Trialling the Effectiveness of Lactation Cookies by Measuring My Milk Supply

[PumpkinZulu]

I probably ate 3 or 4 a feed, cos I'm greedy. Fed every two hours. Actually, I'm amazed I never gained weight during that time! This was when DD was probably 5 months old. It was also the height of my supply. Feeding we every two hours at least, as well as pumping about a litre a day (2 sessions). Never thought that maybe the cookies might have contributed? But to answer your question, I ate 3-4 and was generous with the active ingredients.

[LuluHB]

I ate two this morning on the way out shopping. Five hours later and having fed Miss A once in that time on each side I sat down to feed her again and my bra and shirt are soaked.

The recipe says it makes 72 cookies but I obviously made much bigger ones because I only got 54.

So, two for me mid morning and TBH given the way my boobs are feeling I won't be eating any more today unless I start to feel really empty towards early evening. HTH

[Pholi]

Thanks, PZ and LuluHB.

PZ, pumping a litre a day??? Oh, boy, I'm sooo jealous! If I could do that, i wouldn't be bothering with the cookies!

LuluHB, sounds like they work pretty quickly for you.

[Frangipani Lou]

Hiya Pholi,
It's early days for bubs and I and I am still increasing my motillium and taking fenugreek and cumin seeds and eating lactation cookies. The dose for the cookies is 6-8 a day. Differently recipes would be different but mine is from our LC and that's the dosage given to us. I varied the recipe and took out the sugar and chocolate and used maple syrup and cinnamon instead for 1 batch and for the other batch I put organic raw dark chocolate that had bee sweetened with agave and some chopped figs.
Let me know If you'd like more details. If You PM me I'm more likely to see it :-)

[k4t]

I'm curious to see your results as cookies were one thing I never bothered with when I was struggling with supply.

But aside from that can I just give you a massive round of applause! Just pumping between every feed was enough to leave me totally exhausted and at the end of my tether. I have no idea how you're managing with all the weighs as well. Congratulations on working so hard for your bubba.

[AngelPants]

I think I was eating total of 8 or so a day.

[Ryatha]

I was eating 1-2 each feed and only just cooked them so they were still quite soft. I noticed a huge difference when I had them and soaked through everything. When DS was feeding I hold a cup under my other breast and collect about 40mls just from leakage

I also played around with the recipe and used butter or oil, different chocolates and carobs, dries fruit and nuts. My mum made me eat heaps of walnuts as she believes they help with the milk production as well.

If you want to know if your results are statistically significant it is possible to do a some sums and see the true % change. I seem to remember my statistics vaguely from university if you want help

Can't wait to see your next update!

[luna moth]

I ate about 1a feed, although not consistently. I just did it for something fun, and because DH won't scoff them all if they're "lactation" cookies! I was definitely a squirter when I made them, but I've never been able to let down for a pump, so no idea how that would have gone.

[~ Mylitta ~]

I'm a bit of a nerd and have a science degree, so I love the idea of determining the effect of the lactation cookies scientifically, lol. I wish I could do it, but it's a bit impossible for me with three kids feeding, hehe. I'll live vicariously through you

[BellyBelly]

I wonder how they would go with coconut oil. It is the worlds most healthiest oil, so many benefits, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties and then some - would make for some veeeery healthy cookies!

[nickle730]

I ate maybe 8-10 a day from the time DD2 was about 10 days old until she was about 2 months - the time during which I was working hard to establish my supply. I *think* I saw an improvement in supply, but it's difficult to say with certainty that the increase was due to the cookies! My supply should also have increased as my bub grew and demanded more from the breast. My supply also fluctuated depending on how much rest I had had, how much water I managed to drink, how active I had been during the day... I'll be interested to see your results!

Pholi, I have been in precisely your position (three times!) and I know how easy it is to become focused on how much milk you are producing. It is a hard slog to establish a supply, particularly after breast surgery. Feeding, pumping, measuring, weighing... Don't forget to look after yourself, cut yourself some slack and celebrate every success but accept that you may not reach every goal - you are still a success! And remember to take your cues from your baby - not from how many mls your boobs produce, what a book tells you or what someone else says you *should* be doing. Weighing after every feed seems excessive and puts a lot of pressure on you. Sometimes bub will be hungrier in the morning, sometimes in the evening and sometimes overnight. So a big gain after a feed one morning and less of a gain after the same feed the next day may not be significant but I worry it will cause you concern or feelings of failure. I know how easy it is to obsess about your boobs and those scales!

