Breastfeeding: Best for Babies and Moms
Jacksonville – It is a well-known fact that breastfeeding is one of the most beneficial things a new mother can give to her newborn. Through breast milk, infants are protected against a wide variety of maladies and are less likely to suffer from conditions like obesity, diabetes, asthma, and many more.
However, the benefits of breastfeeding may be as beneficial for the mother as the baby, according to a new study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh. The findings of the study suggest that women who breastfeed are ten percent less likely to suffer from a heart attack, stroke, and heart disease, among other health benefits.
Researchers posit that the reason for this added health benefit may be linked to hormones. Women who breastfeed are stimulating certain hormones, which are an important part of the body’s recovery process after the trying experience of giving birth. Women who do not breastfeed may unintentionally hinder their body’s natural healing process, which may then result in negative health side effect throughout the rest of their life.
The study was conducted by examining the histories of 140,000 women who had already gone through menopause. Since most of these women had not breastfed for over thirty years, there is strong evidence that the positive effects of breastfeeding have a longstanding impact on a woman’s body.
While this study provides more evidence that breastfeeding is an important process for baby and mother, the researchers concluded that more research is needed to fully understand why that is the case.
The exaggerated claims for breastfeeding and the nazi-like pressure on women to breastfeed for years has gone WAY over the top.
Very little of this has the slightest scientific backing and the “studies” go in with so much prejudice that they are seriously flawed.
You look at a class full of ten-year-olds and amazingly enough, you can’t tell which were breastfed and which weren’t.
Nonsense. Arrant non-sense. While breastfeeding is no doubt good, neither women nor babies get some kind of magical benefit from it.
This is nothing more than attempts (pretty successful I must say) to force women into certain limiting behavior patterns. Science has damn-all to do with it.
My wife and I have known for the past two years that breastfeeding also has amazing benefits for the mother which include the control of diabetes, management of weight gain and an increased bond between mother and child.
It is nice to have a bit of scientific backing for this as well. I applaud all mothers who breastfeed beyond the ubiquitous 3 months and the more it is done in public, the better. We need to demonstrate to Americans that there is no shame in nurturing a child when it needs nurturing.
JR Tomlin,get a clue!
JR Tomlin – This has to do with Nature. Science is proving this! I breastfed my children because it was good for them emotionally and physically. What is the reason that you are fighting this information? Your defensiveness and resistance is very interesting. This is great news, especially for those of us who breastfed!
I was never breast fed. I was born two months premature. I was at the top of my class, no allergies, no illnesses. One of the healthiest people I know. The “pro-breastfeeding” propaganda is over the top. If you enjoy it do it, but if you don’t like it there is no reason to feel bad about anything.
JR,
Did you actually read the study? Do you realize the irrelevance of your example of 10 year olds as pertaining to the study, since the study pertains to mothers?
How is it that you feel you know better than this study? Cannot your opinion and the findings of the study stand next to one another without one bashing the other? It seems you have a hotbutton re breastfeeding, and this article pressed it. Rather than analyzing the study, you seem to simply give an emotional response. Unfortunately, this will only cause people like me to respond, instead of your feminist ideals being accepted and understood by those who read your writing.
Perhaps think long and hard about your desire for non-limiting behavior patterns for women and the reality of the human race having long evolved into the present biological form we take. I would think the right place to start is to understand how breast-feeding might be good for the mother in a physical way and how to reproduce this effect without the ‘limiting behavior’ that you perceive in the breastfeeding act?
WOW I cant belive that its good for us soon to be mothers!!!!
The exaggerated claims for breastfeeding and the nazi-like pressure on women to breastfeed for years has gone WAY over the top.
Very little of this has the slightest scientific backing and the “studies” go in with so much prejudice that they are seriously flawed.
You look at a class full of ten-year-olds and amazingly enough, you can’t tell which were breastfed and which weren’t.
Nonsense. Arrant non-sense. While breastfeeding is no doubt good, neither women nor babies get some kind of magical benefit from it.
This is nothing more than attempts (pretty successful I must say) to force women into certain limiting behavior patterns. Science has damn-all to do with it.
P.S. – Sorry, forgot to tell you great post!