Everyone has heard the motto, "Breast is best." The health benefits of breastfeeding are undisputed. Breast milk is nature's perfect blend of nutrition, and it meets all of your baby's nutritional needs. Human breast milk also has immunological and anti-inflammatory properties to help protect your infant against many illnesses and diseases.
No formula can replicate the unique and protective ingredients found in breast milk.
Fact: The Surgeon General's Call to Action in 2011 supports breastfeeding, stating improved maternal health by breastfeeding.
On top of the health benefits for baby, breastfeeding is also good for the nursing mom. From the health benefits to the financial advantages, breastfeeding is a win-win for both mother and child.
According to the 2011 Surgeon General's Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding, breastfeeding improves maternal health outcomes – which basically means nursing mothers have better health in the long-term, compared to women who never breastfeed.
One of the major advantages of breastfeeding is it protects you from cancer. Compared to nursing mothers, women who never breastfeed are at increased risk for certain types of cancer, including breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
Fact: Breastfedding lowers your risk of breast cancer by 25 percent.
Recent studies have shown that women who breastfeed can reduce their risk of breast cancer by 25 percent. The longer a woman breastfeeds, the lower the risk. The association between breastfeeding and lowered breast cancer is not completely understood.
Some researchers argue it's because women are less likely to ovulate when lactating. When a woman doesn't ovulate, she has lower levels of breast-cancer promoting hormones, like estradiol and progesterone, in her body. So the fewer times that she ovulates, the lower the risk of breast cancer.
Other experts theorize that women who do not breastfeed experience engorgement, which may inflame her breast tissue. This inflammation may potentially cause breast cancer. When a woman breastfeeds, this inflammation is prevented.
Similarly, the risk of ovarian cancer is 27 percent higher in women who never breastfed. Breastfeeding may offer mothers added protection from this serious cancer, since lactation prevents ovulation.
The exact cause of ovarian cancer is not known, but one of the risk factors is related to how many eggs the ovary releases. Each time that a woman ovulates, the surface of her ovary breaks open and the cells on the surface of the ovary must divide to repair the damage. So the more often that she ovulates, she has an increased risk of ovarian cancer. This is the reason that ovarian cancer occurs more often in older women and women who have no children.
For breastfeeding mothers, the longer that they nurse their babies, the more likely they won't ovulate. This decreases the risk of ovarian cancer.
A number of studies have indicated that breastfeeding may increase bone mineral density after weaning, which can protect mothers from osteoporosis and bone fractures in old age. This link hasn't been proven conclusively, and experts are still looking into this subject.
In general, women who breastfeed can drop one or two pounds each month. Breastfeeding helps you burn calories naturally. Plus, each time that you nurse your baby, the hormone oxytocin is released. Among other things, oxytocin helps your uterus return to its regular size more quickly. All of this can help you lose your pregnancy weight quicker.
Breastfeeding improves the connecting between mother and child. Women who breastfed are better able to bond and feel close to their babies right away. The skin-on-skin contact can boost the levels of oxytocin in the mother's body. Oxytocin is the hormone that helps breast milk flow, and it helps calm the mother. It's sometimes called the love or bonding hormone.
In addition, research has found that breastfeeding may reduce the risk of postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety. The longer that a mother breastfeeds, the lower her risk for postpartum emotional problems.
Financial Benefits of Breastfeeding
In addition to all the health benefits, breastfeeding is less expensive than formula feeding. This should be a no-brainer – breast milk is free, and you must pay for formula. Buying infant formula and feeding supplies can cost families over $1,500 each year.
On top of this, formula-fed babies tend to face more illnesses, such as gastrointestinal discomforts. Healthier babies equate to fewer health insurance claims and less time off to care for your baby.
Research has found that if 90 percent of families exclusively breastfed for six months (which is what pediatricians and doctors recommend), nearly 1,000 infant deaths could be prevented. In addition, the United States would save $13 million annually. Medical care costs are lower for exclusively breastfed infants, compared to babies who are formula fed.
With all these benefits, how can you not breastfeed?
You may have heard that breastfeeding is a "natural birth control" method. There is truth to this – breastfeeding can suppress ovulation. The hormone prolactin, which helps you produce breast milk, lowers the hormones that trigger ovulation. This is why nursing mothers notice a delay in their menstrual cycles.
This delay is called "lactational amenorrhea," and it used by many as a natural contraceptive method. It is considered 98 percent effective under the following circumstances:
Your menstrual period has not returned
Your baby is under six months old
You are exclusively breastfeeding, and you're nursing frequently in the day and night. During the day, you need to nurse at least once every four hours. At night, you should not let more than six hours pass between each feeding.
To keep your prolactin levels high enough, it's important that your baby sucks at your breast. Avoid supplemental bottles, if you can.
Lactational amenorrhea only works if you breastfeed very frequently and consistently. Its effectiveness will lessen once you start to feed your baby solid foods. Don't rely on the presence of your period – you can get pregnant again without your period returning.
To ensure that you do not get pregnant again, you should consider another birth control method, such as condoms.
Pregnancy Week by Week
Pregnancy Explained A to Z
Nutrition and Beauty
Pregnancy Blog
Ask Our Doc - Pregnancy Q & A 
Follow us on FaceBook
Follow us on Twitter
