newborn baby rest a great deal on hormones. Beth Quinkert, a certified nurse midwife with WomanCare in Southern Indiana, says there are four hormone systems involved during labor and childbirth: prolactin, oxytocin, endorphins, and adrenaline/noradrenaline. “Prolactin is the ‘mothering’ hormone thought to be responsible for the nesting instinct. Oxytocin, known as the hormone of love, is responsible for making the uterus contract, producing labor, and is at its highest levels at the time of birth, which gives the woman [...]
