Did you know that breastfeeding enhances the contraction of the uterus and helps it return to its normal prepregnancy state more rapidly? This is another benefit mothers will enjoy from this healthy habit.

Experts say there is less blood loss after delivery and nursing mothers lose weight more quickly after having their first child. More importantly, breastfeeding delays menstruation and postpones fertility. As long as she continues nursing, a woman is less likely to become pregnant again. On its own, however, breastfeeding is not a reliable means of birth control.

"Fat is deposited during pregnancy as a reserve for lactation. If the mother nurses for a significant period of time this fat is easily used up. But if she fails to nurse, it is far more difficult to get rid of. Lactation may even be a good time for an overweight woman to lose weight. Energy expended by lactation is like performing vigorous exercise all day long. By moderate dietary restriction and by ensuring the availability of adequate amounts of essential nutrients, a nursing mother may lose significant weight and still provide adequate amounts of high quality milk to her infant," said Dr. Myron Winick in The Columbia Encyclopedia of Nutrition.

There's more: breastfeeding is economical. There's no need to worry about sterilizing bottles, the right formula to buy or how to prepare it. Even if your baby cries in the middle of the night, you don't have to grope in the dark for her bottle. That's convenience and it comes only with breastfeeding.

To produce more milk for her child, all the mother has to do is to eat a well balanced diet, especially foods rich in calcium, iron and water-soluble vitamins.

"If the mother is anemic this will certainly affect the iron content of the milk. In order to safeguard against such a situation, foods high in iron should be included in the diet in good amounts," Winick said.

"The vitamin content of breast milk is extremely sensi¬tive to the maternal vitamin status, especially with regard to the water-soluble vitamins. For this reason, plenty of citrus fruits should be eaten for their vitamin C supply and plenty of fortified and whole grains for the B complex vitamins. In addition, most physicians recommend the nursing mother continue the prenatal vitamin supplement," he added.

All other things considered, perhaps the best thing about breastfeeding is the special bond that develops between mother and child. Researchers believe this special relationship gives a great deal of emotional satisfaction to both parties and may, in fact, contribute to the child's development.

Finally, certain hormones are released as a result of suckling and some women have described the experience of breastfeeding as similar to sexual orgasm.

"Many women who have successfully breast-fed describe nursing as the most pleasurable experience of their lives -an experience that cannot be duplicated and should not be missed," Winick concluded.

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