“I’m going to breastfeed my son until he goes to college!”, Shakira recently told US Weekly.
Whilst this might be a bit of an exaggeration, the Latino star’s newfound love for breastfeeding can’t be questioned.
Speaking to reporters, she said: “Breastfeeding has been one of the best experiences of my life! I can’t stop…I’m hooked!”
The 36-year-old and her footballer husband Gerard Pique, welcomed their new baby into the world 4 months ago and the family are clearly enjoying parenthood.
Shakira's parenting worries
Despite pre-birth worries over her own parenting style, The Voice mentor thinks she has actually become a relaxed mom.
“I thought I was going to be super-controlling because I’m like that with my songs, my career and everything I do professionally - I like to be in charge.”
“But with him, I’m so relaxed…I’m not as nervous.”
Breastfeeding and weight loss
It’s well known that breast feeding has a plethora of advantages, both for the baby and the mother. Another proven benefit is increased post-birth weight loss, which Shakira has also enjoyed.
When asked about the impact breastfeeding has had on her weight, she said: “I think that it helps a lot. I haven't weighed myself … I think I'm close but I can't sing victory yet!”
And it’s not surprising that breastfeeding has helped Shakira shed those extra pounds. Mothers tend to use up more calories when producing milk, leading to extra weight loss. Some of the fat stored during pregnancy is also used as an energy source for the lactation process.
More benefits of breastfeeding
The benefits don’t stop there. After breastfeeding, both mother and child are more resistant to diseases and infection. Children have a slimmer chance of developing diabetes, cancer and heart disease before the age of 15, whilst mothers are protected against osteoporosis and cancer later in life.
A recent study has also discovered that a protein in breast milk known as ‘HAMLET’ can defend against a common hospital killer – MRSA. Scientists found that when the protein is consumed by infants, MRSA becomes much easier to treat with common antibiotics. Find more on this story here.
‘Until college’
We reckon that Shakira was slightly exaggerating about wanting to breastfeed her son until he goes to college. However, some mothers do find it difficult to wean their child off breast milk, for various reasons.
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