You have likely heard of the health benefits to mom when breastfeeding.¹ However, did you know there may be risks to not breastfeeding? It is important to keep all of the risks and benefits in mind when choosing how to feed your baby.

Long Term Maternal Risks of Not Breastfeeding

When a decision is made to not breastfeed, you may have an increased risk of the following²:

• Increased risk of breast cancer by 28% when less than 12 months cumulative breastfeeding duration
• Increased risk of ovarian cancer by 28% when less than 12 months cumulative breastfeeding duration
• Increased risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease when less than 12 to 23 months cumulative breastfeeding duration
• Increased risk of type 2 diabetes of up to 12% by each year not breastfeeding
• Slows shrinking of the uterus to pre-pregnancy size which may increase postpartum blood loss
• Increased risk of postpartum depression when not breastfeeding
• Increased stress of needing to take more days off of work to care for a sick baby 
• Does not help to promote a healthy and balanced metabolic rate after birth

As you can see, there may be some unintended long term risks to not breastfeeding a baby. It is a very personal decision when choosing how you will feed your baby. Providing breast milk has valuable benefits to both mom and baby that are only increased the longer the duration of breastfeeding.

What If I Have Questions?

If you are interested in learning more, this Aeroflow class expands on some of the topics discussed above:

• Ultimate Breastfeeding Prep

Want More Info?

For a directory of Aeroflow’s other Care Guides offering information on pregnancy, baby care, and more, browse our comprehensive list of titles:

References