Lactation Cookies: Myth or Miracle?
I won't beat around the bush, mamas.
I've never struggled with my milk supply.
From day 3 when my milk came gushing in, my overactive letdown was my only supply issue. Not a walk in the park by any stretch, as a fast letdown also has its challenges for mum and bub alike, so you're probably wondering why I'm writing about lactation cookies...
Well, there are times where I notice a drop in my supply and have found lactation cookies beneficial, like when:
- I'm sick (heyyy gastro!)
- My baby is going through a growth spurt
- Or when I just want to boost my supply if I have an event that I'm pumping like crazy for so I can have a night away from my babe.
My first supply drop happened at the good ol' 4 month growth/developmental leap. My daughter was constantly feeding and after each letdown, I felt like she wasn't drinking as much as usual.
I wasn't worried, but I thought trying lactation cookies couldn't hurt, because... cookies. Who doesn't love munching on a sweet delicious treat in the hopes they also boost your supply?
I couldn't be effed baking my own, so I turned to a fairly new company (at the time) called Made to Milk. I've been following Talissa's journey since she launched her little biz, and the glowing reviews had me sold. I purchased a pre-baked batch of choc chip deliciousness as well as a DIY packet mix for down the track.
I had 2 cookies the day they arrived (NOM!). They were so delicious, I really had to stop myself eating more so I could space them out over a few days to get the most benefit from them.
By day two, and four cookies down, I noticed a HUGE difference in my supply. Like, my baby was gulping so fast to keep up with how much milk was coming out!
I dropped down to 1 cookie a day for the next few days, until I felt like I'd 'weathered the developmental storm'. I did notice my supply settle again when I reduced the number of cookies I ate and spaced them out over more days.
So in my experience, lactation cookies work. Every mamas journey is different though and I highly recommend seeing an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (yes, there *are* not-so-great LC's out there, but I'll save that for another blog post!) especially if you're concerned about your babe's urine output.
Happy breastfeeding!