%0 Journal Article
%T Dysphoric milk ejection reflex: A case report
%A Alia M Heise
%A Diane Wiessinger
%J International Breastfeeding Journal
%D 2011
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1746-4358-6-6
%X Because successful milk feeding is vital to mammalian newborn survival, it is essential that the mother be drawn to provide it, and that it feel both comfortable and desirable when milk flows efficiently and effectively. Oxytocin, which is central to milk release, is described by Uvn£¿s Moberg as a hormone of calm and connection [1].However, there is a subset of human mothers for whom every breastfeeding session includes periods of negative feelings. Named "Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex" or "D-MER" by Heise, co-author, it is a breastfeeding problem for which affected mothers seem only rarely to seek or receive help.Since D-MER is only recently recognized, literature is limited and direct research is non-existent. However, a range of publications indicate a growing awareness of D-MER among breastfeeding mothers and their helpers at various levels. Heise has written articles or been interviewed for several lay publications [2-4]. Cox's 2010 case study describes an Australian mother's experience with D-MER [5]. D-MER is also referred to in the most recent editions of both a professional text [6] and a popular breastfeeding book [7], and various breastfeeding websites and blogs now discuss ways of recognizing and coping with the problem.Nonetheless, D-MER probably results in unwanted cessation of breastfeeding at times. For all affected mothers, it is a troubling, lonely experience. Support from health care providers and contact with other "D-MER mothers" can help until causes and solutions are better defined. In this paper, the authors follow the course of D-MER in one mother, present the potential solutions she tried, and propose a hormonal cause for its symptoms, based on the outcomes of those trials.AH, a breastfeeding counselor for the United States Department of Agriculture WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) Program, had had two previous unremarkable pregnancy and lactation experiences. Her third child was born at home, with no interventions and a smooth transitio
%U http://www.internationalbreastfeedingjournal.com/content/6/1/6