Glossary

Alveoli: tiny structures in the breast which actually make and store the milk.

Areola (plural, areolae): the coloured skin surrounding your nipple. Strictly speaking, the nipple is only the end bit. Different women have different-sized areolae, which is why it is misleading to say the baby ‘should have’ all the areola in his mouth when feeding.

Attached (attachment): see Latched on.

Baby Friendly Initiative: UNICEF/WHO programme which aims to ensure that health professionals and the places where they work follow practices which support a woman’s choice to breastfeed.

Blocked ducts: a duct in the breast can become clogged and prevent a free flow of milk.

Colostrum: the first fluid produced in the breasts, in later pregnancy and for the first days after birth.

Engorgement: swelling of the breast, because of extra milk, blood and lymph.

Exclusive breastfeeding: breastfeeding only with no other fluids or foods given to the baby.

Expressing: removing breastmilk by hand or pump.

Inhibitory factor: a substance in the milk which prevents milk being produced; if a lot of milk is left in the breast for a long time, the inhibitory factor has more time to work, and therefore milk production slows down.

Latched on: when a baby is ‘latched on’ he is well positioned and attached.

Let-down reflex: under oxytocin, the let-down reflex happens inside the breast, and makes tiny muscle cells surrounding the alveoli push the milk out into the ducts.

Mastitis: inflammation of the breast.

Mixed feeding: this used to mean solids alongside breastmilk/formula milk. Now it usually means feeding with formula milk and breastmilk.

Nipple shields: research shows that nipple shields can create difficulties by slowing down the flow of milk, and by encouraging the baby to suck in a way, which is unlike breastfeeding. They are usually best avoided, or only used in the very short term. Teats and dummies are also not advisable in the early days of breastfeeding as they interfere with demand feeding and greatly reduce milk supply. They can also confuse a baby who is still learning to feed at the breast.

Oxytocin: the hormone, which produces the letdown reflex.

Placenta: the afterbirth. Once the placenta is delivered, the breasts receive the hormonal trigger to produce breastmilk.

Positioning and attachment: getting this right means no pain and your baby feeding well.

Prolactin: the milk-making hormone, produced at the start of breastfeeding. Prolactin levels are high at first, and then fall as breastfeeding becomes well established.

Thrush (candida albicans): a fungal infection.