In honor of Mental Health Month, the Health and Wellness Channel focuses on mental health topics today. The good news is that breastfeeding protects maternal mental health. According to a study by Kathleen Kendall-Tackett in the International Breastfeeding Journal:
Breastfeeding has been shown to reduce stress and protect maternal mood. Breastfeeding also reduces stress of babies of depressed mothers and protects them from the harmful effects of maternal depression. Treatment approaches that are anti-inflammatory have efficacy in treating depression. These include EPA and DHA, exercise, cognitive therapy, herbal anti-depressants such as St. John’s wort, and standard antidepressants.
Unfortunately, many breastfeeding mothers will …read more

Recent research shows that inflammation plays a role in the development of depression. A new journal article ties this fact in with breastfeeding’s ability to protect against depression.
[B]reastfeeding protects maternal mood by lowering stress. When stress levels are lower, the mother’s inflammatory response system will not be activated, thereby lowering her risk of depression.
Kendall-Tackett, K. “A New Paradigm for Depression in New Mothers: the Central Role of Inflammation and How Breastfeeding and Anti-Inflammatory Treatments Protect Maternal Mental Health.”  International Breastfeeding Journal. 2007, 2:6 (March 30, 2007).
How does breastfeeding lower stress?  It boosts production of the love hormone oxytocin, which promotes …read more