The Connection Between Pleasure, Breastfeeding, and Sexual Arousal

Women can be seen as the water bearers of this world. Our wombs hold our waters, as do our breasts, in the form of milk or colostrum. Our womb waters include our blood, discharge, the juices we squirt, and the waters of our unborn children. By entering expansive states of pleasure, we soften, unfurl, and activate the waters of our womb. This flow of sensation pulses out and up from our wombs until it reaches our heart, where the heart and breasts become flushed with radiance, love, and openness.

This same process occurs when a baby begins to suckle at its mother’s breast. The love and connection between a mother and baby initiates a rush of oxytocin, and the milk ducts begin to provide a river of warm, nourishing breast milk that flows from mother to baby. The release of breast milk during nipple stimulation can also be a surprising experience for partners, adding a natural element to intimate moments.

On the contrary, states of stress can be unsupportive for both the mother and baby. For instance, if a mother is running on cortisol combined with sleepless nights, it can become more difficult for her to access states of relaxation and pleasure. In states of stress, our waters dry up which can cause difficulties with self-lubrication, painful menstruation, and even lower our milk supply. The hormonal impacts of lactation on a breastfeeding woman, such as the effects of prolactin and oxytocin, influence not only milk production but also her emotional bond with her baby and her sexual function. Thus, it is vital to the health of ourselves & our children to be in connection with the waters of our womb and breasts.

Below, we have provided two somatic practices to support you on the path of milk and pleasure…

1. Womb Breathing

Find a comfortable seat with legs gently open, or laying down on a blanket with pillows under the knees. Place both hands on your womb and state in your mind that you would like to connect with her. Begin to take soft and slow inhales through your nose. Slightly open the mouth and allow an exhale with a sigh or sound. Do this for a few cycles of breath until you feel more present in your body, and your flow of breath feels natural.

Inhale - breathe in softly and slowly through the nose, and exhale all the way down into and through your cervix.

Inhale again - breathe in through your cervix, and exhale up and out your mouth.

Go back and forth between inhaling with your awareness on your cervix and the nose/mouth. It may take a few cycles of breath to drop into a rhythm & deeper awareness of your womb; please move slowly and take your time.

Allow your awareness and presence to drop down from the mind into the womb. Feel how grounding, centering, and nourishing this breath is for you. This is a beautiful time to ask your womb if she has any messages for you, or you can ask for her assistance as you navigate a challenge in life. Breathe and listen to what she has to say. Breathe here for 3 - 5 minutes, or until you feel intuitively complete.

We recommend this practice as a precursor to self-pleasure, lovemaking, or breastfeeding your babe. This practice can also support breastfeeding women in managing the challenges they face regarding sexual desire and functioning after childbirth.

2. Pleasure Pulsing

Find a comfortable position where you can relax your body. Take some deep and expansive breaths in through your nose, exhaling a soft sigh out of the mouth. Continue this for a few cycles of breath, as you become more present in your body. You may choose to place your hands on your womb, or place one hand on the heart and the other on the wombspace.

Imagine there is a river of sensation flowing up and down between your heart and womb. As this river flows down into your womb, allow your awareness to drop down as well. Begin to gently pulse this flowing energy within, inviting your pelvic muscles to engage. Let the tissues and muscles of your womb softly engage and release in a rhythmic motion, allowing yourself to feel the waves of sensation this brings. Build the energy up slowly, before breathing it back up to the heart. Let the breath keep your body soft, open, and relaxed here. The natural sweetness of human milk and the emotional complexities that can arise during breastfeeding can be mirrored in this gentle, rhythmic pulsing.

Begin to pulse this delicious energy in the heart now as it awakens sensations of pleasure, love, and oxytocin. Let this energy fill your heart and spill over into the breasts. Allow yourself to sink into pleasure, as any areas of tension in your body begin to melt away. Continue breathing and pulsing this sensual energy within, guiding it back and forth between your womb and heart/breasts. Breathe here for 3-5 minutes, or until you feel intuitively complete. Being a lactating woman can affect physical sensations, such as nipple sensitivity and vaginal lubrication, and this practice can help harmonize the physiological interplay between breastfeeding and sexual excitement.

