Breastfeeding has many benefits for newborns, well into infancy and toddlerhood and the World Health Organisation recommends breastfeeding until 2 years and beyond. There are also a lot of really incredible benefits to the mother both in the short term and longer term.
***Key Points***
Breastfeeding has many benefits not only for a baby, but for a mother as well.
There are long term benefits that extend well beyond the immediate breastfeeding period.
***Key Points***
***Hormones***
Oxytocin, also known as the ‘love hormone’ gets released as baby latches on and starts sucking. This helps with bonding and becoming more in tune with your baby’s needs. It is also the hormone that helps contract your uterus so during the immediate post partum period, it helps to control bleeding and in the following weeks, helps to contract your uterus down to its pre-pregnancy size faster.
Prolactin is another key hormone that helps make you feel relaxed, peacefull and focused on your baby.
***Hormones***
***Sleep***
The idea of partners assisting with feeds in the middle of the night can certainly be enticing, however can sometimes be counter productive. This is because you would either need to be up and expressing anyway or risk reducing your supply by effectively telling your body you don’t need to produce milk as frequently.
The hormones in breastmilk help regulate an infants circadian rhythm so that they are able to learn the difference between night and day faster. Hormones released during a breastfeed also assist in getting both mother and baby off into a deeper sleep faster than if you needed to get up and start making up bottles.
***Sleep***
***Less cost***
You might have heard the saying that breastfeeding is free and whilst this isn’t entirely true, in the long run, it is certainly cheaper than formula feeding. There are some costs involved with breastfeeding and some of these may include breastfeeding singlets and bras, a pump and bottles if you are expressing as well, a private lactation consultant, nipple creams, breast pads and potentially a higher grocery bill to account for the high calorie intake needed when breastfeeding. Breastfeeding also has the added bonus of being kinder to the environment through not having to discard of formula tins weekly or fortnightly.
***Less cost***
***Long term benefit***
Breastfeeding has been linked to a lower risk of developing some cancers such as ovarian, uterine and breast cancer. The longer duration of breastfeeding, the more protective it can be. Breastfeeding women are also able to increase the absorption of calcium in their diet and reduce the amount of calcium lost through urination. This process is protective against osteoporosis and bone fractures later in life. Other benefits include reduced anxiety and depressive symptoms, lower blood pressure and a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
***Long term benefit***
REFERENCES
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22978082/
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/article-abstract/2763398
