Do you need to increase your milk production? I have five delicious lactation recipes to share with you! And guess what: they’re not all cookies!
How I Increased My Breastmilk Supply Fast
When I was breastfeeding my first baby, I was constantly worried about my milk production and her intake. My oldest, now two years old, lost a little weight when she was about five months old, and that was scary!
I suspected a dip in my milk supply, and after consulting with a healthcare professional, I decided to try to boost my breastmilk production. I did these two things: nursing more and adding galactagogues to my diet.
1. Nurse, Nurse, Nurse
Breastmilk production works on the supply and demand principle. The greater the demand, the more your body will work to meet the demand.
To create more demand, simply pump or feed more. I increased my five-month-old’s nursing session by an extra five-ish minutes (which was about as long as we both could stand it!).
I also added a pumping session to our morning routine.
2. Eat Foods That Increase Supply
This is where our lactation recipes come in!
Foods and herbs that increase breastmilk supply are known as galactagogues. There are tons of lactation-increasing foods out there. Lactation recipes typically include one or more of galactagogues like these:
- oatmeal
- flaxseed
- brewer’s yeast
- coconut oil
- black sesame seeds
- fenugreek
- almonds
- barley
- chickpeas
- fennel
- green leafy vegetables
- garlic
Find out more on ways to double your milk supply, in this post on Entertain Your Toddler.
Eating well and nursing and pumping more helped me produce more milk for my little one. She gained weight, and by her next check-up, she was back to her normal percentile!
5 Crazy Good Lactation Recipes to Double Your Milk Supply Right now
Very Berry Lactation Smoothie
It’s winter as I’m writing this, and those frosty berries make me long for summer! Lactation smoothies are yummy and refreshing, and this one is from Fresh Milk Mama looks so tasty!
If you have a newborn, it can be tough to eat healthy. This very berry lactation smoothie has healthful ingredients like fruit, protein-packed Greek yogurt, oatmeal, flaxseed, and brewer’s yeast.
The galactagogue trifecta of rolled oats, ground flaxseed, and brewer’s yeast is a common thread among most lactation recipes, so get used to having these ingredients around.
Very Berry Lactation Smoothie
- 2/3 cup frozen berries
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 cup milk (dairy or plant)
- 1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 tsp brewer’s yeast
Toss all these ingredients in a blender and enjoy!
Overnight Oats for Lactation
Overnight oats are a great way to have creamy, dreamy, comforting oatmeal instantly ready in the morning. I prefer my oatmeal cold, so this recipe is right up my alley!
Oatmeal is a well-known galactagogue, but chia seeds and nut milks are also great for increasing milk supply. You can also add a spoonful of flaxseed if you really want to get the milk flowing!
Plus, overnight oatmeal is super easy to customize so you don’t get bored eating the same thing every morning!
Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup milk (cow’s, almond, cashew, or coconut)
- 1 Tbsp chia seeds
- 1 Tbsp honey (or any sweetener you like)
- 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Toppings for Overnight Oats
- granola
- shredded coconut
- roasted nuts
- chocolate chips
- chopped fresh fruit or berries
- dried fruit or raisins
5 Best Flavor Combos for Overnight Oats
- Chocolate banana oatmeal: Add 1/2 a cup of mashed banana and 2 Tbsp mini chocolate chips
- Chocolate peanut butter oatmeal: Add 2 Tbsp cocoa powder and 2 Tbsp peanut butter
- Maple French toast oatmeal: Substitute honey for maple syrup, add 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 a cup of mashed banana
- Mocha latte oatmeal: Substitute half the milk for brewed coffee and add an extra Tbsp of honey or other sweetener
- Apple cinnamon oatmeal: Add 1/2 cup of applesauce and 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Lactation Brownies
Brownies are my ultimate weakness. It’s why you’ll never find a pan of brownies at my house. I typically finish them by the next day!
These lactation brownies from Sugar & Soul are genius. Why? Because they take a standard brownie box mix and turn them into milk-making brownies.
The key is replacing liquids with coconut milk and adding oats, brewer’s yeast, and flaxseed meal. She also adds collagen peptides, which doesn’t boost milk supply, but does help with postpartum hair loss. May as well kill two birds with one stone, right?
Lactation Brownie Ingredients
- 1 box brownie mix
- Vegetable oil (could use coconut oil instead!)
- Coconut milk
- Egg
- Old-fashioned oatmeal
- Brewer’s yeast
- Collagen peptides
- Ground flaxseed
- Vanilla extract
- Chocolate chips
Check out the full recipe for lactation brownies at Sugar & Soul.
The Ultimate Lactation Cookie
This lactation cookie recipe is based off one of my all-time favorite oatmeal cookie recipes. It contains five different milk supply boosting ingredients, and it is absolutely delicious, even if you’re not lactating!
I love to double this recipe and freeze the extras for later!
The Ultimate Lactation Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut oil
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 1 1/3 cups dark brown sugar
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 Tbsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp brewer’s yeast (debittered)
- 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
- 2 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/2 cups chopped or slivered almonds (raw and unsalted)
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup dried cranberries
Bone Broth, Turmeric and Kale Chicken Soup
In Asian cultures, soup is commonly fed to nursing mothers to boost their milk supply and keep moms healthy. My mom made me a special soup called chicken tinola which includes bone broth and moringa leaves, which have lots of health benefits including increasing breastmilk supply!
Just about any soup I think could be turned into a “lactation soup” if it contains a few galactagogues and is good for you.
Here’s one from The Inspired Home that contains galactagogues to help amp up your milk production!
Bone broth, kale, turmeric, and farro, a whole grain, are the key ingredients to boosting milk supply in this version of chicken soup.
Bone Broth, Turmeric & Kale Chicken Soup Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Chicken thighs or breasts
- Onion
- Carrots
- Celery stalks
- Garlic cloves
- Pearled farro
- Roast chicken bone broth
- Fresh thyme
- Ground turmeric
- Kale
This can be made in your Instant Pot or slow cooker.
Check out the full recipe on The Inspired Home.
Which lactation recipe worked best for you?
Comment below!
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