Finally, words of encouragement - I have had two breast reductions, classic anchor reductions with a total of 3-odd kg's removed in the first surgery. My youngest DD will be two next months... and we're still feeding! You can do, you ARE doing it... whatever happens, you are a BF mum!

[Ryatha]

I tried making a batch with coconut oil but they had to be kept in the fridge otherwise they fell apart lol

Tastes great though

[BellyBelly]

Bugger that they fell apart, but sounds like the dough would go well before I got to that stage lol! They sound so yum but I am scared to have them unless I get a low supply, lol!!!

[Ryatha]

I took them for a few weeks so I could build up my ebm supplies before returning to work. Helped a lot and then cut back on them when I had enough stored.

[Pholi]

Thanks for the dosage guidelines, people. It sounds like 1-2 per feed is a reasonable way to go, so that's what i'm doing - plus an extra one if I feel peckish in between.

thanks for the 'applause' k4t.

ryatha, I did some research as an undergraduate, long ago, but I can't remember quite how to do those confidence interval calculations, so yes, I might just need some help with that, thanks!!

nickle, I've read your history with interest on other related threads, and you are an inspiration, indeed. Thanks for your support, and you're right, hydration and rest play a big part, too. I know my evening feeds are bigger when I've had an afternoon nap. And I am a bit obsessed, I admit that, but I don't think, for me, there's any in between ground where I can feel confident that I have done , my best to establish as full a supply as possible, and not be breast-obsessed! It might seem excessive to be weighing as much as we are, but I actually feel far less stressed about it, being able to weigh him and know for sure how much I'm producing with one method of feeding vs another (eg, SNS vs bottle for top-ups), or whether or not an intervention is effective, like the lactation cookies. For example, I know, so far, that although double pumping has been established in research to be better for building supply than pumping both sides independently, it did not make a difference to my supply. Despite that, I continue to do it because it is more time efficient. But thank you for your concern.

mylitta, I knew the rest of us nerds would come out of hiding!!

[~ Mylitta ~]

mylitta, I knew the rest of us nerds would come out of hiding!!

Yup, hehe. Since reading this post I find myself often wondering what sort of scientific research I could do on my kids lol

[Frangipani Lou]

Pholi your a star being able to double pump! I find I must compress each Breast to get maximum output - any tips?

[Pholi]

Yes - I found the same thing, and was totally thrown by the logistics of trying to hold 2 bits of kit in place, and switch on the machine, and turn it up as I'm able to, AND do the compression/massage I needed to do to get all the milk out!

But I persisted - I found that as long as I sit in a chair with a footrest, I can put my foot or feet on the closest edge of the chair and therefore rest (actually, it's more like 'wedge') the bottom of the collection container on the top of my thigh/s (it helps if there are creases in your trousers to create a ridge to stop it slipping). Then I wriggle one hand over so that the inside of the bend of the elbow supports the top of the flange on that side, keeping the flange in contact by squeezing it in to my chest, and I use that hand to hold the flange on the opposite side. That frees up one hand for adjusting the machine or doing compression/massage. (Or playing Words With Friends ) I always massage the side being held by hand, not by elbow, as it's too easy to accidentally break the suction on the elbow side because the weird position on the elbow side means the contact and suction isn't even all the way round.

I have also found that, although I don't get more milk from double pumping, I get more milk without having to do nearly as much compression/massage. I find that double pumping gets as much milk as it can in about 6-7 minutes (where with single, it stopped after 1-2 minutes and then I needed to start compressing) and now I only compress for the last minute or two, and only get a tiny bit more milk from doing that. So now, I usually just do the elbow hold long enough to adjust the suction up to full (it takes me a minute or two to tolerate it, especially on my still-ulcerated right nipple) and then just hold each side in one hand for the first 7-8 minutes. That was I can sit up in a straighter position, which of course is better for my back, and means i don't have the weird flange-digging-in-to-the-underside-of-my-boob thing going on.

For me, it was worth persisting with double pumping, even though it hasn't unfortunately improved my supply at all. Even though it was only 10 minutes each side, cutting it by half by double pumping made a huge difference to how I felt about pumping, and I don't resent it nearly as much now. Being able to relax and not squeeze and poke and watch the milk coming out the whole time means my neck isn't so stiff from looking down all the time, and I can actually relax, watch TV, close my eyes and meditate, play a phone game or read a book at the same time. And of course being able to relax is a key for getting letdowns, which I think is why I get more out without all the compressions now!

I really hope it helps, and that you get all those benefits AND a boost to your supply!