The vagus nerve is one of 12 cranial nerves and is also known as cranial nerve X. The vagus forms part of the involuntary nervous system and commands unconscious body procedures, such as keeping the heart rate constant and controlling food digestion. (www.healthline.com/human-body-maps/vagus-nerve)
When a baby’s mouth feeds rhythmically and the heart and breathing rates are steady this suck-swallow-breathe trio works in perfect harmony and Baby feeds, metabolises and sleeps with ease. But when Baby feels overwhelmed, or stressed the heart and breathing rates increase, and the vagus nerve reads the increase in rate as an emergency. It then redirects the nerve energy away from the pharynx to support the heart and that is why the mouth goes dry when you are stressed. The vagus nerve also redirects the nerve energy away from the digestive tract to support the lungs and that is why you ‘have butterflies in your tummy’ when you are anxious or nervous.
In a baby this means latching can become more difficult, and the suck-swallow-breathe- trio gets disturbed. These are the perfect conditions to: gulp air with milk, and to develop colic and reflux. The worst of it all is – a baby who battles to feed, battles to sleep.
Be mindful that a baby needs time to get used to living outside the womb – where clothes, a variety of scents, loud sounds, light and space can frighten Baby. A frightened baby’s heart beats fast and lungs breathe shallowly, which disturbs feeding and sleeping.
It would also be wise to be mindful of sharp smells, such as cleaning materials and mosquito spray, as the membranes in Baby’s nose are fragile. Vary kangaroo care with tummy and back time (on a flat surface) so baby gets used to feeling his body move freely in space – this is a new and unfamiliar experience.
If Baby is upset, use two fingers to gently and slowly tap Baby’s breast bone. It works like a pace-maker, and has a calming effect on Baby, helping to restore the suck-swallow-breathe rhythm for easy feeding and sleeping.
Gently rub the hollow under the clavicle (collar bone), in line with the left eye, right next to the breastbone. This stimulation seems to have a positive effect on the vagus nerve and helps Baby to relax. When the vagus nerve energy flows to the pharynx and digestive track, and not only to the heart and lungs for survival, Baby feels calm and nurtured. Baby can now feed rhythmically and sleep peacefully.
A content baby feeds and sleeps with ease.
Stimulate the vagus nerve when Baby is upset or niggly. Always mimic in-utero conditions first before you do vagus stimulation – a bright room or noisy mall may keep Baby in survival. Read your baby, he or she will use movement and a variety of cries to talk to you.
Trust your instinct. You are a good mommy!
Jordan Rosenfeld shares what he calls ‘nervy-facts’ about the vagus nerve:
With a vast network of fibers stationed like spies around all your organs, when the vagus nerve gets wind of inflammation, it alerts the brain and elicits anti-inflammatory neurotransmitters via the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway. A certain amount of inflammation after injury or illness is normal. But an overabundance is linked to many diseases and conditions, from sepsis to the autoimmune condition rheumatoid arthritis.
A University of Virginia study showed success in strengthening memory in rats by stimulating the vagus nerve, which releases the neurotransmitter norepinephrine into the amygdala, consolidating memories. Related studies were done on humans, opening promising treatments for conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.
The neurotransmitter acetylcholine, elicited by the vagus nerve, literally gives you the breath of life by telling your lungs to breathe.
The vagus nerve is responsible for controlling the heart rate via electrical impulses to the sinoatrial node of the heart, where acetylcholine release slows the pulse. The way doctors determine the “tone” or “strength” of your vagus nerve (and your cardiac health) is by measuring the time between your individual heart beats, and then plotting this on a chart over time. This is your “heart rate variability.”
When your ever-vigilant sympathetic nervous system revs up the fight or flight responses—pouring the stress hormone cortisol and adrenaline into your body—the vagus nerve tells your body to chill out by releasing acetylcholine. Its tendrils extend to many organs, acting like fiber optic cables that send instructions to release enzymes and proteins like prolactin, vasopressin, and oxytocin, which calm you down. People with a stronger vagus response may be more likely to recover more quickly after stress, injury, or illness.
Your gut uses the vagus nerve like a walkie-talkie to tell your brain how you’re feeling via electric impulses called “action potentials”. Your gut feelings are very real.
If you tremble or get queasy at the sight of blood or while getting a flu shot, you’re not weak; you’re experiencing “vagal syncope.” Your body, responding to stress, overstimulates the vagus nerve, causing your blood pressure and heart rate to drop. During extreme syncope, blood flow is restricted to your brain, and you lose consciousness. But most of the time you just have to sit or lie down for the symptoms to subside.
http://mentalfloss.com/article/65710/9-nervy-facts-about-vagus-nerve