Ever wondered why women have small bumps around their nipples? Scientists now have the answer: they have them to make a very specific odor.
Female nipples not only fascinate men, but also scientists. Why do women have those little bumps next to their nipples? Scientists already found out that the bumps are small glands, growing in number and in size when a woman becomes pregnant. Sometimes it releases a little bit of liquid, which was long thought to help lubricate the skin, however as it now appears it is actually meant for babies to find the breast. To babies the scent is irresistibly delicious.
French researchers examined the breasts of 121 young mothers in the first three days after the birth of their baby. They counted the number of glands on the nipple and watched how soon the mother after birth began to create milk. In addition, the researchers kept track of how well the babies drank and how much their weight increased.
What did they find? Women with more than nine nodes around their nipples produced milk faster. Moreover, their babies drank more and they grew faster. The scientists believe the smell that is produced by the nipples causes the babies to want to suck. Especially in women who were first time mothers the effect was clearly visible. Perhaps this is because with the first child the help of mother nature is most important, since the mother has no prior experience with infant feeding.
The researchers hope that the odor can be used for premature babies to get acquainted with breastfeeding. With the smell the mouth muscles of babies can be trained, so that the transition from tube feeding to bottle feeding or breast feeding can become easier.
Benoist Schaal (2011). Bumpy nipple smells guide babies to milk New Scientist
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