Lactation Cookies: Show Me What You’re Makin’ Monday
That’s right. Lactation Cookies! No, they’re not made with breast milk but made FOR breast milk. I heard of these way back when, before I was even pregnant. I remembered them a couple of weeks ago when I started to worry a little about my supply. It’s been up and down a little since I’ve been back at work and I kinda have been thinking I’d try a few easy things that could help. And what better excuse to eat cookies?
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| Hardier Lime |
I looked up my previous post on the topic and found Hardier Lime’s shop and bought mix for a dozen oatmeal raisin milk enhancing cookies! I think it was only like $8 for a dozen, not bad!
Believe it or not I didn’t have vanilla so it took me a week or so to get around to buying some, then another week before I got around to making them. Today was the perfect day since I was down in the dumps about spilling a bottle of breast milk after pumping *sad face*.
I just started taking an herbal supplement with feungreek (more on that later) and I thought these cookies would not only cheer me up, but help as well.
The instructions were super easy and I never, and I mean hardly EVER (maybe once every few months) bake. So I was so happy with how quick and easy these were. It normally takes me reading the directions time and time again to make sure I don’t screw it up, but even with me reading these 5Xs it only took about 20 minutes total to make, including the 8-10min baking time.
I just took them out of the oven and took a bite and they are SOOOO yummy!
What do you think? Want to try? Everyone who leaves a comment before next Monday the 15th will be entered to win a bag of these milk enhancing cookies! Follow @hardierlime on twitter or link up to What I’m Makin’ Monday below and get an extra entry. Just leave an extra comment to let me know!
Winner will be announced on my Facebook Page.
What did you make this week? Share on What I’m Makin’ Monday. It can be food, a craft, a tip, anything!
(highlight ctl+c)
those look tasty!
Those look yummy. I’m always interested in new, creative ways to increase my breastmilk supply.
Would love to try! 🙂 kwolfrum at ymail dot com.
I’m a follower of hardierlime on Twitter@ kwolfrum at ymail dot com.
I like this idea much more than lactation tea – I don’t like tea much, but who can turn down a cookie??? 🙂
(And thanks for the linky!)
i have been drinking the tea called “Mother’s Milk” & I am going to have to try these cookies out…anything to help boost my milk supply is a good thing (as Martha would say ;o) )
Well, my milk supply is (I think) just fine, but I like cookies! Hope you’ll let us know if there’s a noticeable difference.
OH NO! You spilt the liquid gold!! That has happened to me only ONCE so far.. (knock on wood) and it was a horrible feeling. But wow.. what a great way to boost your supply if it works!! I always feel like my milk supply is a little down.. Hope they work for you!
Good to know for the future. I wonder if they have chocolate chip? SO does this mean that if you feed some to your hubby he’ll be able to help you out in producing some breast milk too? LOL. Just kidding. By the way, I feel ya on the baking thing.
I so need those now… My son is 5 months and is eating sooo much more
I would so love to try those cookies! Right if I won I’d give em to my niece who is nursing and then keep em in mind for my other niece who is due in March and myself who hope to get pg next summer.
Thanks for highlighting these cookies!
dropcqueen at yahoo dot com
I am now Following @hardierlime on twitter
dropcqueen at yahoo dot com
Eating cookies for the benefit of my baby? I’m in!
I’ve wanted to try these, but I’m still pregnant & already leaking, so decided I better wait until I NEED the help producing milk! I’m hoping to find a good recipe to make my own.
Those look great! We made some with M&M’s in them. Had to hide those from the kids 😛
They look yummy!
How interesting! I’ve never even heard of lactation cookies, but any kind of cookie is a friend of mine. 🙂 I’ve got a nursing one-year-old who would appreciate a more abundant supply!
I would love to try these! I can’t breastfeed my 7-week old right now, but I’m pumping and freezing for when she gets a little older. Since I haven’t nursed in the past 2 weeks, my supply is now next to nothing. I’m not ready to run out!
And I’m following @hardierlime on Twitter ~ @jthomas327
The look delicious! Let us know if they work!!! Good for you for working so hard towards breastfeeding! It is a wonderful feeling when you make it to your goal, or even past it! Little girl and I have been doing it for over a year now!
I have to say, those look so yummy!!
