How your breasts produce milk In just nine short months, your
body nourishes and grows a fetus into a baby. Then, it produces
food for this new baby. Here’s how it’s done: Changes before the
birth of your baby Long before your baby’s birth, your body
silently prepares you to be your baby’s primary source of
nourishment. During pregnancy, hormones stimulate the mammary
glands of your breasts to produce milk. The whole process starts
in your brain, where your pituitary gland secretes two special
hormones: - prolactin, which prompts your body to start
producing milk - oxytocin, which signals your breast to release
the milk as your baby sucks By about the sixth month of your
pregnancy, you’re ready to make milk. Your breasts may increase
in size. Changes after the birth of your baby Prolactin and
oxytocin are produced in response to the last stages of
pregnancy and labor and then later by nipple stimulation during
breastfeeding. Here’s how this works: - Prolactin stimulates the
glands in your breasts to produce m