There are many benefits to breastfeeding. Breast milk is not only the ideal food for infants, but it also improves nursing mothers' health.
Today is the last day of World Breastfeeding Week. To bring an interesting week to an end, here are some benefits of breastfeeding and its effect on blood pressure:
New moms and hypertension
New mothers are more likely to have hypertension. In a research study published in the AHA journal Hypertension, researchers analyzed more than 2,500 medical records of deliveries between 2016 and 2018 in women who had no previous cases of chronic hypertension.
The research showed that one in every five women who had high blood pressure after giving birth did so for more than six weeks following the birth. More than one in ten women experienced high blood pressure within the first year after childbirth, even after the completion of standard postpartum care.
The benefits of breastfeeding
Breastfeeding maintains the ability to secrete more milk in women, reduces postpartum bleeding, and promotes mother-child attachment.
One thing that happens during breastfeeding is oxytocin is released as a result of nipple and areola stimulation during breastfeeding.
The main role of oxytocin is to help mothers keep producing milk as well as reduce postpartum bleeding.
It also acts as a neurotransmitter, sedative, and promoter of mother-child attachment.
Research has demonstrated that mothers who exclusively breastfeed their babies have higher levels of plasma and basal oxytocin compared to those who opt for formula feeding.
What impact breastfeeding has on blood pressure
A retrospective study analyzed the pregnancy charts of 407 women in rural Japan between August 1998 and September 2007. The results showed that one-month postpartum systolic blood pressure in the breastfeeding group was significantly lower than that in the other groups.
Thus, breastfeeding has been found to have a particularly positive impact on blood pressure reduction, especially in terms of systolic blood pressure.
Other reasons for high blood pressure in nursing mothers
Various factors including maternal age, pre-pregnancy weight, pre-pregnancy BMI, delivery weight, and maternal weight at one month postpartum can influence systolic blood pressure.
Furthermore, it is important to consider the role of ageing, the older a woman is, the higher her blood pressure will be after childbirth.