Physiological Aspects of Lactation

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Breastfeeding and Metabolic Programming

Abstract

Milk production by the human breast is the end result of a long series of physiological changes. The breast alters in form, size and overall shape as the girl grows and develops into an adult woman. The key developmental stages include puberty, pregnancy and lactation. For breastfeeding to be fully possible, there must have been a series of physiological adaptations well before the neonate latches onto the breast for the first time. In this chapter, the way the breast develops its adult form (mammogenesis), the way the mammary gland develops the ability to produce milk (lactogenesis) and the way the milk is then delivered to the infant (lactation) are all discussed [1–4].

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Kurt, N.C., Di Renzo, G.C. (2023). Physiological Aspects of Lactation. In: Şahin, Ö.N., Briana, D.D., Di Renzo, G.C. (eds) Breastfeeding and Metabolic Programming. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33278-4_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33278-4_5

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