Prevent and reduce the risk of hypertension when breastfeeding your baby

A woman who has a history of high blood pressure is at risk of developing hypertension during pregnancy and after childbirth. In postpartum hypertension, this condition can interfere with the breastfeeding process or breastfeeding from mother to baby. In fact, breastfeeding provides good benefits for the health of both mother and baby. So, how to prevent hypertension after childbirth or while breastfeeding? Does breastfeeding have an impact on the mother's blood pressure?

Overview of the benefits of breastfeeding for mothers

It is clear that breastfeeding benefits both mother and baby. The American Pregnancy Association says that breastfeeding can accelerate the recovery of mothers after childbirth, restore weight to pre-delivery conditions, and reduce the risk of breast and uterine cancer.

Breastfeeding is also said to reduce stress and reduce the risk of various other chronic diseases in the mother, such as diabetes and heart disease later in life.

In addition, breast milk from nursing mothers also contains many nutrients that babies need in the first six months of their age. Therefore, health experts around the world recommend that every mother breastfeed her baby for at least the first six months after birth, or what is commonly known as exclusive breastfeeding.

Facts about breastfeeding that can reduce the risk of hypertension

Given the importance of breastfeeding for mothers and babies, it is better for a woman to prevent and reduce the risk of developing hypertension while breastfeeding. But in fact, the breastfeeding process itself has a good impact on a mother's blood pressure. Here are some facts about breastfeeding and hypertension that you need to know.

Exclusive Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is beneficial for reducing the risk of various chronic diseases. In line with this, the results of a recent study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology reported that the risk of hypertension in breastfeeding mothers decreased drastically if they were on an exclusive breastfeeding program for at least six months. Not only that, the longer you breastfeed can also reduce the risk of obesity and insulin resistance.

Overall, the study found that women who breastfed exclusively for at least six months were less likely to develop high blood pressure within the next 14 years than mothers who only bottle-fed. The study was conducted on more than 50 thousand breastfeeding mothers (who are exclusively breastfed and who provide formula milk) in the United States.

This research does not directly prove that breastfeeding makes blood pressure healthier. However, researchers suspect that the release of the hormone oxytocin when breastfeeding can have a long-term effect on blood vessel health and blood pressure stability, which in turn is associated with a reduced risk of hypertension in nursing mothers. Oxytocin is a hormone that triggers relaxation, the effect of which may also be reflected in the function of blood vessels.

Reducing the risk of atherosclerosis

Sanne Peters, a researcher at Oxford University said that breastfeeding can reduce a woman's risk of hardening of the arteries, aka atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a risk factor for stroke and heart disease.

How did it happen? Breastfeeding changes the mother's metabolism immediately after giving birth. During pregnancy a woman's body is "programmed" to accumulate fat to ensure that the baby in the womb is getting enough nutrition and also to prepare for breastfeeding when the baby is born.

Well, previous research has shown that breastfeeding can shed these fat stores more quickly. If the mother does not breastfeed, the fat reserves that are no longer needed will remain in the body. This can lead to weight gain and increase risk factors for hypertension and heart disease after childbirth.

That's why experts recommend that babies are exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life, then continued while feeding them solid foods until they are one year old.

How to prevent hypertension while breastfeeding

Breastfeeding does have a good effect on a mother's blood pressure and can reduce the risk of various diseases. However, a woman who has a history of high blood pressure may still develop hypertension after giving birth and while breastfeeding her baby.

If this happens to you, you need to control your blood pressure as early as possible, from before starting a pregnancy program and during pregnancy. This also applies to those who do not have a history of hypertension because this condition can occur in any woman. Here are some ways to prevent hypertension that you can do:

1. Check blood pressure regularly

High blood pressure often does not cause hypertension symptoms in sufferers. Therefore, many do not realize that they have hypertension, including in a woman.

To prevent hypertension while breastfeeding, you need to regularly check your blood pressure, from before starting a pregnancy program, during pregnancy, and after giving birth. Hypertension that is detected quickly will receive appropriate treatment and reduce the risk of life-threatening complications of hypertension.

2. Maintain weight before and during pregnancy

One of the risk factors for hypertension is obesity or obesity. If you are overweight before becoming pregnant, it's a good idea to lose weight so that your pregnancy is healthier and you can prevent hypertension during pregnancy which can also lead to hypertension after childbirth or breastfeeding.

Maintaining weight gain also needs to be done during pregnancy. In fact, reported by MedlinePlus, some women are already overweight while pregnant and some other women gain weight too fast. This is very dangerous for the health of you and the baby you are carrying if not controlled.

As an illustration, a pregnant woman's weight gain should be at least in the range of 11.5-16 kg. However, this of course depends on the condition of each woman and weight before pregnancy.

3. Adopting a healthy lifestyle

The important thing you need to do to prevent hypertension while breastfeeding is to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Watch your food intake by adopting a healthy diet and with balanced nutrition, so that all your vitamin and mineral needs during pregnancy are met. Reduce your salt intake and avoid foods that contain sodium as they can increase your blood pressure.

If necessary, you can do sports for pregnant women. However, you need to consult your doctor whether this is possible in the condition of your pregnancy.