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 the babies. However, there are also benefits in it for the moms. Here are three of the benefits of it for them. They are: it helps them to lose weight, it helps to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, and it is helpful in bonding with the babies.

Reduce Weight

Most, if not all pregnant women, gain weight during pregnancy, and for some mothers, after giving birth, the weight seems to easily fall off of their bodies. While on the other hand, some mothers gain more weight after giving birth instead of losing it. Of course, healthy eating and exercising are always the recommended steps to losing weight. Nevertheless, breastfeeding helps to burn unnecessary calories. Daily, it helps to burn about 500 calories as the body works to supply the needed milk by the time the newborn is ready to be fed.

Reduce the risk of type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a worldwide chronic disease whereby the body does not make enough insulin or is not using it in the right way. Insulin is needed to help to regulate the body’s blood sugar or glucose. If it is not regulated correctly, this can lead to an increase in glucose level and if it is left untreated, it can affect the kidney, the heart and the eyes, just to name a few. Moms, who breastfeed exclusively, for at least one month, can help to reduce the risk of developing this disease. This is according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s website.

Bond with baby

Mothers are sometimes worried about not being able to bond with their newborns. More than once, first-time moms have expressed their fears with these words, and this is paraphrasing. “What if I don’t bond with my baby?” “How do I bond with my baby?” and more. Well, supplying the babies with their food in this intimate way is a wonderful opportunity to do so. This is an experience that only mother and child can enter into.

It is true that sometimes, for one reason or another, a woman may not be able to cuddle and feed their little ones in this manner. However, expressing the milk and making sure that the baby is fed with it, is still an experience that only the two of them can enter into.