We’ve all heard the trite phrase: “breast is best,” but have you considered why someone might offer that unsolicited advice at your baby shower? There is a reason why that phrase came to be; some of the benefits for the mama you’ll find astounding.
In this post, you’ll find some of the pros of breastfeeding for mom. While there are many benefits for baby, too, we will touch on those later. After all, all mamas could use a little more focus on just the mama. In this post, we will touch on some of the many breastfeeding advantages.
Let’s dive in.
The Benefits of Breastfeeding for Mom
As mentioned, breastfeeding can accomplish some amazing side effects.
- There is accelerated recovery. Mamas report faster recovery from pregnancy, labor, and delivery when the mama chooses to breastfeed. The uterine contractions that breastfeeding induces lessen the likelihood of postpartum hemorrhage.
- Early motherhood can be overwhelming. Moms reported a reduced stress response. Mamas find themselves calmer and able to tackle the challenges of early motherhood with a bit less stress.
- Weight loss can be another side effect. The average mama burns 300-500 calories/day per baby you are breastfeeding. That’s up to three entire XL Hershey bars per day!
- This is where some life-saving sciencing kicks in! Numbers report a variety of reduced cancer risk. For breast cancer, there is a reported 4.3% reduced risk; ovarian cancer has a 17-28% reduced risk; and finally, for endometrial cancer, there is an 11% reduced risk.
- Breastfeeding saves money. Parents spend $3-5K on formula in baby’s first year! Ball and Wright (in 1999) found that healthcare costs for formula-fed infants are about $300-500/year higher than that of a breastfed infant, and healthcare prices have only increased since then.
- Overall, breastfeeding saves time. Breasts are always with us. You don’t have to worry about shopping for formula, hurrying to scoop formula for a frantic baby, and packing formula/bottles everywhere you go.
- This leads us to our final point; saving time means more sleep for mama. Making bottles in the middle of the night makes feedings longer. You’ll never find a mama needing to warm her breasts in the middle of the night–mama will always have milk readily available for baby.
Conclusion
No matter your motivation for breastfeeding, know that we are here to help you accomplish your breastfeeding goals. Your goals are our goals, and we want to see you happy and satisfied with your breastfeeding experience.
