Nursing Matters

Nursing your baby can be stressful, but the hormones released during nursing actually allow mothers to stay calmer in stressful situations! Studies at McGill University shows those who do not nurse their babies have more difficulty dealing with stressful situations. Research from McGill’s Douglas Hospital Research Center in Montreal suggests that nursing moms react less to stressful situations than moms who bottle-feed. Fifty mothers of babies less than three months old were each asked to give a speech, solve math problems, and watch a video showing hurt and lost children. During the tasks researchers measured the stress hormone cortisol in each mother’s saliva. Nursing moms had lower levels, and the effect was greatest in moms who had nursed with more than one child. According to senior researcher Clair-Dominique Walker, PhD, “mothers should consider nursing for their own good as well as their babies.”

By Sara Chana Silverstein, IBCLC, BA, Herbalist and Student of Homeopathy. She is a licensed Lactation Consultant helping women and babies with breastfeeding problems. She also works with children and adults with chronic ear and strep infections, stomach problems and emotional issues. She can be reached at 718-467-1455.