With my first born I had a lot of trouble breastfeeding. I mean A LOT.
It felt like we had all the problems. I had a c-section with him and it took a while for my milk to come in, I didn’t know about pumping so I didn’t really do it. I was given a nipple-shield without really knowing what I was doing with it or how it could negatively impact my supply. He was then diagnosed with failure to thrive and had to be supplemented with formula for a couple weeks…I could go on, but that’s a different post! I drank the tea, ate oatmeal daily, took the supplements and learned everything I could about breastfeeding and I was able to go on to exclusively breastfeed successfully with him.
However, I VOWED next time would be different, and thankfully it has been!!
That said, I still have some of that fear and insecurity leftover from my earlier experience and have been proactively making sure I have a good supply this time around. I found a supportive network, I am nursing on demand, pumping since day one and eating these delicious cookies in the early weeks to establish a robust milk supply. They have what I’ve been calling the “Magic Trio” of healthy ingredients. I even had a batch frozen for when I got home from the hospital.
When I first started looking for a great lactation cookie recipe, I was discouraged because they all seemed to have so much white and brown sugar. As much as two cups! Brewers yeast doesn’t taste great on it’s own, so I’m sure that’s why, but it was important to me to create a recipe with less sugar and still have a great taste. The last thing a new mom needs is to have a sugar crash after eating a snack. In my recipe, I use cinnamon, maple syrup and vanilla extract to cover the brewers yeast. The chocolate chips help too!
Now there really isn’t any evidence to support that these work to boost your supply, but I believe they do and the chubby cheeks on my sweet babe is a good enough testament for me.
Maple Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 6 tablespoons brewer’s yeast
- 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 TBSP ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon Himalayan pink sea salt
- ½ cup unrefined virgin coconut oil melted
- ¾ -1 cup maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips. raisins or nuts
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 350F
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, yeast, flaxseeds, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- In another medium bowl mix together the coconut oil, maple syrup, eggs and vanilla.
- Gradually add to the dry ingredients mixing until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips until combined.
- Using an ice cream scoop or heaping 1 tablespoon measure, scoop the dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes, until golden brown.
They taste great too! The last time I made them, my husband ate five in one sitting. I told him that meant he had to do five night feedings with the baby! Ha! Turns out it doesn’t work that way. 🙂
Do you have a tried and true recipe to support healthy lactation?
Recipe adapted from http://weelicious.com/2016/01/11/lactation-cookies-recipe
I have oat flour, coconut flour, or all purpose flour. Will any of these work as a flour substitute?
Do these taste of coconut?