What You Need To Know About Lactation Cookies and Breastfeeding

When you had your little one, you probably had mums, aunties, cousins, cousins of a cousin in-laws, friends etc advising you what to eat to produce more milk. You may have heard a combination of the following: methi (fenugreek), haldi (turmeric), warm drinks, no potatoes, lots of spinach, fennel – you know the drill. But did you ever hear about lactation cookies?

Lactation cookies are a fairly new phenomenon and are touted to be packed with  galactagogues. Galacta-what? Galactagogues. Ingredients that are known to be milk enhancing. Whilst there aren’t many studies out there that support that certain foods – in this instance, lactation cookies – increase milk volume supply, there are plenty of anecdotes from women who have had a positive experience with consuming them. Plus, cookies are always a good idea. 

Related: 6 Top Tips on How to Prepare For Breastfeeding

So what makes lactation cookies a galactagogue? Well, the main components usually tend to be flaxseed, fenugreek, oats and brewer’s yeast – all of which are fantastic for a breastfeeding mum. 

Flaxseed: a fantastic source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and the higher the concentration in the mother’s milk, the better the development of the feeding baby’s immune system. It also contains vitamin E and B, calcium and potassium. 

Fenugreek: Having been used for centuries for increasing breastmilk supply, fenugreek aka methi is one of the holy grails of galactagogues. According to research, it is more effective on early milk supply though rather than mature milk. The only downside is that you may smell particularly funky after ingesting. 

Oats: These healthy and nutritious wholegrains contain saponins, a substance that has a positive effect on the hormones that are related to breast milk production. They also contain plant estrogen which stimulates the milk glands and beta-glucan that raises the level of prolactin, a breastfeeding hormone. 

Brewer’s Yeast: Brewer’s Yeast is known to be a superfood as it contains many B vitamins (except B12), key amino acids, phosphorus, selenium and chromium, all of which boost milk supply. It also packs a punch of energy to exhausted mums out there and nourishes the skin and hair. 

Related: 10 Untold Truths of Breastfeeding

Okay, okay, enough scientific chit chat. We know you’re here for those delicious cookies so we’re rounded up a few recipes for lactation cookies that are worth checking out.

Lactation Cookie Recipes

Ambitious Kitchen 

Amirah of @thatgirlmums swears by these cookies in helping boost her supply and coming from an actual baker, that means they’re good. Not only are they tasty but they are gluten free and dairy free too!

Recipe: https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/best-lactation-cookies/

How Sweet Eats 

Jessica Merchant from How Sweet Eats devised this cookie recipe after her son was born in 2015 and wow, did it blow up on the internet. They’re crisp, gooey, chocolatey and great for your milk supply too.

Recipe: https://www.howsweeteats.com/2015/02/lactation-cookies/

The Original Miracle Milkookies Recipe

What started as a blog post in 2015, this recipe for lactation cookies went viral and eventually became a successful business known as Miracle Milkookies. Instead of pulling down the recipe from her website, the owner, Whitney, decided to keep it up so that others can have a go at them too. 

Recipe: https://miraclemilkookies.com/pages/recipe

If you don’t fancy making them yourself, you can always opt to buy readymade lactation cookies!

Lactation Cookies To Buy

Boobix 

With over 20,000 happy mums, there’s no going wrong with Boobix’s lactation cookies. Not only do they do cookies but you can find bars and lactation drinks too. You can find the classic flavours like Chocolate and Oats, Oatmeal and Raisin, and also White Chocolate and Salted Caramel, and Double Chocolate too. These ones aren’t too calories dense either! 

Cost: £8.50 for a pack of 10 cookies
Website: https://www.boobbix.co.uk/collections 

Mothers Loves Cookies

Mothers Loves Cookies takes a step away from the same ol’ lactation cookie recipe and incorporates ingredients like toasted coconut, orange and dark chocolate, peanut butter etc. You can even sign up to their monthly subscription service where you’ll receive a box of different cookies every week!

Cost: £65 for the monthly subscription service otherwise £14.95 for a box of 14 cookies.
Website: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/MothersLoveCookies?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=563584587 

Mrs Milk 

Mrs Milk started when owner, Natalie, needed a way to boost her supply so got researching on the best way to boost milk supply and that’s when her lactation bars were created. The products also have a halal certified! The bars are made with the typical ingredients to help milk production: oats, brewers yeast, fenugreek, seeds and more. All swirled together with dark chocolate and these are an absolute delight to tuck into between feeds. 

Cost: £19.95 for 10 lactation bars
Website: https://www.mrsmilk.co.uk/collections/classic-lactation-oat-bars/products/10-pack-classic-dark-chocolate-mrs-milk-lactation-oat-bar

Bee & Bear Bakery

Move over lactation cookies, here comes lactation brownies. Yup, gooey, chocolatey brownies packed with all the good galactagogues (think brewers yeast, oats, nuts etc.). They make for the perfect gift box for a new mum friend of yours. 

Cost: £20 for a box of 12 brownies
Website: https://beeandbearbakery.co.uk/collections/lactation-brownies/products/lactation-brownies

Disclaimer: If you are experiencing a low milk supply, it is best to seek an appointment with a lactation consultant. Lactation cookies are a great supplement to your diet whilst breastfeeding and shouldn’t be solely relied on to produce milk. 

Were lactation cookies a yay or a ney for you in your breastfeeding journey? Let us know in the comment section below!