Lactation cookies
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RBXChas
Posts: 2,708 Member
So I'm worried that my supply is suffering. I nurse constantly, so I know that's not it, but I'm convinced my supply isn't enough to carry my son through the night because he's waking up 4-5x/night every night for the past week or week and a half. I only pump 1-2x/week, and yesterday when I pumped after a feeding I barely got 2 oz. I used to get 3-5 oz even after a feeding. My dad is a pediatrician and told me that at this point (almost 12 weeks) he should be sleeping better than he is, and in the absence of some other issue (e.g., reflux), it's likely that he's not eating enough at night. I think he's probably right.
Galactagogues like fenugreek and blessed thistle don't work for me, so I made lactation cookies on Saturday night (two nights ago). I ate two right away, and it seemed to help (either that or it was just a coincidence). I felt fuller, and my son slept a little better than he had been. Yesterday I ate one in the morning and one in the evening, and it didn't seem to affect anything.
I eat 2000 calories/day and drink plenty of water.
I think I might need to eat two cookies at a time, maybe twice a day, to get the full effect. I suppose I can fit it into my diary (they're 130 calories apiece), but I worry about it busting my calorie goal and I stop losing (yet again). Next time I make them I might double the brewery's yeast and flaxseed meal.
Those of you who eat lactation cookies, how many do you eat and on what schedule?
Thanks!
Galactagogues like fenugreek and blessed thistle don't work for me, so I made lactation cookies on Saturday night (two nights ago). I ate two right away, and it seemed to help (either that or it was just a coincidence). I felt fuller, and my son slept a little better than he had been. Yesterday I ate one in the morning and one in the evening, and it didn't seem to affect anything.
I eat 2000 calories/day and drink plenty of water.
I think I might need to eat two cookies at a time, maybe twice a day, to get the full effect. I suppose I can fit it into my diary (they're 130 calories apiece), but I worry about it busting my calorie goal and I stop losing (yet again). Next time I make them I might double the brewery's yeast and flaxseed meal.
Those of you who eat lactation cookies, how many do you eat and on what schedule?
Thanks!
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Replies
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I get a much better response from a morning bowl of oatmeal (with ground flax) than I ever did/do with lactation cookies. I hadn't "squirted" in quite some time until I had oatmeal for breakfast twice in a row. Baby (6 months) popped off to look around and see who was in the room, and she got a face full of milk.
Another thing to consider is could it be a growth spurt? Or gearing up for one? There is one at 3 and 4 months both. Around that time for me it seemed like Baby Girl was feeding round the clock. By eating so often, it wasn't that my supply wasn't enough, it was that she was placing an order for more milk in the near future. Watch the baby--are his diapers ok? still gaining weight? is he relaxed and content after a feed?0 -
It might be a growth spurt and not a supply issue, as PP suggested. I eat lactation cookies and drink nursing teas. But honestly, breast milk digests quickly. My daughter, at 8 months, still nurses 3 times a night. I wouldn't worry about it unless your baby is losing weight.0
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I haven't weighed him in about a week. He was 13.6 lbs last Tuesday, and he will be 12 weeks this Thursday, so he's on the bigger side (he's also really long). He'll be 3 months on the 23rd. In the beginning he was sleeping better than he is now... He slept for 5.5 hours the night before my 6-week postpartum appointment, and his sleep has gotten progressively worse since. Last night he was up at 10:30, 12, 1:15, 2:15 (but didnt fall asleep until past 3), 4:30, 5:30, and we got up for the day at 6:15. So even if you consider 10:30 his true bedtime and 6:15 as waking up for the day, he was up five times. That just seems super excessive for a nearly 12-week-old, and I let him eat for 15-20 minutes each time (I have to keep him awake the whole time). It's been this bad for probably 2-3 weeks now. That's why I'm concerned that it's a supply issue and not a growth spurt.
I had two lactation cookies this morning around 7. He fell asleep after eating around 11:30, and at 12:30 I was able to pump. I got about 3.5 oz, which surprised me (yesterday I got about half an ounce). So perhaps the lactation cookies are doing their job. I made a bunch of mother's milk tea yesterday, which is in the fridge, since it can't hurt!0 -
I had also been eating steel cut oats for breakfast up until a couple of weeks ago. I have stopped eating it only because I keep forgetting to soak it overnight. If I don't do that, it takes forever and a day to make it, so I end up just eating something else out of convenience. Perhaps if I start eating the steel cut oats again, my supply will also increase as a result. Then between that, the lactation cookies, and the tea, I hope to be doing pretty well!0
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I had also been eating steel cut oats for breakfast up until a couple of weeks ago. I have stopped eating it only because I keep forgetting to soak it overnight. If I don't do that, it takes forever and a day to make it, so I end up just eating something else out of convenience. Perhaps if I start eating the steel cut oats again, my supply will also increase as a result. Then between that, the lactation cookies, and the tea, I hope to be doing pretty well!
