Parturition & Lactation – Easy Notes 🤱
1. Gestation Period ⏳
The time from fertilisation to birth in humans is about 9 months; this span is called the gestation period :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}.
2. Parturition (Childbirth) 🚼
- Trigger: Near term, the fully grown baby and placenta send signals that begin gentle uterine tightenings known as the foetal ejection reflex :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}.
- Hormone hero – Oxytocin: This reflex prompts the mother’s pituitary gland to release oxytocin. Oxytocin makes the uterine muscles squeeze harder, and each stronger squeeze releases even more oxytocin – a classic positive-feedback loop 💪 :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}.
- Outcome: Powerful contractions push the baby through the birth canal. Moments later, the placenta is also expelled :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}.
3. Lactation (Milk Production) 🍼
- During pregnancy, the mother’s mammary glands grow and get ready to make milk. Milk secretion begins toward the end of pregnancy :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}.
- The first milk, called colostrum, flows in the initial days after birth. Colostrum is packed with antibodies that boost the newborn’s immunity 🛡️ :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}.
- Doctors encourage exclusive breast-feeding early in life to lay the foundation for a healthy baby :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}.
NEET Quick Picks 🔍
- Gestation period in humans ≈ 9 months.
- Foetal ejection reflex starts parturition.
- Oxytocin drives a positive-feedback cycle of uterine contractions.
- Colostrum supplies vital antibodies to the newborn.
- Placenta is expelled soon after the baby is born.
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