728x90
my iParenting
From Our Sponsors
e-newsletters
Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters

new terms of use
new privacy policy
award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Home › Articles › Breast is Best › What About Mom?

What About Mom?

Breastfeeding Benefits Aren't Just for Baby

By Abbi Perets

Pages:  1  2  3  

Tell 10 people you're pregnant and at least eight of them will ask if you plan to breastfeed. It's a sensitive issue we all know the indisputable benefits of Mother's milk for babies, but what about the benefits for mommies? Breastfeeding is time consuming and painful, isn't it? Well, actually, no. You might be surprised to hear that not only does breastfeeding often take less time than bottle feeding, it also relaxes new moms, saves thousands of dollars and even carries long-term health benefits for mom as well as for baby.

Each time you put your baby to your breast, baby's suckling "Nursing your infant means you'll spend lots of one-on-one time with him. You'll get to know him very well and you'll be his favorite person in the world... It's easy to have confidence in your mothering abilities when you get such great feedback all the time."

Initial Benefits
During the first days of breastfeeding, you'll discover some hard-to-miss benefits: you'll actually feel your uterus contracting each time you nurse your child. You may not think having contractions after your baby is born is a good thing, but it really is it helps your uterus return to a normal size. It also prevents you from hemorrhaging, which is why bottle feeding moms receive oxytocin intravenously to induce such contractions. But nursing moms get the continued benefits of oxytocin during the critical first week. Any mild cramping pain usually subsides minutes after the feeding ends, leaving you a little bit closer to your pre-pregnancy size and shape.

Body Benefits
Would you like to lose weight while lying down in bed? Well, if you're nursing, you can. You'll burn up to 500 extra calories a day while you recline on the couch gazing at your little one's sweet head. Sure beats hitting the treadmill! And you can continue to justify eating a whole container of Ben and Jerry's as "filling your need for calcium."

Financial Benefits
Pages:  1  2  3  


Want to see more?