Maternal plasma levels of oxytocin during breastfeeding-A systematic review

Introduction Oxytocin is a key hormone in breastfeeding. No recent review on plasma levels of oxytocin in response to breastfeeding is available. Materials and methods Systematic literature searches on breastfeeding induced oxytocin levels were conducted 2017 and 2019 in PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and PsycINFO. Data on oxytocin linked effects and effects of medical interventions were included if available. Results We found 29 articles that met the inclusion criteria. All studies had an exploratory design and included 601 women. Data were extracted from the articles and summarised in tables. Breastfeeding induced an immediate and short lasting (20 minutes) release of oxytocin. The release was pulsatile early postpartum (5 pulses/10 minutes) and coalesced into a more protracted rise as lactation proceeded. Oxytocin levels were higher in multiparous versus primiparous women. The number of oxytocin pulses during early breastfeeding was associated with greater milk yield and longer duration of lactation and was reduced by stress. Breastfeeding-induced oxytocin release was associated with elevated prolactin levels; lowered ACTH and cortisol (stress hormones) and somatostatin (a gastrointestinal hormone) levels; enhanced sociability; and reduced anxiety, suggesting that oxytocin induces physiological and psychological adaptations in the mother. Mechanical breast pumping, but not bottle-feeding was associated with oxytocin and prolactin release and decreased stress levels. Emergency caesarean section reduced oxytocin and prolactin release in response to breastfeeding and also maternal mental adaptations. Epidural analgesia reduced prolactin and mental adaptation, whereas infusions of synthetic oxytocin increased prolactin and mental adaptation. Oxytocin infusion also restored negative effects induced by caesarean section and epidural analgesia. Conclusions Oxytocin is released in response to breastfeeding to cause milk ejection, and to induce physiological changes to promote milk production and psychological adaptations to facilitate motherhood. Stress and medical interventions during birth may influence these effects and thereby adversely affect the initiation of breastfeeding

Sobre la religión como forma de vida inmune a la crítica racional

Casi cuarenta amigos, discípulos y admiradores de Miguel García-Baró, procedentes de España y América, de Europa e Israel, han compuesto este libro de homenaje a su persona y de celebración de su obra. Fenomenología: Mariano Crespo Sesmero, Jesús M. Díaz Álvarez, Graciela Fainstein Lamuedra, Pilar Fernández Beites, Francesc Perenya Blasi, Claudia Razza, Rosemary Rizo-Patrón de Lerner, Víctor Manuel Tirado San Juan y Antonio Zirión Quijano. Filosofía de la religión: Alejandro del Río Herrmann, Emmanuel Falque, Ángel Enrique Garrido-Maturano, Antonio González Fernández, Juan Haidar, Pedro Rodríguez Panizo, Rogelio Rovira, Luis Sáez Rueda, Stella Villarmea Requejo y Juan Martín Velasco. Ética y política: Gabriel Amengual Coll, Olga Belmonte García, Catherine Chalier, Antonio García Santesmases, Iván Ortega Rodríguez, Juan Miguel Palacios, Ignacio Quintanilla Navarro, Leonardo Rodríguez Duplá y Fernando Vidal Fernández. Idea de la filosofía: Jesús María Ayuso Díez, Juan José García Norro, Óscar L. González-Castán, Juan Padilla Moreno, Patricio Peñalver Gómez, Roland Vaschalde, Ignacio Verdú Berganza, Shalom Rosenberg y Soedade López Campo. Apéndice bibliográfico: John David Barrientos Rodríguez.¿Hasta qué punto son posibles las controversias religiosas? ¿Cuáles son las condiciones de posibilidad de un diálogo entre creyentes y agnósticos? ¿Qué tipo de comunicación es aún posible entre los agnósticos y los creyentes? En este texto exploro un tipo de intercambio que esté guiado no tanto por las reglas de la argumentación como por las de la narratividad. Esta aproximación tiene sus raíces en una determinada lectura de la filosofía de la religión de Ludwig Wittgenstein. Para ello expongo, en primer lugar, las opiniones de Wittgenstein sobre la naturaleza de las creencias religiosas. A continuación, extraigo algunas conclusiones acerca de la inmunidad de las creencias religiosas frente a cualquier crítica racional, así como sobre su origen en un sistema de vida y en el compromiso de adhesión al mismo. Por último, y como alternativa al diálogo crítico-racional, presento una aproximación hermenéutico-existencialista, inspirada en la visión del estadio religioso que ofrece Søren Kierkegaard. Pretendo con ello reflexionar sobre la tesis de que la única motivación para iniciar y continuar un diálogo entre agnósticos y creyentes, es el interés y la decisión individual por describir y hacer comprensibles las opciones personales de vida.Depto. de Lógica y Filosofía TeóricaFac. de FilosofíaTRUEpu

