Lactation Cookie Recipes

September 29th, 2011 by tbailey

Lactation cookies are great gifts for new nursing mothers. They are full of nutrition to support nursing and have some ingredients known to gently boost supply. Here are two recipes for lactation cookies. The first is a recipe for Major Milk Makin’ (galactagogue) cookies. This one has just a touch more omega-3, protein, and iron than other lactation cookies. It was created by Kathleen Major, PNP, RN, in conjunction with a local lactation specialist and La Leche League leader in the Cedar Valley (IA) hospitals in the early 1990s when Major was focusing her practice on pediatric health. The second is from the writer of the blog Peaceful Parenting. Both recipes were copied from that blog and found here.

Major Milk Makin’ Cookies

Recipe by Kathleen Major

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1 3/4 c. oats

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3/4 c. almond butter or peanut butter

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 c. flax

3 T brewer’s yeast

1/3 c. water

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 large eggs

2 c. (12oz) chocolate chips

1 c. chopped nuts of your choice

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a bowl.

In a large bowl, beat almond butter, butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, brewer’s yeast, flax and water until creamy.

Mix in eggs.

Gradually beat in flour mixture.

Mix in nuts and chocolate chips.

Add oats slowly, mixing along the way.

Place balls of dough onto greased baking sheets or baking stones.

Press down each ball lightly with a fork.

Bake 12 minutes.

 

Momma’s Milk Cookies

recipe by Danelle Frisbie

2 eggs

1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce

1 c. flax

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. melted butter

2 c. Agave nectar

3/4 c. walnuts (crushed)

2 c. chocolate chips

3/4 c. raisins

4 T water

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

4 T brewer’s yeast

3 c. oats

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

I have found greased cookie sheets work best, but you can also use parchment lined sheets or a baking stone.

In a bowl mix flax and water until thoroughly mixed.

In a large bowl mix flour, baking soda, salt and brewer’s yeast.

In another bowl mix together butter and ONE cup Agave nectar (the other cup will be used later). Stir well until the butter and nectar are completely mixed.

Add eggs to the nectar mix, stirring well after each one.

Add vanilla, stir.

Add the nectar blend to the flax and mix well. (A hand mixer or mixing bowl works best)

Pour the nectar/flax blend into the large bowl of flour and mix well.

Mix in walnuts, chocolate chips, raisins.

Mix in oats.

After everything is blended together well, add the applesauce and final 1 cup of Agave nectar and stir through well.

Scoop onto sheets, and press down each ball of dough lightly with a fork.

Bake 13-14 minutes.

 

Vegan options for both recipes:

In place of eggs – 3 tsp of egg replacer mixed with 4 T water OR 4 tsp of milled flax with 4 T water.

In place of butter – butter substitute like Earth Balance OR 3/4 the amount worth of Canola oil or Crisco (although Crisco is not a healthy option) OR 1/2 c. milled flax and 1/2 c. applesauce

 

Birth

September 28th, 2011 by tbailey

Buddhism regards birth as one of the four inescapable sufferings of human life. The others being: old age, sickness and death. I hope that  I can ease the passage of birth for the mother or baby. I try to help the father and family through the birth. I assist mom and baby with breastfeeding. If I can help make this transition from pregnancy to family life a satisfying one, that I have done my job as a doula. Then I feel that I have added to the happiness of the world, one birth and one family at a time.

Save the Date for our Homebirth Conference

September 26th, 2011 by tbailey
“Heart and Hands” Doula Service is having our next conference.

Save the Date! March 24th, 2012 the 12th Annual Family Centered Maternity Care Conference will be at the Doubletree Hotel in Monroeville. Featuring renowned homebirth midwife, Tonya Brooks of The Natural Birth and Women’s Center in southern California. She has caught over 5000 babies, and has devoted her career to making homebirth a safe option for mothers and babies, as well as researching risks and benefits of modern obstetric practice. It should be an amazing, and informative conference.

The Worst Baby Shower Cake Ideas Ever!

September 23rd, 2011 by tbailey

Doulas are always hearing about baby showers and other preparations for meeting the baby. We enjoy blessing way ceremonies ourselves. More on those later. I enjoy the humorous blog: Cake Wrecks  – when professional cakes go horribly, hilariously wrong. She is always posting frighteningly real birth  and cesarean  birth cakes that people get for their baby showers. Her objection and mine: what makes the baker think these cakes are appetizing? They are hilarious, though. Especially if you aren’t having them at a shower you are attending. Be warned, these are really creepy! Did I say really creepy? I am not kidding here folks! Check them out if you dare!

Learning to Spin Babies

August 10th, 2011 by tbailey

Yesterday I joined some friends in the birthing community in learning techniques for spinning babies from Gail Tulley. We were shown many techniques to help a pregnant mom get her baby into an optimal position for birth. One of my favorites was the forward leaning inversion. Gail said, one inversion a day for 30 seconds each, is good for the round ligaments and helping position the baby.

Pregnant mother showing us a forward leaning inversion.

After the mother inverts herself, she gently crawls down and then sits up fairly quickly. This helps her balance the round ligaments holding her uterus in place. If her uterus is in balance, her baby will find the optimal position for his birth! It was a fascinating class. I’m going to practice these elements so that I can offer them to the mothers that I help with birth.