|
Lactation - Dictionary Definition and Overview |
|
Lactation : (noun)
1: the period following birth during which milk is secreted;
"lactation normally continues until weaning"
2: the production and secretion of milk by the mammary glands
3: feeding an infant by giving suck at the breast [syn: suckling]
Based on WordNet 2.0
|
|
Lactation : \Lac*ta"tion\, n.
A giving suck; the secretion and yielding of milk by the
mammary gland.
Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
|
|
Lactation : Lactation: The process of milk production. Human milk is secreted by the mammary glands, which are located within the fatty tissue of the breast. The hormone oxytocin is produced in response
to the birth of a new baby, and it both stimulates uterine contractions and begins the lactation process. For the first few hours of nursing, a special fluid called colostrum is delivered, which is
especially high in nutrients, fats, and antibodies to protect the newborn from infection. Thereafter the amount of milk produced is controlled primarily by the hormone prolactin, which is produced in
response to the length of time the infant nurses at the breast.
See also breastfeeding.
Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
|
|
|
|
|