Philosophy of birth: unveiling the stereotype

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie action "Controversies in Childbirth: from Epistemology to Practices (VOICEs) studies the gender, epistemic, and evaluative biases present in dominant discourses on childbirth from engaged philosophy. It aims at developing a values-based practice to be used in a variety of clinical contexts around childbirth. The project addresses the multiplicity of women´s voices on childbirth, their autonomy and agency. Partners: VOICEs is based at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Oxford. It is supported by The Collaborating Centre for Values-based Practice in Health at St Catherine’s College, Oxford. Other partners include the Research in Childbirth and Health group at the University of Central Lancashire, and the ERC Starting Grant BUMP at the University of Southampton. Leader: Stella Villarmea is Professor of Philosophy at the Complutense University of Madrid and Marie S. Curie Fellow at the University of Oxford. She investigates the Philosophy of Birth, i.e., how our notions of childbirth reflect our view of the human being. She is interested in the moral and political justification of our beliefs, the relationship between knowledge and emancipatory action, and conceptual innovation.Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual FellowshipDepto. de Lógica y Filosofía TeóricaFac. de FilosofíaTRUEpu

Razón y útero: el debate ilustrado y la obstetricia contemporánea

El libro en el que aparece este capítulo ofrece una síntesis sobre la temática “mujer, salud y cerebro” en clave científica . Mi contribución consiste en una aproximación filosófica a la temática obstétrica y perinatal. La historia de las ideas y la teoría feminista se revelan como unas herramientas de análisis de alta precisión a la hora de desvelar ciertos enredos conceptuales y prácticas deficitarias en la obstetricia contemporánea que afectan de manera concreta y significativa a la salud de las mujeres.Depto. de Lógica y Filosofía TeóricaFac. de FilosofíaTRUEpu

A philosophy of birth: if you want to change the world, change the conversation

This essay is about why and how we should introduce birth into the canon of subjects explored by philosophy. Birth care brings to the fore fascinating philosophical questions: is a woman in labour a subject with full rights in practice as well as in theory? Can a labouring woman exercise her autonomy in a situation of maximum vulnerability but also maximum lucidity and awareness, as characterises the work of giving birth? What is the relationship between agency, capacity, and pain during and between contractions? Birth care proposes key questions relating to knowledge, freedom, and what it means to be a human being. Nonetheless, giving birth continues to be a blind spot in contemporary prevailing philosophy. My approach to a philosophy of birth aligns with one of the aims of contemporary philosophy; I explore the relationship between knowledge and emancipatory action in the relatively unchartered waters of birth and delivery, to create an epistemology that is sensitive to feminism and embodiment. What I propose to achieve through a philosophy of birth is a new logos for genos —a radically new meditation on origin and birth. How we understand our origin and the practices that bring us into being reveals our humanity. The lived experiences of women and their situated knowledge challenge widely-held assumptions about rationality, about what it is to be a birthing woman and what it is to have agency and capacity in the delivery suite. A philosophy of birth enables us to navigate the stormy waters of contemporary obstetric practice towards a new and radical logos for genos —an embodied genealogy which not only redresses imbalances of gender, but also addresses life and happiness.Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. No [787646] (Project: Controversies in Childbirth: from Epistemology to Practices [VOICEs]Ministry of Economy in Spain/AEI/FEDER/UE Research, Development and Innovation Oriented to Societal Challenges Programme. No[ FFI2016-77755-R] (Project: Philosophy of Birth: Rethinking the Origin from Medical Humanities [PHILBIRTH])Depto. de Lógica y Filosofía TeóricaFac. de FilosofíaTRUEpu

¿Cuándo pierde una mujer el derecho a decidir cuándo parir?

Una embarazada es ingresada por orden judicial en el Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias (HUCA) en la primavera de 2019, después de que una jueza decretase su detención para inducirle un parto forzoso. ¿Por qué? ¿Estar embaraza de 42 semanas implica perder el derecho inalienable a la libertad individual como usuaria que garantiza la Ley 41/2002 de Autonomía del Paciente? ¿Estar embarazada de 42 semanas es una excepción a su artículo 8 que establece que “toda actuación en el ámbito de la salud de un paciente necesita el consentimiento libre y voluntario del afectado, una vez que, recibida la información prevista en el artículo 4, haya valorado las opciones propias del caso”? ¿Estar embarazada de 42 semanas justifica que se pueda hacer cualquier cosa contra su voluntad? ¿O es más bien la excusa perfecta para hacerle lo que se decida sin su consentimiento? No es no, también en este ámbito. La mujer embarazada, no por embarazada, deja de ser un sujeto de derechos.Depto. de Lógica y Filosofía TeóricaFac. de FilosofíaTRUEpu