I would love to know if they taste good and increase your milk supply! I want to try these! mrssgtwags@aol.com
those do look yummy. havent triedany milk enhancements yet
Ohhh how cool! I would love to win those! I am nursing my son who was born July 6th…just after lil J 🙂 I stay at home so my supply isn’t low, but I have started to notice that at the end of the day I am feeling pretty empty!
Oh, and I used Fenugreek when I nursed my daughter (for 13 months) and I remember being out and about one day and I kept smelling maple syrup…I could not figure out why, then when I lifted my arm and did a “smell check” I realized it was me! The fenugreek made me smell like pancakes…LOL I’m curious to see if it does the same for you, or if my body had a weird reaction
These look awesome! Who doesn’t love cookies? And when they can help with lactation? Awesome! Hope I win!
yum! I love lactation cookies & they really do help!!
I’ve wanted to make these cookies for awhile. I found the recipe online, but I haven’t had time to get to the store to get the ingredients. If I win the mix, it would be a lot easier.
I have made those before! I made them from scratch, and have a huge can of brewers yeast still in my pantry from it. A mix would have been so much smarter! These ones look really yummy!
What’s in them that helps with lactation? I LOVE oatmeal raisin, so I’d eat them anyway :).
This is a great tip for me! I’m 37 weeks with my last ( i think 🙂 baby and will be breastfeeding 🙂
Looks yummy.
First of all, I have been absolutely tickled to follow your blog since I found it a few weeks ago. So thanks for that! I’m already gung-ho about crafts and making stuff my daughter so this keeps me going! (Also glad to know other mamas get excited about this stuff too.)
Next, although I’ve never tried this brand of lactation cookie you blog about, as a previously lactating mama (for 3) I am all too familiar with this. I’m also a doula, so I not only do I have oodles of my own experience I also have evidence based research to back me up.
Here’s an EASY recipe to make your own OATMEAL RAISIN LACTATION COOKIES:
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies
1 cup *butter*
1 cup *sugar*
1 cup firmly packed *brown sugar*
4 tablespoons *water*
2 tablespoons *flax seed meal*
2 *eggs*
1 teaspoon *vanilla*
2 cups *flour*
1 teaspoon *baking soda*
1 teaspoon *salt*
3 cups *oats*
1 cup *chocolate chips*
2-4 tablespoons *brewer’s yeast*
Preheat oven to 350°.
1. Mix the flaxseed meal and water and let sit for 3-5 minutes.
2. Beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar well.
3. Add eggs and mix well.
4. Add flaxseed mix and vanilla; beat well.
5. Sift together flour, brewer’s yeast, baking soda, and salt.
6. Add dry ingredients to butter mix.
7. Stir in oats and chips.
8. Scoop onto baking sheet.
9. Bake for 12 minutes.
10. Let set for a couple minutes then remove from tray.
***************************
It is the flaxseed and brewers yeast that helps increase milk supply in many.
(I’m glad you don’t mind long comments ’cause I’ve got more…)
Ultimately, there is really only ONE way to healthfully increase your milk supply: EAT RIGHT, DRINK LOTS and SLEEP WELL. No, really.
So here’s my recipe:
Ingredients:
Food
Water
Rest
1. EAT. Make healthy choices and try to go for wholesome foods. Sometimes its easier to spread out food over several meals in a day but for those who work outside the home its not easy. Pack snacks – like almonds, fresh fruit (apples are yummy, stand up well to a beating in your purse, and satisfy the “crunch” craving), etc.
2. Drink tons and tons of water – you’re body needs it anyway. 64 ounces a day is ideal.
3. Rest and Sleep are foreign in the world of “new baby” but do what you can when you can. Can’t sleep during the day? Just lay down and close your eyes. Practice relaxation breathing techniques instead of napping (if you really cant sleep).
*It also helps to think about and look at a picture of baby when pumping.
Not sure if I’m a lunatic? =oD While my kids often make me question my own sanity, I do know that this stuff really works. Not only have I done it [all] (seriously, I make a special effort to try everything I might suggest to clients) but this stuff just makes sense. Looking at your baby helps release “happy feeling” hormones, ironically, the same ones that are needed to send messages from boob to brain to let the milk flow.
Happy lactating!
Angelina Leeks
http://www.doulaville.com
Oops! I forgot to mention that it is not a good idea (considered by many boobie pros) to use lactation enhancing teas. Many have experienced a rush of increased milk followed by very little.
