Breastfeeding is difficult, let’s face it! There are sleepless nights, constant pumping at odd hours, nipple leaks at the wrong time, complicated transition when you bottle-feed … and the list goes on … However, breastfeeding is fascinating and in addition to all the benefits it brings to your little loves, breastfeeding makes you superheroines! So, to learn a little more about breastfeeding, I wanted to list some of the most interesting facts I learned as a mom. Some of them really reminded me how incredible the human body is!

Breast milk changes according to your baby’s needs.

According to the medical press, when you breastfeed a little of your baby’s saliva seeps into your nipple and your body responds to your child’s specific needs. For example, in the picture below you can see two milk bags from a woman who compared the breast milk that she had shot one-day “lambda” and another day after her baby developed a cold. The difference is incredible and shows that the mother’s body knew that her baby needed more antibodies to fight the disease, creating the difference in color. In addition, breast milk is constantly changing to be appropriate for your baby’s age and weight. It’s great to think that your body knows when to adjust your breast milk composition to fit your baby’s needs!

The health benefits are visible in the short and long term for both the baby and the mother!

Many moms already know, breastfeeding provides a ton of benefits to your baby’s health, such as reducing the risk of many diseases including:

  • ear infections
  • Pneumonia
  • Colds and flu
  • respiratory tract infections
  • Bacterial meningitis
  • Urinary tract infections
  • Infant diarrhea

Breastfeeding also provides a lot of health benefits for breastfed children as they get older and reduces the risk of diseases such as:

  • Obesity
  • Asthma
  • Acne
  • Type I and II diabetes
  • Hypertension
  • High cholesterol levels
  • Crohn’s disease

But, do you know the benefits of breastfeeding on mothers?

Breastfeeding reduces the risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Even more interesting, breastfeeding girls reduces their risk of breast cancer by 25%!

In addition to all of these health benefits, breastfeeding also reduces the chance of a child having cavities and braces while growing up. It is amazing to see all these benefits for both mothers and babies!

We also know that breastfeeding helps mothers burn more calories in a day and regain their weight they had before baby, much faster. Breastfeeding will make you spend an average of 1000 extra calories a day to produce breast milk. In addition, breastfeeding helps to heal more quickly from postpartum depression, helps the body and the uterus heal faster by decreasing postpartum blood loss, it’s just magic!

Breastfeeding can bring a sense of tranquility that can lead to more sleep. Breastfeeding moms sleep on average 45 minutes longer than moms who do not feed their babies. It is also probably because human breast milk contains hormones that provide a sense of calm in babies so they can fall asleep more easily. As all moms who do not sleep enough know … this may be the biggest advantage to continue breastfeeding!

In any case the benefits of breastfeeding are fascinating, but it remains YOUR choice!

Breastfeeding is amazing and it can be a rewarding natural experience between mother and baby. However, it is important to remember, that it is not a great experience for all moms! There are many reasons why a mother might choose commercial milk rather than breast milk, but I believe that all mothers have the right to choose how to feed their babies and not feel an ounce of guilt about it!

This article is originally posted on https://amedameft.wixsite.com/baby-care/blog/some-fun-facts-about-breastfeeding