Curb your hunger and boost your milk supply with these yummy lactation cookies.

If you are breastfeeding then you know that hunger is real right now! Especially in the first couple months as your body gets used to feeding another human. I’m currently 7 weeks postpartum and I’m still hungry all.the.time. And it’s really important to me to nurse Shep for a long time so keeping my milk supply up is always at the top of my mind.

Your body is burning a lot of calories when you nurse and to produce the milk so it’s important to be eating enough calories yourself to keep up with the demand and keep your energy levels up. It’s said that you burn 300-500 calories a day from breastfeeding. No wonder I’m always hungry.

These cookies are dense --in a good way. There are a lot of good for you ingredients in them and the oats makes them taste a little crunchy too. They are also made with quality ingredients and low in sugar so you can curve your cravings for something sweet and boost your milk supply all at the same time.

If you’re a new mom or know of a new mom, these would be the perfect gift to bring them. Food is 100% my love language and when I’m nursing + starving these are a lifesaver. Plus, they are also boosting my milk supply which is a total win win situation.

What make these cookies gluten-free?

I highly recommend making these gluten free. Baby’s tummies are so sensitive and if you’re nursing, baby is getting everything you’re eating. And many babies are sensitive to gluten. It’s really not that difficult to make these gluten free you just need to make sure some of the products you buy are in fact gluten free.

For instance, oats are naturally gluten-free but because of the way they process them they are contaminated with gluten. Just grab oats that have the gluten-free label on the front.

I didn’t realize this but not all brewers yeast is gluten free. So be sure you get a brewers yeast that is gluten free. Anthony’s Brewer’s Yeast is the one I use and recommend.

All of the other ingredients are naturally gluten free so you won’t have to worry about finding anything specific for that! If you are sensitive or trying to cut out certain foods you can grab dairy free, soy free, gluten free mini chocolate chips here.

How to store the cookies:

I personally love the convenience of having these cookies made. These newborn days are all about having easy and simple snacks available. I store my cookies in the freezer in a freezer zip lock bag. That way they will last a while and I personally love them frozen. If you don’t freeze them I do recommend keeping them in the fridge.

Do lactation cookies really help boost milk supply?

Shep decided to sleep over 7 hours one night, which was glorious by the way, but it did leave my milk supply low. Instead of freaking out, I ate 3 cookies that day, drank a ton of water, and my milk supply was back up. I really do think these cookies help a lot with lactation. So if you are struggling or just want to keep your supply up – enjoy 2-3 cookies a day.

What’s in the lactation cookies?

Oats: Oats are a great source of iron and when you’re nursing a lack of iron can cause a decrease in milk supply.

Brewers Yeast: Brewers yeast is known to promote and increase milk supply. It is also high in Vitamin B and is known to increase energy levels and combat the baby blues.

Chocolate: No, unfortunately chocolate does not increase milk supply but I wanted to make talk about chocolate because it can irritate baby’s stomach and make reflux worse if your baby has it. I have been dealing with this myself and talked all about natural ways to cure infant reflux on my IGTV channel on Instagram.

If you think your baby is suffering from reflux I highly recommend taking chocolate out to see if that helps his symptoms at all.

Flaxseed meal: Flax seeds contain a lot of essential fatty acids and are high in fiber. And they contain phytoestrogens that are known to boost milk supply.