Why Oxytocin Matters

Pinter & Martin Why It Matters #16

by Kerstin Uvnäs Moberg

Oxytocin, or the ‘hormone of health and life’, is a hugely important substance for pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding – working in a woman’s body and brain to make changes during pregnancy, optimise labour, increase milk production and support bonding. Research has shown that we can encourage the body’s oxytocin system by supporting mothers’ wellbeing through birth practices and postnatal care. We also now know that oxytocin is present in everyone, of any age, directing a whole system of effects that have consequences for family life, including bonding, stress reduction and social interaction.

In Why Oxytocin Matters Kerstin Uvnäs Moberg, a leading oxytocin researcher, shows how a better understanding of our biology can be immensely helpful for new parents and those who work to support families.

Genres: Nonfiction

168 pages, Paperback

Published October 31, 2019

Reviews

[Rachael Shipard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learnt a lot and would recommend that other women read up on this topic, but it was a bit repetitive

[Johanna Sargeant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was excited to get my hands on this little book for a number of reasons, most of them unashamedly personal. Coming to this from the perspective of a Lactation Consultant and a mother with a history of very difficult breastfeeding experiences, I am consistently annoyed at the lack of research surrounding the impacts of stress on breastfeeding success, and was looking forward to learning more from an expert in the field. Unfortunately, I felt that the exploration of this was very minimal, with just one paragraph that states that yes, environmental stressors and internal stresses can inhibit oxytocin release, and that breastfeeding mothers should aim for a calm and familiar environment in order to relax and optimise oxytocin release. There is later a short scientific explanation of the way that stress hormones are reduced in the presence of oxytocin, and that breastfeeding can therefore be a kind of ‘buffer’ to stress. I wanted more. But, in saying that, I DO love that this topic itself was deemed important enough to be included, and perhaps my frustration at this lack of research is also shared by the author themself!

I would have loved to have more information on oxytocin and breastfeeding, in a more complex way. The book focuses very much on oxytocin’s role during birth, despite later saying that ‘Breastfeeding is one of the most oxytocin-rich periods in life’. There is a whole chapter dedicated to synthetic oxytocin, for instance, but there is no reference whatsoever to the nasal oxytocin sprays that some women use when breastfeeding, to help elicit a letdown. It seemed that the breastfeeding related sections were kept simplistic and at an introductory level, when I personally feel that most people who are interested in reading a book solely dedicated to oxytocin will be doing so with a want for more complexities. But that might just be me ;)

If you’re working more in the birthing world, then this book will no doubt be an interesting read, but my take-away is that it seems I’d like to have a whole separate book entitled ‘Why Oxytocin Matters to Breastfeeding’.

[Lydia Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can watch my full review of this book on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/JV4RvASUb90

