What does breastfeeding mean for a mom?

Now that you are pregnant, you may have noticed that your breasts are getting bigger. This is because you are lactating and starting to produce milk. So, what does breastfeeding mean for a mom?

1. Breast milk

Breast milk is considered as the healthiest food that any mother can give to their little angels. Easy to digest, breast milk is made up of almost 90% water, fat, lactose, casein and different proteins, calcium and other minerals. All of these breast milk components ensure that your baby will have fewer infections due to stronger immune system and leaner due to low sugar and high whey protein content. But did you know that breastfeeding is also advantageous to mommies?

2. Reduces risk of post partum depression

New mothers, albeit elated with their baby, tend to feel depressed. This might be because of the time they spent away from their work, lack of sex life, weight gain, body shape change, overwhelming responsibility and others. However when these mothers breastfeed their babies, their depressed feelings are reduced, if not completely, eliminated. Studies show that the happy hormones that are produced in the body while breastfeeding are the main reasons behind this. Breastfeeding mothers are more relaxed and nurturing to their babies because of constant skin-to-skin contact.

3. Oxytocin and prolactin release

The act of breastfeeding releases oxytocin and prolactin. These two hormones are essential because they help reduce the risk of postpartum bleeding, strengthen the uterus lining and reduce the "pregnant belly" appearance. These hormones also help in fighting breast, ovarian and uterine cancer.

4. Reduce risk of osteoporosis

Although breastfeeding mothers release a lot of calcium to their baby through their breast milk, their bones would still be four times stronger than mother who bottle-fed their babies. This is because prolonged lactation actually strengthens the bones.

5. Faster weight loss

Constantly producing breast milk burn a lot of calories thus aiding in shedding baby weight fast. Mothers who bottle-fed their babies had a harder time losing the extra weight and keeping it off. Imagine, an average breastfeeding mom burns up to 500 calories in just feeding her baby alone. Paired with exercise and a healthy diet, getting back in pre-baby shape is easy.

6. Natural contraceptive

Breastfeeding delays fertility in some women because it prevents the mother from getting her regular period thus avoiding ovulation. Because of this delay, she can practice better and longer child spacing. Women who breastfed their babies only got their periods 3 to 4 months (or longer) after childbirth as compared to bottle-feeding mom’s who got their periods a month or two after.

7. Stronger bond

The most imperative benefit that any mother can get from breastfeeding is the strong bond with their baby. The constant skin contact strengthens the maternal bond. As soon as the baby hears her mother’s voice and smells her mother’s natural scent, she will be calm and happy.

8. Increases chances of safer future pregnancies

Mothers who breastfeed are said to have safer pregnancies with fewer complications in the future. Prolonged lactation is said to change a woman’s body in order to prepare her for pregnancy and birth. However, all of these depend on the mother and her overall health.

9. Reduces the chance of breast cancer

"If all women who do not breastfeed or who breastfeed for less than 3 months were to do so for 4 to 12 months, breast cancer among parous premenopausal women could be reduced by 11 percent, judging from current rates. If all women with children lactated for 24 months or longer, however, then the incidence might be reduced by nearly 25 percent. This reduction would be even greater among women who first lactate at an early age." Newcomb PA, Storer BE, Longnecker MP, et al. Lactation and a reduced risk of premenopausal breast cancer.

10. Reduced chance of maternal osteoporosis in later life

Breastfeeding decreases chances of maternal osteoporosis in later life. The odds that a woman with osteoporosis did not breastfeed her baby was 4 times higher than for a control woman. Blaauw, R. et al. "Risk factors for development of osteoporosis in a South African population."

Written by

Karen Mira

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