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For Christmas, we got sick. Hubby, Baby Boy and I all had colds. It was pretty rough. Getting sick while breastfeeding means a lot of asking "can I take this medication?" And even when it's a "yes," it's really "yes, but..." And the "but" is almost always that it decreases milk supply. Considering that I don't pump and therefore don't have extra mom milk in the freezer, I was concerned about keeping my little man well-fed while trying to clean out my sinuses. Despite my best efforts taking meds sparingly and keeping my water consumption up, I noticed that my milk machines were looking less full than before. So I decided to step up my game and see if lactation cookies are all they're cracked up to be.
They are. I made the cookies last night and had one before bed. I had another one with breakfast (not for me, for the baby). Not only are my milk machines back in high production, but these taste just like my favorite oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with an added hint of peanut butter. Does it get any better?
This afternoon I wrote myself a reminder on the bag:
The recipe I used was basically half of this recipe from Simplistically Living, with a few modifications, mostly to simplify the process.
Here's what I used:
1 tbsp flaxseed meal
2 tbsp water
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 splash of vanilla
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 tbsp brewer's yeast
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
Combine water and flaxseed meal in a small bowl. Mix butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla in a stand mixer (have I mentioned how much I love my KitchenAid stand mixer?). Add watered flaxseed meal and peanut butter and mix again. Add brewer's yeast, flour, baking soda, and cinnamon and mix again. Add oats and chocolate chips and stir (by hand) to combine. Drop by the spoonful on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes or until cooked through.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I make a little money if you make a purchase using these links.
As a new parent, there are so many decisions you have to make, including whether to use cloth or disposable diapers. If you're considering cloth diapers, there are a few things to consider.
Cloth
The good: less expensive, better for the environment
The bad: endless laundry
The ugly: you have to try to remove the poop before washing
Disposable
The good: more convenient
The bad: endless trash
The ugly: diaper rash
For Baby Love, I've decided to use both cloth and disposable diapers. We didn't start using cloth diapers right away--they didn't fit until he was about 9 pounds. Now, we use cloth diapers when we're at home and disposable for going out and for going to bed (they seem more absorbent, which means fewer overnight diaper changes, which means more sleep for me). And I'd rather be able to throw out dirty diapers in public versus saving them in a wet bag and bringing them home. We do have this wet bag at home, and it's great for keeping diaper smells and messes contained.
Not all cloth diapers are created equal. I have two brands that I like, Charlie Banana, which seem to be the premium brand, and LBB, which is cheaper and doesn't have as nice of fabric but is similar in style. I've also tried Apple Cheeks, which are more expensive and you have to buy in two sizes (the first two I mentioned are one size and adjust with a bunch of snaps). I was given one GroVia diaper, too, that I haven't used because you have to line dry it, and who has time for that nonsense? There are other brands, but I haven't tried them. Are there any that you especially do (or don't) like?
If you want to try cloth diapers but baby poop grosses you out, you can buy disposable liners to keep the poop off of the diaper. I'm not at all bothered by baby poop (I'm not at all bothered by my baby's poop), so I have no idea how well they work.
The most important thing to remember for all baby decisions is that the only person who can decide what is the right thing for your family... is YOU. And what's right for your family now might not be right next week. And that's okay.