Birth: A radically new meditation for philosophy

This paper explains why and how we should introduce birth into the canon of subjects explored by philosophy. It focuses on the epistemology of birth, namely, on the nature, origin, and limits of the knowledge produced by and/or related to giving birth. The paper provides a view on the philosophy of birth, i.e., an approach to construct a new logos for genos.Depto. de Lógica y Filosofía TeóricaFac. de FilosofíaTRUEpu

La naissance : un angle mort dans la philosophie dominante

Traducción al inglés: VILLARMEA Stella, "Birth: A blind spot in prevailing philosophy", Diogenes, 2021/3-4 (No 275-276), p. 82-96. DOI: 10.3917/dio.275.0082. URL: https://www.cairn-int.info/journal-diogene-2021-3-page-82.htmUne philosophie de la naissance vise à construire un nouveau logos pour le génos. Je pratique la philosophie de la naissance, c’est-à-dire que j’utilise les outils de la philosophie pour analyser les expériences et les pratiques autour de l’accouchement. Cet article s’interrogera sur les raisons et la manière d’introduire la naissance dans le canon des sujets explorés par la philosophie. Je me concentrerai ici sur l’épistémologie de la naissance, c’est-à-dire sur la nature, l’origine et les limites des connaissances produites par et/ou liées à l’accouchement.Depto. de Lógica y Filosofía TeóricaFac. de FilosofíaTRUEpu

When a Uterus Enters the Room, Reason Goes out the Window

In this chapter I address three questions. First, why is it important to talk about vaginal examinations without consent during labour? Second, what are the barriers to asking and giving consent to vaginal examinations during labour? Third, what can we do to stop vaginal examinations without consent during labour? The philosophical analysis of the history that precedes us adds an illuminating dimension that explains why it is important to deal with unauthorised vaginal examinations during labour: because pregnant women should not so obviously be deprived of their full capacity; because pregnant subjects are still fully entitled subjects; and because women ought not to lose their citizenship just because they enter the maternity ward. My conceptual discussion on the barriers that hinder consent looks at the hidden patriarchal premises which, aloof to all real changes in paradigms and praxes, still permeate certain aspects of contemporary obstetrics and midwiferyControversies in Childbirth: from Epistemology to Practices (VOICEs), EC Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship Research Project, University of Oxford, EC-H2020-MSCA-IF-2017 (SEP-210456162)Philosophy of Birth: Rethinking the Origin from Medical Humanities (PHILBIRTH), Program for Research, Development and Innovation Oriented to Societal Challenges, Ministry of Economy in Spain/AEI/FEDER/UE, University of Alcalá (FFI2016-77755-R)Depto. de Lógica y Filosofía TeóricaFac. de FilosofíaTRUEpu

Reasoning from the Uterus: Casanova, Women’s Agency, and the Philosophy of Birth

The emerging area of philosophy of birth is invaluable, first, to diagnose fallacious assump- tions about the relation between the womb and reason, and, ultimately, to challenge poten- tially damaging narratives with major impact on birth care. With its analysis of eighteenth- century epistemic and medical discussions about the role of the uterus in women’s reason- ing (or lack of reasoning), this article supports two arguments: first, that women’s “flawed thinking” was a premise drawn by many modern intellectual men, one that was presented as based upon empirical evidence; and second, that the pervasive construction of the uterus as an element that renders women wild, uncontrollable, and irrational continues to influence contemporary obstetrics (and maybe even to nurture obstetric violence), even as today’s medicine and science consider themselves to be free of any such prejudices. This article shows the role that Giacomo Casanova played in debunking these preju- dices and presents his short manuscript on the issue as an important contribution to the literature of the Enlightenment, with its argument against women’s supposed “natural” inferiority and for the idea that differences in education (rather than anatomical differ- ences) were to blame for women’s subordinate position in society. Detailed analysis of the “thinking uterus” debate illuminates the different ways in which various arguments from/by the “anti-uterine” lobby were used to justify the subor- dination of women: sometimes emphasizing the connection between the uterus and thought and sometimes negating it, but always concluding that women’s inferiority is to be found in some known or yet-to-be-discovered anatomical, and mainly sexual, defi- ciency or problem.Marie Skłodowska-CurieMinisterio de Economía (España)Depto. de Lógica y Filosofía TeóricaFac. de FilosofíaTRUEpu