While on the run of breastfeeding posts, I do have one more. Earlier I mentioned that there are health benefits for mothers in addition to the newborn and this is very true. Just like for our bundles of joy, our breastfeeding is very beneficial to us while we are breastfeeding and long after we are done and they are grown and out of the house.

To start with, most of us begin to plan on how we are going to drop all that gained baby weight well before the baby is born. A quick and healthy way to drop the pounds is to breastfeed your baby. By nursing your baby you are naturally burning more calories. How does that sound? You get to burn fat while sitting down and/or napping! From the first time you put baby to breast after birth your body begins to change. Breastfeeding causes your uterus to contract and shrink back down a lot faster, which in turn helps to shrink your tummy back down into a more normal state much quicker. Plus mothers who nurse their children tend to have much healthier diets and overall nutrition and with good reason. What goes in must also come out!

Postpartum depression is also an issue for some new mothers. Nursing has been shown to help in this area as well. Most women who breastfeed, experience less issues with postpartum depression. When you breastfeed, it also affects the chemical releases in the brain. Combine that with easier bonding and closeness with your newborn and who couldn’t find a smile appearing on their face? While your chances are greatly decreased to have any major postpartum depression issues, it is very important to note that breastfeeding your child does not mean that you won’t in fact have some issues that may need to be addressed. If you feel that you are having issues that are out of your control such as properly caring for yourself or your newborn, please talk to someone right away and get the help you need.

Long term benefits for nursing mothers include a decreased risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Those women out there that manage to have a year or more of breastfeeding time under their belt can also benefit from decreased risks from heart attack, stroke, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, diabetes, hypertension, and cholesterol issues. Even though these issues won’t likely be any sort of a concern for you in the immediate future, it’s always good to plan ahead. Why not take advantage of this god given opportunity for a long and healthy life? If you know your family history with the above listed issues, breastfeeding could make a huge difference in your quality of life in your later years.

Breastfeeding is not always the easiest task and for some women it just doesn’t work out for one reason or another. The health benefits of breastfeeding, even if only done a few times, are so great for both mother and child that every woman should at least give it try for the first few days and utilize her resources in the hospital such as the lactation nurses. Never be afraid to ask for help when it could make such a world of difference for two very important people’s health and well being.