For many years, mothers have been encouraged to breastfeed their babies. They are encouraged to do this because of the many benefits it has for babies. However, there are also benefits for moms. Here are three of the benefits it has for them. They are: it helps them lose weight, it helps reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and it is useful in bonding with babies.
Reduce weight
Most, if not all, pregnant women gain weight during their pregnancy, and for some mothers, after giving birth, the weight seems to easily slip off their bodies. While on the other hand, some mothers gain more weight after giving birth instead of losing it. Of course, healthy eating and exercise are always the recommended steps to lose weight. However, breastfeeding helps burn unnecessary calories. On a daily basis, it helps burn about 500 calories as the body works to supply the milk needed by the time the newborn is ready to be fed.
Reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic global disease in which the body does not produce enough insulin or does not use it in the correct way. Insulin is needed to help regulate the body’s blood sugar, or glucose. If not properly regulated this can lead to an increase in glucose level and if left untreated it can affect the kidney, heart and eyes, just to name a few. Moms who exclusively breastfeed for at least a month can help reduce the risk of developing this disease. This is according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information website.
bond with baby
Sometimes mothers worry about not being able to bond with their newborns. More than once new moms have expressed their fears with these words, and this is paraphrasing. “What if I don’t bond with my baby?” “How do I relate to my baby?” and more. Well, providing babies with their food in this intimate way is a wonderful opportunity to do so. This is an experience in which only mother and child can participate.
True, sometimes, for one reason or another, a woman cannot hold and feed her little ones in this way. However, expressing the milk and making sure that the baby is fed with it is still an experience in which only the two of you can participate.
