08/31/2026
❤️ Breastfeeding may support a mother’s heart, too.
Join us for a hopeful conversation about breastfeeding and maternal heart health at our free MILC League Breastfeeding Support Group:
📅 Monday, August 31
⏰ 10:00 AM
📍 Bloom & Grow Lactation Medicine in Ridgeland, Mississippi
A large review of eight studies involving nearly 1.2 million mothers found that women who had ever breastfed had lower rates of cardiovascular disease later in life.
Compared with mothers who had never breastfed, those who had breastfed had:
• 11% lower rate of cardiovascular disease
• 14% lower rate of coronary heart disease
• 12% lower rate of stroke
• 17% lower rate of death from cardiovascular disease
One possible explanation comes from the work of Dr. Alison Stuebe and Dr. Janet Rich-Edwards, who proposed the “metabolic reset” hypothesis.
Pregnancy naturally changes a mother’s metabolism to support her growing baby. After birth, making milk uses glucose, stored fat, and a significant amount of energy. Lactation may help the body move back toward a healthier balance of blood sugar and cholesterol after pregnancy.
This “reset” is a promising explanation, although it has not been proven as the direct cause of the lower cardiovascular rates.
Still, the findings offer a beautiful reminder: breastfeeding is not only something a mother’s body does for her baby. It may also be part of her own recovery and long-term health.
This message should always be shared with hope—not pressure or guilt. Not every mother can or chooses to breastfeed. Every mother deserves compassionate feeding support, preventive healthcare, and attention to her own well-being.
Come enjoy community, conversation, and evidence-based breastfeeding support with us at MILC League.
📖 Tschiderer L, et al. *Journal of the American Heart Association.* 2022.
https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.121.022746
📖 Stuebe AM, Rich-Edwards JW. “The Reset Hypothesis: Lactation and Maternal Metabolism.” American Journal of Perinatology. 2009.
