Certified Breastfeeding Counselor (CBC) Practice

The milk ejection reflex (MER) can be stimulated by infant suckling. When a baby latches onto the breast and starts to suckle, it sends signals to the mother's brain to release the hormone oxytocin, which triggers the milk ejection reflex. This reflex allows the milk stored in the milk ducts to flow down to the nipple, making it easier for the baby to breastfeed. Therefore, infant suckling is the correct answer as it directly triggers the MER.

While expressions of the baby, manual expression/pumping, and cluster feeding are important aspects of breastfeeding, they are not the direct stimulators of the milk ejection reflex. These activities can support and promote breastfeeding but do not initiate the physiological response of the milk ejection reflex like infant suckling does.