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Even One Month of Breastfeeding Benefits New Mothers
We’ve heard time and time again that “breast is best” for baby, but it turns out, breast is best for mommy, too. You probably know that breastfeeding will help you lose weight after giving birth, but are you aware of the additional health benefits shedding that baby belly provides?
According to The LA Times, “Breastfeeding helps women lose the worst kind of body fat — visceral fat — which they accrue during pregnancy.” Visceral or intra-abdominal fat is known to cause heart disease, stroke, diabetes and hypertension. Losing even some of that fat after a month of breastfeeding has been proven to reduce a woman’s lifetime risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
A study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Medicine shows that “mothers who never breastfed were 50 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who did,” reports the Sydney Morning Herald.
Mark McLean, a professor of medicine at University of Western Sydney, notes that breastfeeding is “particularly important for women with gestational diabetes, an increasingly common temporary condition in pregnancy which can lead to permanent diabetes.”
Head researcher, Dr. Eleanor Bimla Schwarz of the University of Pittsburgh, says, “Our study found that moms who hadn’t breast-fed had significantly larger waist circumferences.” Past studies have proven that a bigger waist brings with it a higher risk of diabetes.
Photo: mahalie via Flickr
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[...] scouring the web for parenting news, we come across some really upbeat stories (even one month of breastfeeding benefits new mothers), and a slew of really depressing ones that we leave unreported. Then there are the stories that [...]
The Wireless Onesie: Please Don't Put a Biosensor on Your Baby | Strollerderby commented on Sep 01 10 at 1:51 pmbob commented on Aug 31 10 at 12:02 pmI think it’s already pretty well established that wealthier people are both more likely to breast feed and less likely to be overweight. So, a study that shows that people who breastfeed tend not to suffer from a weight-related malady may not be contributing much. The article doesn’t say whether they controlled for pre-pregnancy weight or income.
BF mama commented on Aug 31 10 at 12:07 pmBreastfeeding is amazing! It seems like every month there’s new scientific evidence to support the significant health benefits of what mothers have been doing since the beginning of time. Isn’t nature awesome?
carolyncastiglia commented on Aug 31 10 at 12:21 pm@Bob: They did. The Sun-Times article has it: “The link was there even after controlling for factors such as family history of diabetes, body mass index and level of physical activity.” Third link in the post above.
Jennifer commented on Aug 31 10 at 12:54 pmBreast is best and I did it with both of mind for a year and believe in the benefits. But, why are people so quick to pass judgment rather than be supportive? Why all the hate? Here is an article that describes all the hate in the breast v. Bottle debate.
http://babyminding.com/2010/08/26/breastfeeding-versus-bottle-feeding-why-all-the-hate/
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Aug 31 10 at 1:11 pmOooh, just what the thread needs. A link to “all the hate.” Thanks ever so much.
ppw commented on Sep 01 10 at 11:38 amIt’s been known for a while that breastfeeding helps new moms lose weight after pregnancy, and this just adds to it. Awesome!
There have also been several studies concerning the advantages of breastfeeding when it comes to weight loss after pregnancy. 2 are linked in this Post Pregnancy Workout blog article. It helps with both burning the added fat from pregnancy, and in weight retention after the pregnancy.
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