Despite humankind’s advances in science and medicine, there is no artificial substitute that can completely replace the benefits of breast milk for our children. From brain development to preventing diseases like ear infections and her type 2 diabetes, breast milk truly gives children a great start.

But what happens to a woman’s body if she is unable to breastfeed, or chooses not to breastfeed? It might mean, “Are you going to?”

Breast milk does not only occur when a newborn baby arrives. The breasts and the human body are fully prepared before childbirth. So, if a woman is unable or chooses not to breastfeed after giving birth, what happens to the cholesterol- and fat-rich breast milk her body has been producing?

The answer may seem obvious, but it’s rarely said. Eventually it will be absorbed back into her body. Unfortunately, all of the creamy goodness created by nature wasn’t designed to provide the same benefits to a woman’s body as it does to a developing baby’s body. It was supposed to be liberating. When stored inside a woman’s body, it is the same as storing a stick of butter, a carton of cream, or a bowl of ice cream inside her body.

Breastfeeding and heart health

Women breastfeed their babies to nourish and bond with them. Some people breastfeed because they know it reduces their risk of breast and ovarian cancer. But when considering the impact of breastfeeding on their own health, more women should realize that the number one killer of American women is cardiovascular disease, not breast or ovarian cancer. .

In most cases, neither health care providers nor the news nor social media inform women that breastfeeding protects them from this health risk. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 60 million American women (44%) have some form of cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease, or heart disease, is responsible for one in five deaths among American women. However, only 56% of American women recognize that heart disease is our number one cause of death.

So how can breastfeeding, an activity completed years before women thought about high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart attack risk, reduce this risk? One way to think about this protection is , that breastfeeding is not just something a woman can do for her infant. It’s actually part of the healing process after giving birth, an activity that prepares your body for the rest of your life.

The activity of breastfeeding causes the body to lower its stores of triglycerides and LDL (the body’s “bad” cholesterol), while simultaneously lowering insulin resistance, increasing HDL (the body’s “good” cholesterol), and causing changes in blood vessels. promotes breastfeeding and reduces the risks of breastfeeding. High blood pressure.

A growing body of scientific evidence shows that all women receive these benefits from breastfeeding, regardless of their pre-pregnancy diet, exercise level, weight, or smoking history. Additionally, the more we research the benefits of breastfeeding, the more we discover that breastfeeding for as little as three months can provide some of these benefits. Partial breastfeeding (breastfeeding while feeding the child solid foods) has also been shown to have cardiovascular benefits for the mother.

The protective benefits of breastfeeding outweigh the benefits of diet and exercise after pregnancy for women who are not breastfeeding. Although this effect is most pronounced in women who exclusively breastfeed for their entire 12 months, it is very important for women who breastfeed for short periods of time to be aware of the significant cardiovascular effects as well.

Projected data shows that if the United States were able to help women overcome the many individual barriers to breastfeeding and increase the proportion of women who breastfeed from 20% to 90%, the cardiovascular benefits would be staggering. It has been shown that it will become a thing. Empirical calculations show that if 90% of women breastfed for one year, we could reduce the number of heart attacks in women by 14,000 per year and reduce the number of women who need to take daily blood pressure medication by 54,000 per year. It has been shown that it can be reduced.

Breastfeeding is health care

If breastfeeding is considered health care, it must be considered a mother’s right. One of her best ways to promote her immediate and long-term health is breastfeeding. Supporting all breastfeeding individuals not only supports healthy communities, but also helps address the inequalities that hinder women, especially women of color and low-income women. Forced to deal with it. According to the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine Position Statement: Breastfeeding as a Fundamental Human Rights (2022):

Public policies and laws must be established to ensure that mothers choose to breastfeed, are supported to breastfeed, and that their choices are protected from being denied that right by law, coercion, employment practices, or society. .

In this vein, women can improve their own health by asking about the benefits and risks of breastfeeding depending on their circumstances. They can recognize that breastfeeding is as much about themselves as it is about their newborn. Supporting breastfeeding supports women’s full and equal access to health care benefits. And yes, breastfeeding helps women’s hearts.