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It is said that breast milk is the best source of food for a mother’s newborn. However, it is often not promoted for its benefits to the mother, of which there are many. Before a mother decides to give her baby the bottle over breastfeeding, she may wish to consider some of the benefits nursing her infant will provide for her.
1. Convenience. Although there are ready-made formulas that you can simply open and pour in a bottle, and ready-to mix concentrates and powders, there is no more convenient way to nourish an infant than to present the breast. There is no boiling water, no mixing, no bottlebrushes and sterilization. There is no keeping the formula cold, no heating it up when you’re ready to feed/ The breast is always available and ready to nourish without preparation or clean-up.
2. Cost. Ready-made formulas are almost as convenient as the breast, but are also extremely cost prohibitive. Powdered mixes and concentrates aren’t all that inexpensive either. However, with breastfeeding you save on the cost of formula, bottles, nipples, bottlebrushes, icebags and coolers for keeping formula chilled when you travel away from home.
3. Weight Management. Nursing assists a woman in regaining her figure more quickly because the process of lactation causes the uterus to contract, firming up those post-partum muscles and shrinking the uterus back to pre-pregnancy size. Nursing also burns calories which can help maintain weight, and some women even lose significantly while breastfeeding.
4. Birth Control. Although not a failsafe method, breastfeeding acts as a natural means of contraception because a fully lactating woman rarely ovulates. However, it should be stressed that nursing alone is not a guarantee against pregnancy.
5. Health. In addition to weight maintenance and shrinking your uterus back to pre-pregnancy size quicker, breastfeeding offers some health benefits to the mother. After labor and delivery a mother’s energy resources may be depleted and iron becomes an essential factor in maintaining good health. Most lactating women resume their menstrual cycles later than those who choose not to nurse, and may not begin menstruating and losing iron until six to twelve months after they cease nursing their babies. That’s six to twelve months where you aren’t losing iron every month.
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