Breastfeeding - Benefits the Mother

Breastfeeding benefits the mother. It releases hormones such as oxytocin and prolactin that have been found to relax the mother and make her feel more nurturing toward her baby. Breastfeeding within a short time after giving birth increases levels of systemic oxytocin. This makes the uterus contract more quickly and decreases maternal bleeding.

As the fat accumulated during pregnancy is used in milk production, prolonged breastfeeding can help mothers to return to their previous weight. Frequent and exclusive breastfeeding can cause lactational amenorrhea, a delay in the return of menstruation and therefore fertility. Sometimes this is deliberately used as a birth control method, which has a 98% success rate[34] if certain criteria are met:

* Breastfeeding must be the infant’s only (or almost only) source of nutrition. Feeding formula, pumping instead of nursing, and feeding solids all reduce the effectiveness of LAM.
* The infant must breastfeed at least every four hours during the day and at least every six hours at night.
* The infant must be less than six months old.
* The woman must not have had a period after 56 days post-partum (when determining fertility, bleeding prior to 56 days post-partum can be ignored).

Breastfeeding is possible throughout pregnancy, but generally milk production will be reduced at some point during the pregnancy.

Breastfeeding mothers have less risk of many diseases including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, decreased insulin requirements in diabetic mothers, stabilizing maternal endometriosis, less risk of post-partum hemorrhage, less risk of endometrial cancer, less risk of osteoporosis and beneficial effects on insulin levels of mothers with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Mothers who breastfeed longer than eight months have better bone re-mineralisation.

On the other hand, some breastfeeding women have pain from thrush or staph infections of the nipple.

From a financial standpoint, breastfeeding is roughly half the cost of infant formula.

Breastfeeding - Several Anti-Infective Factors

Breast milk has several anti-infective factors. These include the anti-malarial factor para-amino benzoic acid (PABA),1] the anti-amoebic factor BSSL, lactoferrin, the second most common protein in human milk, that binds to iron and inhibits the growth of intestinal bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella, and IgA which protects breastfeeding infants from microbial infection.]

Breast milk contains the right amount of the amino acids cystine, methionine and taurine that are essential for neuronal (brain and nerve) development.A New Zealand study tracking over 1000 children for 8 to 18 years found small but measurable increases in cognitive ability and education achievement. This remained even after adjusting for other factors (such as maternal education level).

One study suggests that in resource-poor settings where safe infant formula is unavailable, exclusive breastfeeding (as compared with "mixed" feeding where breastfeeding is combined with formula, solids or animal milk) may reduce the risk of HIV transmission from mother to child in infants less than 6 months old.

Unlike human milk, the predominant protein in cow's milk is beta-lactoglobulin, an important factor in cow milk allergies.