This book was a small, easy to read scientific explanation of the importance of oxytocin (the bonding hormone) with relevance to pregnancy, birth, skin-to-skin, and breastfeeding. The book was written in quite a dispassionate and scientific way which made it less exciting for me to read but I also think that it is important to remove emotion from this area when it comes to reasoning and implementation. Uvnas-Moberg is very careful not to make this a political or agenda-d book, it is very evidence based.
Structured and succinctly Uvnas-Moberg goes through the processes of pregnancy, birth, skin-to-skin, and breastfeeding and explains how oxytocin affects these processes and the further effects of oxytocin that is released, what can interrupt oxytocin flow and the effects of that, and what people can do to compensate for missed opportunities to release oxytocin.
The book is quite scientific although it is written in an accessible style. I am always a bit disheartened when I read books from a scientific point of view that ‘prove’ what many people can conclude for themselves from experience – for example, cuddling promotes bonding. However, I also appreciate that for many reasons relationships in our culture have become very disconnected and detached over previous centuries and even millennia, and for these reasons, in today’s culture many parents feel the need for permission to love and care for their babies in the way their instincts would naturally guide them to do.
Uvnas-Moberg advocates that as there is a clear background of evidence to show that oxytocin released during all these processes has positive effects for women and their babies and their short term and long term health, both physical and mental; and that interventions at birth and lack of close contact after birth can reduce these positive health effects; and also that breastfeeding continues to promote oxytocin release. Surely it makes sense that these factors are taken into consideration when planning maternity care, including potentially giving additional synthetic oxytocin to women having epidurals/caesareans, prioritising skin-to-skin for the many invisible benefits that it provides, and of course letting mothers to be know about these benefits of skin-to-skin and breastfeeding that they may not be aware of, because although people have complained about the deluge of ‘benefits’ of breastfeeding that are used to guilt women into breastfeeding, I think the fact that there is scientific evidence to show that it chemically makes you and your baby fall in love is worth informing women about - as well as the physical health benefits of the oxytocin released (which are numerous).
This was an interesting and informative book if you are already interested in pregnancy and babies. I wouldn’t recommend this book to expectant mums because it isn’t that sort of baby book, although I might refer to it if a mum could do with more information. I think it would be an excellent book for any health professionals to read who have contact with pregnant women, new mothers or babies, (including GPs).
This book wasn’t the most exciting book I have ever read, but the themes in it were very important and I hope that a book that lays out the scientific facts in this way will convince scientifically minded people that supporting and facilitating oxytocin release is as valuable in their professions as medical interventions that may also need to be made.
If health professionals can fully grasp how important loving contact between parents and children is then we’ll be half way to allowing parents to practice what they’re instincts are often telling them to do. This book demonstrates how every cuddle is worth taking the time for, the importance of time with your baby and how it’s so much more important than rushing off to the next thing in the circus that we call ‘the real world’.
You can watch my full review of this book on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/JV4RvASUb90

[Rehana Jawadwala · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do you write a succinct primer on a topic that touches almost all human interactions… a topic that encompasses love, birth, caring, community and health? Well if you are the world leading authority on the topic for decades then it can seem like a challenge to fit it all in. Kerstin Uvnäs Moberg is one such giant amongst us. She has not only made possible for us to understand the physiology and importance of Oxytocin and its role in human health but has a way of putting the information across that doesn’t feel like you are reading a science textbook! Now that’s one of the hardest things to do in my opinion.

If you want to know why safeguarding your physiological environment to promote a positive space during pregnancy, birth and postnatal period is paramount, then oxytocin is the answer. This book will help you get a rounded approach on the topic and motivate you to consider your behaviours, actions and environment to maximise the impact of the hormone and its benefits both as a mother and for your baby.

The narrative is spread from pregnancy, to birth to postnatal period and includes information within the context of synthetic oxytocin use in a balanced and informative manner. Each section has a bulleted summary that helps in keeping the key points in mind as you move on to the next section. However, the sections within each chapter though broad and expansive are sometimes almost too short to get meaningful information from which really robs from the fantastic story of the role of oxytocin. I must admit at this stage however, that as a keen reader on all things birth physiology I have read all of Kerstin’s previous books on Oxytocin, so I haven’t come to this book without some prior knowledge on the topic. Thus, the need for depth on some topics could possibly reflect more on me as a reader than the book.

The reason I love this book is it is such a great introduction to the topic if you haven’t read anything on oxytocin before. However, like me if you know the area in a general way this book still adds to your understanding especially the breath of influence Oxytocin has on the various bodily functions and helps consolidate that knowledge.

If you are pregnant or a new mother (and you have time to read!), this book will give you a great overview of oxytocin and may even help you structure your decisions around birth and mothering accordingly. If you are a birth educator, you will be able to use the information in the book to be able to clearly and simply explain the role of oxytocin in the perinatal period to your clients. It’s a winner in any context and should be on your shelf.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this range of books from Pinter & Martin and my hopes for this book were high and happily exceeded. I knew oxytocin was important in terms of our biology but not to the extent that this book has shown me. There was really amazing paragraphs that I will absolutely use in my career when sharing information with others. Some sections were duplicated a bit but other than this, what a fantastic book.