Six Benefits of Breastfeeding for Mothers

When my mother had her first baby in 1953, bottle feeding was the popular thing to do due to availability and marketing of infant formulas and convenience. But my mother went with her gut. She reasoned, “If this was the way God created a baby to be fed, I’m going to do it His way if I can.”

Today, we know that human milk is God-designed for babies providing nutrition, antibodies, and disease protection for a healthy start in life. It also provides lifelong benefits and protection against diseases such as diabetes, asthma, and obesity. These reasons are why many of us decided to make breastfeeding a priority. We are also thankful that bottle feeding is available for those times when we need it.

But breastfeeding has benefits for the mother, too. How many of us knew this when we were having babies? I didn’t! And this is what we are going to look at today. Here are six benefits of breastfeeding for mothers that many people don’t know:

Helps with weight management. Simply put, breastfeeding burns about 500 calories each day, helping a mom return to her pre-pregnancy weight. When my first son was born, I followed in my mother’s footsteps and made breastfeeding a priority. Since my son was born at nearly 10 pounds and grew like a weed, while he was increasing—I was decreasing. I got back to my weight when I first got married. One word of caution. After increasing your food intake during pregnancy and nursing, that weight can come back if you don’t decrease your food intake after weaning your baby. In other words, you’ve got to stop eating like a starving horse!

Increases bonding and mental health. Breastfeeding increases oxytocin, which promotes both relaxation and bonding between mother and baby. This hormone reduces the risk of postpartum depression and helps the uterus to contract and return to a normal size. This can reduce postpartum bleeding. After giving birth to twins, my doctors were surprised at how quickly my uterus returned to normal size.

Is inexpensive and convenient. With the expenses of a young family, it’s the best and cheapest option. It’s free! What more can I say? I love free things. Of course, that’s not counting all the extra grass that was fed to this milk machine! And there are no bottles or nipples to clean, sterilize, or warm in the middle of the night. It’s available whenever you need it. Of course, when the twins were born, my father began calling me “the ultimate milk-making machine.” My body was working around the clock, and although nursing was convenient for me, I was tied down to the demands of two little boys who cried in desperation for me. It’s nice to be needed, right?

I must confess that I did make a huge mistake with my first baby. I never trained him to take a bottle in the first months. Then we I needed it, he wouldn’t take a bottle. When my doctor told us I was expecting twins, I corrected this error. After another C-section delivery, I told the nurse in the baby nursery to give those twins a bottle in the wee hours of the night, so I could sleep and recover. I needed that sleep. I was thankful for formula and bottles. Formula is expensive, and in the last five years, it has been hard to find.

Lowers risks of breast, ovarian, endometrial, and thyroid cancers. Breastfeeding gives beneficial streams of good bacteria to the baby, but moms also receive the benefit of this good bacteria passing through their breast ductal passages. Lactation suppresses the amount of estrogen your body produces. It’s high levels of estrogen that can increase your risk for breast and endometrial cancers. A recent study found that women who breastfed for 13 months or more were 63% less likely to develop an ovarian tumor than women who breastfed for less than seven months.

But why would this be? Nursing delays ovulation, and some researchers believe that the more ovulations, the greater the risk of cell mutation. As a result of all the research, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding for at least 12 months for mom and baby to gain the full benefits. According to Dr. Therese Bevers, Medical Director of MD Anderson’s Lyda Hill Cancer Prevention Center, “The body sheds breast tissue naturally during pregnancy and breastfeeding. This process may shed some cells that had the potential to become abnormal.” Bevers also said, “Breastfeeding for longer than six months benefits your child’s health and yours. The longer you breastfeed, the more protection you’ll both receive.”

Lowers the risk of both blood pressure issues and type 2 diabetes. Dr. Peter Hartmann, a world-renowned expert on the science of breastfeeding, says, “Breastfeeding lowers your lifelong risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.” A 2017 study in China showed that women with a history of breastfeeding had a 10 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease later in life. That percentage increases with longer durations of breastfeeding.

Lactation reduces glucose and insulin. Breastfeeding helps improve insulin sensitivity. Pregnancy can cause metabolic changes, which increase the risk of gestational diabetes, but breastfeeding may help reverse some of these changes. Breastfeeding appears to act as a “natural metabolic reset” for mothers, especially those who experienced gestational diabetes during pregnancy.

Reduces risk of osteoporosis. According to Dr. Hartmann, “Breastfeeding improves bone mineralization, so you’ll be less likely to suffer from osteoporosis and fractures later in life if you breastfeed.” He also believes breastfeeding can boost a mom’s brain power. Put me down for that one! Maybe it’s not too late for me to have another one!

It doesn’t matter whether you check John Hopkins, the Cleveland Clinic, or any major hospital system. Today, there’s no one who will deny these benefits. My mom’s gut feeling to nurse at a time when bottle feeding and formula were the convenient and popular thing to do paid off. God has created us with a magnificent body, and this research only confirms how miraculous and purposeful His creation is. My siblings and I received these benefits of breastfeeding, and so did my children.

When my doctor told me I was expecting twins, I wondered if I could make enough milk for two babies. Praise God, I was able to do that and nursed them for an entire year. And boy did the baby weight come off quickly. But after my C-section, I told that nursery nurse to help me out that first night with a bottle so I could recover!

Last week, I sat next to a mother of eight in church. After learning these benefits, I wondered if she has any risk at all of breast, ovarian, thyroid, and endometrial cancers since she has been breastfeeding continuously for almost 15 years. And if you still don’t believe me, look at the checklist you are given before a mammogram. One of the questions asked is, “How many years did you breastfeed your children?” All of the questions asked have to do with breast cancer risk.

Did you know all these benefits before today? I knew some, but not all of these until I did the research.

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Six Benefits of Breastfeeding for Moms

For Your Health,

Ginny

Ginny Dent Brant is a speaker and writer who grew up in the halls of power in Washington, DC. She has battled cancer, ministered around the world, and served on the front lines of American culture as a counselor, educator, wellness advocate, and adjunct professor. Brant’s award-winning book, Finding True Freedom: From the White House to the World, was endorsed by Chuck Colson and featured in many TV and media interviews. Unleash Your God-Given Healing: Eight Steps to Prevent and Survive Cancer was released in May 2020 after her journey with cancer and was recently awarded the First Place Golden Scrolls Award for Memoirs, a finalist in Serious Writers Book of the Decade, and Second Place in both Selah Awards for Memoirs and Director’s Choice Award for Nonfiction at the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writer’s Conference. It recently received the Christian Authors Network’s (CAN) Gold Award for Excellence in Marketing for reaching 62.5 million people with a message of cancer prevention and survival. It was written with commentary from an oncologist and was featured on CBN’s Healthy Living Show, Atlanta Live, and CTN’s Homekeepers along with over 75 media outlets. Learn more and cancer and wellness prevention blog and book information at www.ginnybrant.com. Ginny is on YouTube