When it comes to feeding your new bundle of joy, new mums are frequently told that "breast is best" for their baby's growth.
However, a new study has revealed that breast-feeding can actually benefit mums, too, after discovering that it may help to reduce chronic pain after C-Section.
The study found that new mums who choose to breast-fed for at least eight weeks after undergoing a C-section were less likely to experience pain at their scar.
Dr. Carmen Alicia Vargas Berenjeno, who was a co-author on the study, and her colleagues recently reported their amazing results at the Euroanaesthesia Congress 2017, held in Switzerland.
The World Health Organisation currently states that babies should be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of their life, in order to gain "optimal growth, development, and health."
In 2016, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report that claimed that just 51.8 percent of new mums in the United States are breastfeeding for the first six months.
The researchers analysed the data of 185 mothers who had a C-section between January 2015 and December 2016, and drew their conclusions.
In the first 24 hours after their C-section, mums were asked about their pain levels around the area of surgery, as well as their breast-feeding practices and the presence of anxiety during breast-feeding. Interviews were conducted again within 72 hours of C-section and at 12 weeks after.
Breast-feeding was taken up by 87 percent of the mothers, and 58 percent of these breast-fed their babies for at least 2 months. Around 11.4 percent of mothers reported experiencing chronic pain after C-section.
The authors of the study said: "These preliminary results suggest that breast-feeding for more than 2 months protects against chronic post C-section pain, with a threefold increase in the risk of chronic pain if breast-feeding is only maintained for 2 months or less.
"Our study provides another good reason to encourage women to breast-feed. It's possible that anxiety during breast-feeding could influence the likelihood of pain at the surgical site 4 months after the operation."
The new study may help to encourage new mums to extend their time sent breastfeeding.
