Breastfeeding - Health benefits for mother

One of the first things that an infant does after its birth is to begin breastfeeding. Now more than ever, mothers are breastfeeding their babies to start their life as healthy as possible. Breast milk is the perfect food, it has everything a baby needs to grow and develop including antibodies to keep the baby healthy and help him fight sickness.

The American Association of Pediatrics encourages new mothers to breastfeed their baby for at least the first 6 months. If you give birth to a premature baby, breastfeeding your baby is the best choice you can make for the health, development, and the growth of that child.

Benefits of Breastfeeding for Mom:

There are a variety of benefits for the moms that breastfeed their baby. The menstruation cycle stops for the first year that the mother is breastfeeding. This enables the mom to hold on to the iron that she used to lose each month through her monthly cycle. Mothers are less likely to suffer from anemia. The woman will not have to purchase pads or tampons until she is completely finished breastfeeding.

Although it is possible to get pregnant while breastfeeding your baby, the fact that you are not having menstruation keeps you from becoming pregnant again until you are ready. To make sure you do not become pregnant before you are ready, be sure to use extra birth control protection. This is a natural way to space your children a few years apart.

Mothers who breastfeed their baby from one to two years will lower their chance of getting ovarian cancer by one-third. They also have a lower risk of developing breast cancer for the same reason.

By breastfeeding your infant you are burning about 500 calories each day and can lose weight faster than feeding formula to your kids. Working mothers are called less often to pick up their ill child from school if they were breastfed. The babies suckling will help the uterus go back down to natural size quickly.

There have been studies done on breastfeeding mom and her child. Mom and child were less chance of suffering from osteoporosis. The study went on to say that mother and child that did not engage in breastfeeding, the likelihood of developing this disease is four times greater.

A woman's breasts are made to feed their children. The variety of benefits to mother and child are reason enough to breastfeed your children. The mother is doing her child a great justice by choosing to breastfeed. The mother is able to bond with her baby, her body goes back to normal quicker and most mothers find that breastfeeding is a wonderful experience.