If you're a breastfeeding mama, maintaining a healthy milk supply is probably at the forefront of your mind most days. I know I think about it often, maybe too often. But when breast milk is your baby's only form of sustenance, how can you not constantly think about it? It's a full-time job to sustain a decent milk supply and finding a reasonable balance isn't always easy. I should know, I'm on round three of nursing a little one!
To keep the milk flowing, I guzzle close to a gallon of water throughout the day and am mindful to consume enough calories. I don't want just any calories though—I want nutritious foods that will aid my body in healing from birth and strengthen my milk supply. There are specific foods that do this best—often referred to as "galactagogues"—and with a little bit of planning, those galactagogues can find their way into many recipes.
I have a few favorite galactogugue-based recipes in my personal repertoire, but I polled my mama friends for some new ideas. They totally came through with great recommendations with a bevy of links and recipe resources! Consider this your official snack planning for the upcoming week. If you ask me, I don't think the job of maintaining a healthy milk supply has ever looked so good! Pair this list with the trick that will change your breastfeeding life, and you're golden.
Gluten-Free Cranberry Almond Lactation Cookies via True Confessions of a Real Mommy — We're experimenting with a gluten free diet for my daughter so I'm thrilled to have this recipe handy for both her and I to try.
Bacon Cheddar Lactation Muffins via Natural Parents Network — You better believe I'll be munching on these later this week!
Slow-Cooker Apple Oatmeal — Oatmeal not only boosts milk supply, it's a great way to start the morning with a full, warm belly!
Vegan Apple Pie Muffins via Suburban Hippie Homestead — Such a healthy and delicious treat!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Lactation Boosting Smoothie via We're Parents — By now, you're probably noticing that oats and flax are great additions to any recipe if you're wanting to boost your supply. And chocolate never hurts, either!
No Potato Salad via The Maui Mama — This is a wonderful gateway recipe for trying out fennel, a known galactagogue.
Lactation Brownies via Coweta Fayette Families — I've known some mamas who have taken shots of brewer's yeast. It works, but it doesn't taste good. AT. ALL. But brownies, they'll mask the brewer's yeast flavor in a jif!
Lorin's Banana Bread For Nursing Mothers via Chowhound — This recipe incorporates fenugreek, an herb that helps increase milk supply.
Strawberry Oatmeal Smoothie via Yummy Healthy Easy — We can't eat baked goods all day long (or can we?), so when you feel called to put down the cookies, you can still boost your supply with a fresh smoothie like this one!
Hearty Lentil Stew via The Boho Mama — I promise, you'll want seconds of this cozy dish. The Boho Mama also blogged for 31 days about making more milk—a must-read.
Last, but not least, if your baby is keeping you from the kitchen or if you're a simply too tired to mix up a batch of cookies, my friend Sarah offered some amazing advice, "I swear by a beer. A nice cold beer. After I put the little one to bed, I'll have a dark beer and am usually nice and full by morning. I think it's the combination of the yeast and the relaxing factor!"
Cheers to more milk!
