Will cookies increase my milk supply?

There are a LOT of products out on the market to increase milk supply. There are drinks, brownies, cookies, energy bars, teas, gummies and pills. Everyone seems to be selling something that will easily increase your supply, all you need to do is give them money. The biggest problem here is that not everyone with a low milk supply has the same issue.

So what can cause low milk supply? There are the basic things like not enough stimulation/expression, delaying starting breastfeeding or pumping, lack of contact with the baby. Then there are many medical issues that can effect supply such as retained placenta, thyroid dysfunction, PCOS, Insulin resistance, low iron, nutrient deficiencies and more. When you think about all the different causes how is one product supposed to address all these needs, or address YOUR needs?

Here are the ingredients in one lactation brownie: INGREDIENTS: Sugar, Pasteurized Egg, Refined Vegetable Oil, Wheat Flour, Cocoa, Nutritional Yeast, Water, Glycerin, Organic Whole Flaxseed, 100% Natural Raw Wheat Germ, Dried Brewers Yeast, Natural Flavor (Vanilla).

First if you know how to bake this isn’t hard and you can make a whole tray of 12 brownies for much less than the $35 plus shipping! Second, nothing in this is going to address the root causes of low supply, so let’s look briefly at each one (I can see some deep dive blog posts for each one later already coming to me!).

First, we have lack of stimulation/expression. No amount of brownie, tea or cookie is going to to replace the body’s need for stimulation to make milk. The rapid change in hormones form birth does jump start milk supply, but without frequent stimulation and removal of milk, the body will stop making milk. Our bodies are smart, they aren’t going to take energy to make something that isn’t needed.

Retained placenta affects supply because it blocks that rapid shift in hormones. While delivering the baby causes hormones to change, the placenta leaving your body is an even bigger trigger. This is also essential for your health- to cause uterine contractions and stop bleeding. It is also necessary for hormone changes that stimulate the production of milk.

Thyroid dysfunction is a BIG cause of low milk supply and so common right now. In my practice, I am seeing a lot of clients with undiagnosed hypothyroidism most often, alothough some hyperthyroidism or thyroiditis as well. Getting adewuate labs drawn (NOT just a TSH) is the first step. Then once a client has their labs showing thyroid dysfunciton, a referral to knowledgable provider is a must. No one should be told to “eat healthy and come back in 6 months” when their thyroid isn’t funcitoning well.

PCOS is an obvious root cause of supply issues, it’s all about hormones! IF your homrones are out of whack you are going to have trouble making milk. PCOS also is a common cause of difficulty conceiving, so many of my clients already know that they have PCOS when I start working with them, which helps. The sooner someone knows about hormone issues the sooner they can start making diet and lifestyle changes.

Insulin resistance isn’t new, but general knowledge about it is. Diabetes is a pretty commonly talked about, and even knowledge about pre-diabetes but understanding how we get to that point is often not even looked at. The good news about Insulin Resistance is that it’s early, and a plenty of time to make changes and avoud diabetes! While pre-diabetes only gives you a year or so before you body is likely headed into diabetes, insulin resistance can give you many years, even a decade or more of notice! That’s time for diet and lifestyle changes and a chance to get your health back on tract. Insulin resistance does efffect your ability to make milk. Breasts need to be insulin sensitive, not insulin resistance.

Low iron can stress your body. You aren’t getting as much oxygen, your body is working harder and harder than it should have to. Your body is going through all this while trying to sustain a pregnancy and then make milk! Your body is always going to priotizie susrvial over anything else. So your body will take care of you and not have anything left to give for making milk. There are diet changes and supplements than can help. There is even one that helps increase milk supply AND increases iron!

Nutritional defencies are similar to low iron, not enough to support your body means it doesn’t have anything to make milk with. Thankfully there are lots os ways to support your nutritional needs- diet is the first line, but supplements can help too. Your body needs nourishment in order to make food for antoehr human.

As you can see there are many different causes for low milk supply (and these are just the most common). This is why lactation cookies aren’t going to fix your supply! So book a visit and get real help for your supply! And if you have quesitons about any of this, please reach out anytime.