It was once believed that extended nursing robbed the mother of calcium, thus making her a candidate for osteoporosis. Actually, bone density decreases while a woman is nursing, but once breastfeeding has ceased, bone-mineral density re-establishes itself at an even higher density than before. It is now believed that women who breastfed their children are at a substantially lower risk for developing osteoporosis later in life.
Breastfeeding mothers are also at a reduced risk for developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer and uterine cancer. Interestingly, the more time a woman spends breastfeeding during her child-raising years, the lower her risk for developing these types of cancer are.
Accelerated Weight loss
Women who breastfeed tend to return to their pre-pregnancy weight more quickly than their bottle-feeding counterparts. Continuing to breastfeed helps a mother keep the weight off. Milk production is energy-intense. The body burns up calories and fat in order to produce milk, resulting in weight loss and weight maintenance.
Child Spacing
Breastfeeding produces hormones that hinder ovulation; so long as a woman is not ovulating, she can not become pregnant and she does not menstruate. Some women do not menstruate for well over a year while she continues to breastfeed, which many women see as a benefit in itself.