Good luck!! Oats worked wonders for me when I was nursing!!0 -
Just an update on his weight... He is 13.4 lbs according to my scale. He was 13.6 lbs on the same scale last Tuesday, but that was after a big morning feeding, which may account for .2 lbs (or more). Plus growth and weight gain isn't linear, so I think he's ok on weight. He was 12 lbs 9 oz at the doctor's office on July 24th, so overall the trend has been upwards.
I'm not about to give up BFing, don't worry! I just want to get more sleep (even 2-3 wake-ups a night would be ok instead of 5!) and make sure I'm feeding him enough, plus I want to be able to pump to build up my stash.
I also forgot to mention that he has had two bottom teeth sitting right there since he was 7 weeks old, and now they're really close to coming out. He's drooling a lot and mouthing on his hands (even after refusing to eat, so I know that he's not rooting), so maybe they're bothering him, and that's the issue. Who knows?
Thanks so much for all your input!!!0 -
I wonder if it could be the early teething. I think I mentioned I know a woman whose 9 month old son still wakes up every 2-3 hours each night. He's formula fed, and a bog boy, so I'm sure he's getting enough calories. Anyway, he was an early teether. I think at 2 months. Just an idea. Gideon still doesn't have any teeth at 7 months and I am SO OK with that.0
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Well, the combo of oatmeal, lactation cookies, and mother's milk tea (I smell like a Waffle House) seems to have boosted my supply (either that or it's pure coincidence). However he still woke up a ton last night. He rubs his face and wakes himself up only to fall asleep within a minute of starting to eat. I read that babies do this a lot when they are teething. I never really had this problem with my older son because he was a late teether (first tooth ~8 months) and by that time was an awesome sleeper, plus he was formula-fed and a big boy. So with the exception of a big boy, everything is different this time, so I'm out of my element.
I guess I just have to push through! I weighed him this morning, too, and he was 14 lbs on one weigh-in and 14.4 on another. I'll split the difference and call it 14.2, but now I'm wondering if I subtracted incorrectly in my head yesterday. Either way his weight and gaining appear to be fine.0 -
Oh, and he poops either every day or every other day (sometimes twice in one day if he skips a day), but they are near-blowouts. My dad said that is very normal for a breastfed baby, so that would suggest that he is eating enough and that maybe I'm right on the teething thing. However I wanted to boost my supply anyway for pumping purposes. It was frustrating to go through all the trouble of pumping to get less than an ounce, like I did two days ago.
I forgot to add flaxseed meal to my oatmeal this morning, so I'll do that tomorrow
Thanks again for the suggestions!0 -
I just read about the 4-month sleep regression, which usually occurs between 2.5 and 4 months. It seems to fit him well, so combine that with teething and now a cold..,
My supply is much better now, though I'm still not able to pump a lot, which is fine, I guess.0 -
Is he always hungry when he wakes up each time? I was reading that babies sleep cycles are very short and can start to wake an hour after being put down. My daughter was doing that a lot and I thought she was hungry because she was stirring around in her sleep and making noise like she was hungry. I started just going in her room and laying my hand on her belly to comfort her and she would fall right back asleep. Now she only wakes once a night.
I think it's called the "wake to sleep" method.0 -
Did any of you ever wean off lactation cookies? I upped the brewer's yeast in mine (doubled it, and they still taste good), so I'm wondering if I should cut back to 2 cookies a day instead of four. I'd like to wean myself off them completely and maybe have them every now and again as a boost, but I'm worried my supply will suffer. As much as I love eating them, I think they may be hindering my weight loss. They comprise 520 of my daily calories and are chock full of sugar!
Does anyone have any experience eating lactation cookies regularly and then slowing down on them or stopping?0 -
lactation cookies? This is the first I've ever heard of these. I'm intrigued. I need to google this.
Seeing that you only eat 1200cal and need to 105lb ... plus breastfeeding isn't too low in calories?0 -
lactation cookies? This is the first I've ever heard of these. I'm intrigued. I need to google this.
Seeing that you only eat 1200cal and need to 105lb ... plus breastfeeding isn't too low in calories?
I'm eating 1800 calories. I have 52 lbs to my lowest weight before, then about 19 to UGW, but I'm not sure if that UGW is reasonable or attainable. I was pretty small 52 lbs ago but definitely needed to tone up!
To move from 2000 to 1800, I basically had to cut two lactation cookies/day, so now I only eat two per day, one in the morning and one in the evening.
ETA that I'm not sure where you read 1200, but if I wrote that, I was mistaken, and I apologize!0 -
Ah ok, yes my mistake I thought you were eating only 1200calories. Sorry for the mistake.
I googled the lactation cookies, interesting idea. Maybe I'll try them this weekend!0
