9 Reasons Nursing is Better for Mothers
Written By: Guest Blogger
1. It’s good for you. Breastfeeding may lower your risk of acquiring
- type 2 diabetes
- heart disease
- high blood pressure
- high cholesterol
- ovarian and uterine cancer
- osteoporosis
Even better- breastfeeding can lower your risk of developing breast cancer. In other words-use them so you don’t lose them!
womenshealth.gov
2. Natural birth control. According to Planned Parenthood, breastfeeding is a natural, effective, and safe way to prevent pregnancy for the first six months after childbirth. Basically, if you breastfeed exclusively—that means your baby drinks nothing but breastmilk—your body won’t produce the hormone necessary for ovulation. No egg? No pregnancy.
3. It’s free. Breastmilk is the ultimate freebie. Your body makes as much of it as your baby needs, whenever she needs it, for as long as she wants, leaving you to spend your money on adorable baby clothes and mountains of diapers.
4. It’s easy. No need to head to the kitchen, sterilize a bottle, filter your water, and measure your formula every time your baby’s hungry. Just lift your shirt, unsnap your bra and bon appétit, bébé! And forget about finding a place to warm your bottles when you’re out and about – your breastmilk is ready to go right away, and it’s always the perfect temperature.
5. Weight loss. Nursing might just be the only way to lose weight while sitting down. Turns out you naturally burn calories to make breast milk every time you nurse. Eat a well-balanced diet, nurse, and watch the baby fat (yours, not hers!) melt away.
6. Bonding with your baby One of the benefits of breastfeeding is that it provides a connection with your child that bottle feeding just can’t replicate. This can be especially important if you had a difficult pregnancy or delivery, are experiencing post-partum depression, or haven’t felt particularly close to your baby yet. The intimate connection breastfeeding provides—both physically and emotionally—can help strengthen the bond between mother and child. In fact, the very action of your baby suckling releases massive amount of oxytocin in your brain—in essence, flooding your brain with feelings of trust, love, and affection.
7. Lower stress levels, happier mama. Breastfeeding can reduce your stress level and your risk of postpartum depression. How? You guessed it—all that extra oxytocin. In fact, the National Institutes of Health and concluded that women who didn’t breastfeed or who stopped breastfeeding early on had a higher risk of postpartum depression.
8. Better birth recovery. Oxytocin (again!) helps your uterus contract after you give birth, so you’ll experience less bleeding after delivery.
9. Peace of mind. Breastfeeding means knowing you’re still giving the best to your baby—helping her build immunity to disease, giving her the most perfect nutrition, and making her smarter. Yep, studies show that breastfed babies have higher IQs.
Becky Powell is a blogger, mother of two, and social media ninja for FridgeFilters.com. She writes about clean water, health, and the environment at blog.fridgefilters.com.
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