Does motherhood buffer the effects of stress?
Finally, its not clear if pregnant and postpartum women feel stressors in the same way that other people do. As noted above, elevated stress hormones may actually dampen the stress response system, making mothers less reactivenot more reactiveto stressful situations (Kammerer et al 2002). In addition, postpartum mothers who breastfeed may enjoy special protective effects against stress. After they are exposed to a stressor, women who breastfeed have lower levels of cortisol than do non-breastfeeding controls (Heinrichs et al 2002).
