Recently, my breastfeeding friend asked me do lactation cookies work in 2019? Recalling my previous breastfeeding journeys, I remember feeling depressed and worried that my low milk supply may not be sufficient for my little one.
I do not want to switch to formula as I know my breast milk is the best nutrition at least for the first 9 months. At that point in time, I went on to do my own research and also seek lactation consultant advice on what options are available when I came across the magical food lactation cookies.
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Lactation Cookies sometimes called breastfeeding cookies or breast feeding biscuits specifically helps to increase a lactating mother’s milk supply in a short span of time. They look and taste almost the same as the normal cookies in the market.
The ingredients commonly found in lactation cookies liked brewer’s yeast, wheat germ, flaxseed meal and whole oats helps to increase milk supply for breastfeeding. They are high in nutrients and anyone can eat these breastfeeding cookies.
Brewers yeast has been recognised as a galactagogue, which is a herb, food or medication that helps to increase milk supply for mothers. However, the benefits and effects are still yet to be scientifically proven. Brewers yeast comes in multiple forms like tablets or powder in the market.
If you are looking to create gluten free lactation cookies and omit brewers yeast as an ingredient, you can use nutritional yeast as a replacement. However, do note that nutritional yeast tastes like cheese and you may like to limit the amount to avoid cheesy cookies!
Based on my research and information from forums, most mummies normally take between 3 – 6 cookies a day to increase milk supply. The reasons why you should not exceed 6 a day is because the extra calorie intake may cause you to gain unnecessary weight.
There are around 145 calories for each lactation cookie intake. Some of the ingredients in the breastfeeding cookie contain butter and sugar which can cause you to gain weight. It is recommended to limit the intake, exercise and breastfeed to prevent unnecessary weight gain.
Lactation cookies may cause bloating and gas for some people. The main cause is because these breast feeding biscuits contains brewers yeast which is made from a type of fungus. It has an impact on your digestive system.similar to a probiotic and supports digestion.
If you have never taken brewers yeast, a sudden increase of intake will cause gas as your digestive system have not been exposed to such large quantities of fungus before. Another culprit would be wheat germ in the lactation cookies.
They are high in fiber and is a type of carbohydrate which may cause gas. It is important to check the ingredients of your breastfeeding cookies and limit your intake accordingly to avoid any gas bombs embarrassments.
You can eat lactation cookies before birth but you may need to take note of the ingredients inside them. For example, if your lactation cookies contain ingredients like fenugreek, you should avoid taking them during pregnancy cause it may cause contractions.
According to a Certified Lactation Counselor, your body only starts the milk production 2-3 days before giving birth. (Source) So technically taking lactation cookies before birth doesn’t really help to boost your milk supply.
The answer is yes. You can eat lactation cookies and you will not suddenly produce milk if you are not breastfeeding. If your goal of eating these lactation cookies is not to increase milk supply, you can omit the brewers yeast if you are baking them yourself.
Taking breast feeding biscuits is just one of several ways to increase your milk supply naturally. There are also some best foods to increase milk supply You may also like to consider power pumping and drink more water to increase breast milk supply.
The best lactation cookies to increase milk supply is obviously those that you made yourself. It is because you have full control of the ingredients within these breastfeeding cookies. However, based on my own experience, it is already very tiring to be a breastfeeding mummy.
You may not have the time and energy to make your own. Out of convenience, most of the lactation cookies I consumed are bought from off the shelf. I only occasionally try to make it for myself out of curiosity and fun.
For those mummies that like to get their hands dirty, there are many types of lactation cookies recipes in the market and I would like to touch on the most common ones I see from the mummies forum and online.
For mummies who are not keen to make the breastfeeding biscuits yourself, you can skip the recipes section. I would share information about where to buy lactation cookies that are popular in the market now.
| Image | Name | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Lactation Cookie Mix Gluten & Soy free | See Availability in Amazon | |
| Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookie Mix | Check out the best deals in Amazon | |
| Milkmakers Lactation Cookie Bites, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip | Buy It On Amazon | |
| Majka Lactation Bites for Nursing Moms | Get it now on Amazon.com |
This is a lactation cookies recipe without brewers yeast. A typical recipe would contain the following ingredients
If you are looking for a premix of the ingredients mentioned above, Ella Belle has a premade Lactation Cookie Mix which is Gluten Free and Soy Free. Their Gluten free lactation cookie mix is made with gluten free flour, gluten free brewer’s yeast, flax seed, gluten free rolled oats and soy free chocolate chips.
This is highly recommended if your baby has an intolerance to Wheat, Soy & Dairy and you are looking for breastfeeding cookies made from all natural ingredients.
Peanut butter lactation cookies is a bit different from the typical chocolate breast feeding biscuits. You add on extra peanut butter and chips into your recipe. As it is not a gluten free recipe, we would also add brewers yeast as one of the ingredients. A typical recipe would contain the following ingredients
One type of lactation cookie mix recipe is the oatmeal chocolate chip lactation cookies. A typical receipe would contain the following ingredients.
If you are looking for a premix of the ingredients mentioned above, Oatmeal Chocolate chip Lactation Cookie Mix is one of the best choices. They are USDA Certified Organic with natural superfood ingredients to support your breastfeeding efforts. They taste delicious and are easy to make. You can make 24 small cookies or 12 standard size cookies within 11 mins if you follow their instructions exactly.
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The last recipe I would like to touch on is the no bake lactation cookies. They only take a few minutes to make and does not require any cooking. This may be something for breastfeeding mums to consider who wants to save time and energy.
I have tried this myself and it is fast and easy. I have gotten most of the ingredients from Amazon and I would include the links in the ingredients list for your convenience.
The main difference for no bake lactation cookies is that they don’t require baking and also perform the same function of increasing lactation.
Lactation cookies should be commonly available in your local stores. For my case, as I do not want to step out of the house and prefer convenience, I normally just order from online stores like Amazon.
They have a lot of choices for me and ship directly to my house. You can buy and try different flavors and decide which one suits your taste. Another thing to consider will be what ingredients are inside the breastfeeding cookies.
The Milkmakers lactation cookie bites are one of the most popular lactation cookie bites among mommies. The product is recommended by the lactation consultant and has all the key ingredients traditionally used to support breast milk supply. These crunchy breastfeeding cookies taste fantastic over chewy cookies.
Many mummies in forum feedback they notice an increase of milk supply within a few days of consuming it. However, do note that it may have different effects on different individuals. The only downside of this product is too much consumption may cause lots of gas and increase unnecessary weight
Majka Lactation bites are breast feeding biscuits with no unnecessary ingredients or preservatives. If you are looking for a Gluten Free, Vegan, and Soy Free lactation snack to increase milk supply, this will be your best choice. It is a great vegetarian whole food that is high in galactagogues to support healthy lactation for you. You can try both their original or chocolate and see which suits your taste. The only downside may be that the product is a bit pricey.
There you go, I hope this guide has given you enough information to understand how do lactation cookies work to boost your breastfeeding efforts. Does lactation cookies help to boost your milk supply? Leave a comment below. You may also be keen on Breastfeeding Pain Relief for Nipples and if you plan to travel with your little one, check out Best Stroller for Air Travel.
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