How Breastfeeding Benefits Mothers

Breast milk remains the healthiest food for your baby. The benefits of breast milk for babies are numerous. What's good for baby is also good for mother. When mothers follow nature's lead and breastfeed their babies, their own bodies benefit too. The benefits of breastfeeding also appear to stay with mothers for years to come, lowering risks of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Reduces the risk of breast cancer. Women who breastfeed reduce their risk of developing breast cancer by as much as 25 percent. The reduction in cancer risk comes in proportion to the cumulative lifetime duration of breastfeeding. That is, the more months or years a mother breastfeeds, the lower her risk of breast cancer.

Reduces the risk of uterine and ovarian cancer. One of the reasons for the cancer-fighting effects of breastfeeding is that estrogen levels are lower during lactation. It is thought that the less estrogen available to stimulate the lining of the uterus and perhaps breast tissue also, the less the risk of these tissues becoming cancerous.

Lessens osteoporosis. Non-breastfeeding women have a four times greater chance of developing osteoporosis than breastfeeding women and are more likely to suffer from hip fractures in the post-menopausal years.

Benefits child spacing. Since breastfeeding delays ovulation, the longer a mother breastfeeds the more she is able to practice natural child spacing, if she desires. How long a woman remains infertile depends on her baby's nursing pattern and her own individual baby.

Promotes emotional health. Not only is breastfeeding good for mother's body, it's good for her mind. Studies show that breastfeeding mothers show less postpartum anxiety and depression than do formula-feeding mothers.

Promotes postpartum weight loss. While you're pregnant, your body automatically layers on extra fatty tissue so you'll have enough fat stores to begin and support breastfeeding. After you have your baby, however, if what you eat is varied and well balanced, breastfeeding can help you lose your pregnancy weight without compromising either your health or your baby's by dieting. And you naturally burn calories to make breast milk every time you nurse. Breastfeeding mothers showed significantly larger reductions in hip circumference and more fat loss by one month postpartum when compared with formula-feeding moms. Breastfeeding mothers tend to have an earlier return to their pre-pregnant weight.