As a mother-to-be trawling the Internet for anything and everything baby-related, I chanced upon something interesting that nurses do with a newborn child.

Shortly after delivery, the infant will be placed upon the mother's breast, allowing intimate skin-to-skin contact between the mother and the child.

My initial thoughts were, wow! What a powerful way to comfort the baby immediately out of the womb. Then, I realised something bigger and better at work here: oxytocin.

As the hormone responsible for labour, breastfeeding, orgasm, hugging and touching, oxytocin is found in mammals and released in large amounts during the birthing process.

Studies have shown that it helps in the emotional and physical transition to motherhood, bringing about feelings of trust, generosity and love. It is also attributed to mother-child bonding that has been thought to improve a child's health and psychological wellbeing later on in life.

Quite simply, touching and massaging a baby produces this positive hormone and sets off positive feelings all round. It's literally happy juice. But there's more to these chemical messengers. And surprise, surprise, it's not just women who get all hormonal either.

On to the bad...

While our bodies are made to produce wonderful positive hormones like oxytocin, there are also hormones that are triggered by negative situations. And somewhere in the middle is where I feel "adrenaline" lies.

"Feel the adrenaline pumping" is a common phrase used to describe events ranging from the start of a race, the stock market going down and up and down again, the moment right before examination results are released, or for me, when I view my credit card statement on the 22nd of each month.

The knowledge of or just witnessing these stressful events activates the nervous system in our bodies, producing more adrenaline hormones into the bloodstream. While some researchers have maintained that the only way to minimize the adrenaline hormone or stop its release is for the stressful event to come to an end, yet others have encouraged breathing and relaxation techniques to counter the effects of an adrenaline rush.

Whichever way one sees it, the body has its natural reaction all ready and fired up to go. Your heart rate, blood pressure and metabolism all shoot up, and for some people, this can prove to be a fatal combination. For others, it can be beneficial.

The adrenaline hormone causes the eye pupils to dilate for improved vision, sweat to be produced to cool the body, and blood vessels to enlarge for increased blood flow to put our muscles on alert.

The juices that compel us

These physical changes put one in a better position to react swiftly and effectively at that crucial point.

Competitors are focused at the finish line, and stockbrokers know when to buy, sell or hold. While some of these reactions may be viewed as natural responses to the stressors of a long and hot track race or a volatile stock market - especially if one has been training, researching and practising for a long time - more often than not, the brain has sent out that specific hormone to meet its specific need.

This also probably explains why I'm extra alert at checking each detail on my credit card statement, but not as vigilant when I'm about to pay for an impulse purchase.

Quite simply, these are two different situations, although the end result is the same: I have to pay for it at the end of the day. To find out why I tend to make such purchases at a certain time each month (as well as to validate it!), I looked up "shopping hormones".

And what do you know- there is a scientific explanation as to why women tend to buy more expensive and non-crucial items on the 11th to 13th day of their monthly menstrual cycle. It seems that the estrogen and testosterone hormones are at their peak during this period (no pun intended), giving that happy, bright feeling when we step into a store.

"Shopping high", "impulse purchase" or "must buy good buy" - the peaking of both hormones may make one feel over-confident about her state of finances as she may think she's got more money to spend than she really does.

The solution?

Stick with routine and get only what's on the grocery list, or ask someone close to you to place an embargo on your credit card (like hiding it!) during that crucial gap in the month.

You'll end up with a leaner credit card bill once the statement makes it way to your letterbox!

This article was first published in the February edition of TheLivingRoom.sg