We recommend this practice for women desiring more easeful self-lubrication, and for nourishing the body and nervous system when experiencing stress. This is also great for supporting mothers with low milk supply to connect to the waters of their heart and breasts. I have personally found this to be supportive for the times when baby isn’t quite asleep and the milk stops flowing. Practicing the pleasure pulse for a few minutes begins to stimulate a release of oxytocin, which in turn stimulates the milk ducts to produce more milk and provide another letdown. Not only is the result more milk and a juicier yoni/womb - the body also learns to melt and soften into pleasurable sensations with more ease and grace.

The womb, breasts, and heart are fed by the same spring. As we create a meaningful relationship with our waters, we create a meaningful connection to all of life. My prayer is that women will remember the sacred waters that flow within - that all women have the tools and wisdom to tend themselves well, so that we may walk in this world hydrated, nourished, and turned on.

FAQ

• Does breastfeeding cause sexual arousal?

  Yes, breastfeeding and sexual arousal can be interconnected, but not in the way many assume. When a woman breastfeeds, the gentle nipple stimulation from her baby sucking triggers a hormonal cascade, specifically oxytocin, the same hormone released during sexual activity, orgasm, and deep states of pleasure. This tingling sensation in the mammary glands is a natural response, similar to the way breast stimulation can lead to nipple erection during arousal. Some mothers may even find themselves feeling sexually aroused during breastfeeding due to this involuntary physiological response.

  
  

  From a somatic and energetic perspective, the womb, breasts, and heart are deeply linked. Just as a woman softens into sexual pleasure, allowing energy to flow from her womb to her heart, the same process unfolds when a baby latches onto the breast. This beautiful opening of the heart space can create feelings of warmth, relaxation, and even a deep, blissful state that mirrors the pleasure pulse experienced during orgasm.

  
  

  However, due to cultural paradoxes relating to breastfeeding, sexuality, and the female breast, some lactating women may feel shame, discomfort, or confusion about such feelings. It’s important to know that these sensations are totally normal, they are simply the body responding to pleasurable sensory input, not a sign of inappropriate arousal.

• Can Breastfeeding affect your sexual desire?

  Breastfeeding can significantly impact a woman’s sex drive, and the experience is different for every mother. Some women feel a deepened sense of intimacy and connection with their bodies, while others struggle with decreased sexual desire. Hormonal shifts play a major role in this. Prolactin, the hormone responsible for milk production, naturally suppresses libido for many women. At the same time, oxytocin, which is released during breastfeeding, fosters emotional closeness and can increase feelings of love, relaxation, and even subtle arousal. This hormonal balance can leave some women feeling more open to intimacy while making others feel emotionally fulfilled through breastfeeding alone, reducing their interest in sexual activity.

  
  

  The early postpartum period can also bring physical discomfort that affects sexual intimacy. Many lactating women experience vaginal dryness due to lowered estrogen levels, which can make penetration uncomfortable. Combined with exhaustion from sleepless nights and the intense demands of baby care, the body may deprioritize sexual desire as it focuses on recovery and nourishment. Stress plays a major role in this; when a woman’s nervous system is in survival mode, producing cortisol instead of pleasure hormones, her body naturally resists arousal. This is why many women feel sexually shut down while breastfeeding, even if they deeply love their partners and crave intimacy on an emotional level. A supportive and understanding approach from partners is crucial in addressing and re-establishing their sexual relationship during this transition.

Written by Autumn Rose

Autumn Rose is a mother, writer, storyteller & women’s embodiment guide devoted to empowering the feminine frequency and midwifing her back to her rightful home - in the body. Follow Autumn on Instagram @embodyjaguar.