How meditation can help breastfeeding mothers
Oct 23, 2023
Finding your inner peace and tuning in with your body and the surroundings may be the goal of every meditation practitioner. However, this ancient practice might offer some additional benefits to breastfeeding mothers.
The postpartum period is marked by excitement, anxiety, exhaustion and mystery. This is especially true if you are a first-time mom trying to handle everything the best you can.
Today, I’d like to discuss how indulging in meditation practice can help breastfeeding or pumping mothers and help you embrace motherhood with a calm and centered mind.
Meditation and Breastfeeding
One of the main reasons people turn to meditation is to experience the calming sensation it provides. For mothers, this could be essential in:
- Reducing stress and helping deal with postpartum emotions. There’s a rising trend of mothers suffering from postpartum depression or anxiety. Meditation can be a holistic alternative in helping with prevention or management.
- Increased breastmilk production. Meditation has been closely linked to the release of the hormone oxytocin. This hormone plays a key role in breastmilk production and could potentially increase the supply. Although more research is needed to confirm the link between meditation and lactation, new mothers often speak about how rewarding a mindfulness practice has been to them.
- Prolonging the breastfeeding journey. Meditation can create a positive association with breastfeeding for new mothers, especially if their journey has been challenging. This positive connection can help prolong the breastfeeding journey which can sometimes end earlier than expected due to the mental and physical load it creates.
- Connection with the baby. Some new moms find it hard to feel an instant connection with their newborn. Although common, it may be harder for some than some others. Meditation can allow for some pause and reflection in the day to find that deeper emotional connection.
Postpartum can be a beautifully chaotic journey. And sitting still and being comfortable with your thoughts and emotions may not be the first thing that may spring to mind. But my personal take is that mindfulness and meditation can be a key part of your postpartum toolkit.
There may be a lot of external tools that women use in their healing and feeding journey. But meditation is an internal tool that’s always available to you.
If you would like to consider a mindful pumping session, I’d like to invite you to listen to this FREE guided meditation this link.
If you'd like to listen to guided meditations from the author,Ā click here.
