One physician notes that clinical observation shows that breastfeeding contractions do not produce dilation of the cervix. Accordingly, in the Moscona survey of 57 mothers breastfeeding during pregnancy, only four women (seven percent) recalled contractions related to breastfeeding at all.
The pituitary gland is situated under the brain and is an endocrine gland. The pituitary gland produces the adrenocorticotrophic hormones (ACTH), which are essential for all vital organs of the body. The pituitary gland is responsible for regulating the production of hormones in the adrenal and thyroid glands.
In vertebrate anatomy, the pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is an endocrine gland about the size of a pea and weighing 0.5 grams (0.018 oz) in humans. It is a protrusion off the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain. Oxytocin, most of which is released from the paraventricular nucleus in the hypothalamus. 2  Oxytocin is one of the few hormones to create a positive feedback loop. 3  For example, uterine contractions stimulate the release of oxytocin from the posterior pituitary, which, in turn, increases uterine contractions.