Pitocin does not equal oxytocin
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Pitocin does not equal oxytocin
Oxytocin is a naturally-occurring hormone in the body -it is known as "the hormone of love" because as it causes the uterus to contract it also has bonding effects. It peaks at the crowning of the baby and so the mother and baby immediately bond. (This is effected if the second stage is interrupted by an episiotomy or forceps.) It is the same hormone that bonds a mother and baby during breastfeeding and bonds a couple during intercourse.
Pitocin is the artificial version of the hormone oxytocin, and is used to induce or speed up labor. It will cause the uterus to contract but does not cross the blood-brain barrier, so there is no bonding aspect, there is no "feel good". Compare it to having "sex" rather than "making love" in the above analogy.
Pitocin and oxytocin are not the same. If the body is being pumped full of pit then the body shuts down its natural production of oxytocin.
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