In my own experiences using such teas (I won’t name names but the “popular” ones) caused my milk supply to increase by approx. 2 ounces each boob for 3 days worth of pumping (and drinking tea as recommended on the box). While I had more milk, I noticed that it was not the color nor consistency of my normal un-enhanced supply. It made my milk much thinner, nearly see-through-ish and tinted green (ew). After the third day of drinking the enhancing tea I no longer made more milk. The tint stayed until about a full 24 hours after drinking the last cup of tea. Afterward, I noticed little by little my supply diminishing until about a month later I hardly had any to pump.
Unfortunately I don’t have anything noteworthy to share about the effect of the enhanced milk on the baby (whether or not he seemed satisfied, the tint or funny odor bothered him) because I was a surrogate and was literally pumping for a baby I wombed, breastfed for 3 days and pumped for the next 3 or 4 months via FEDEX. Could the lack of a real baby have made a difference on my pumping? Absolutely. Are these results typical? Sadly, yes.
– Angie
mmm, they look delicious!! I am going back to work next week and have been kinda worried about not producing anough milk espescially since I will only be able to pump once during the day…so these cookies will absolutely help!! I never knew they existed so now that I do, I just MUST have them!!! 🙂
I also have experienced mood swings in my milk supply since returning to work, and would love to try these cookies. I’d never heard of them before. It’s still hard to get enough pumping sessions throughout the work day. I’ve had to take milk I pumped to the daycare during lunch a couple times because I foolishly didn’t build a freezer stash 🙁
If I don’t win maybe i’ll try and add some flaxseed to my normal cookie recipe and see if it helps. What’s brewers yeast though Angie? Is it different than active dry yeast, because I use that pretty frequently for breadsticks and things.
I was waiting for this post when you said you were going to buy some of these on Facebook. I’m glad they taste good. I would love these cookes, and I think I just might try the recipe another commenter left. I also read the tea comment and am I ever surprised. I bought some tea and had a cup the other day and had a pretty good supply after that, but I’ve been noticing a decrease. Hopefully it doesn’t continue!
sounds good!!!
I use to eat 2 bowls or old fashion oatmeal a day and took fenugreek to boost (well actually to create) my milk flow. Six week post-delivery, I decided I wanted to breastfeed. I had to CREATE a milk flow with a pump only since my little one would not latch (because there was no milk yet). I was able to boost from 2 bottles a day to 4 bottles a day but never got more than that. I think it’s because the real pump (my baby) never did latch. I’m proud to have continued to exclusively pump for the next 9 or so months of her life! Good luck, the cookies and the fenugreek WILL work (PS, pump more after eating the oatmeal and fenugreek and it works FASTER)
I can’t totally relate to losing milk! I’m still bitter about this:
http://chocolatemomrants.blogspot.com/2009/08/i-just-finished-crying-hysterically.html
Yum! My goal is to breastfeed for 12 months, and we’re 5 months in so far, after a rough start, but it’s going well now. If I don’t win, I’ll just have to buy my own batch, I really want to try these! 🙂
I’m following @HardierLime on Twitter! (@Butter22)
OH my goodness, those look delicous. I just had my baby yesterday (at 34 weeks) and as I am dreaming of my milk coming in as I pump for my little guy, this would be perfect! I may just have to give it a try!
I am not nor have I ever lactated, but those cookies look darn good! I’ll keep these in mind for the future 😉
I might have to order some of those before my due date. I always seemed to produce more milk when I breastfed directly. Pumping seemed to make my milk supply go down so I stopped after a month. Maybe these will help and I won’t have to always be a human bottle with this baby.
I am so going to order the cookie mix for my sister and I. We are both trying to increase our breastmilk supply. Her son has gone on a nursing strike and pumping is a nightmare! I am trying to get the courage to go back to work part-time and trying to increase my milk supply has been daunting. Pumping doesn’t seem to help with the increasing and besides, pumping just takes too long especially when you are a Mom to three children! I take fenugreek supplements which seem to be working, although, I seem to smell like maple syrup.
I am so very much ready to try the cookie thing. Bring on the cookies!!
Those look great!
Any reason to eat cookies sounds good to me! Much better than the herbal tea I have been drinking to help my supply!
These look pretty tasty! I am sure I’d love them as I usually drink the tea but having something to snack on would be bonus!