Delicious Breastfeeding On-The-Go Snack!
This power ball recipe includes some ingredients that may support your milk supply.
This recipe includes oats, brewers yeast, and flaxseed that could support your milk supply. Oats and brewers yeast are known as galactagogues, which are substances that aid the initiation and maintenance of your milk supply. Flaxseed has omega-3 fatty acids and phytoestrogens that could support your milk supply as a lactogenic food.
It is important to note that eating specific foods could support your supply, but there are a lot more important factors, such as your baby’s latch and milk removal, that influence your milk supply much more heavily.
A lactation-support snack can be helpful for providing some nutrition and extra calories, but how much milk is being removed is a much more important factor in supporting your milk supply.
But, these power balls are easy-to-eat snacks that are great to have on hand as a breastfeeding snack! I know I found it hard to eat when I had a newborn and found power balls to be an easy way to get some calories in. Plus, they are quick to make!
Lactation Power Ball Recipe by Spoon Lickers Catering
This lactation power ball recipe is a no-bake recipe! So you can mix all these ingredients together for a quick breastfeeding snack.
If you’re local to us in Moore County, NC, you can order ready to eat meals from Spoon Lickers Catering! Chefs Ivory and Jen cook and delivery meals to your door every Tuesday! Order your meals between Wednesday and Saturday, for delivery on Tuesday.
These meals were especially helpful for me in my early postpartum and times I am too busy to cook!
- 4.5 cups quick oats
- 1.5 cups smooth peanut butter
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup brewers yeast
- 1/2 cup ground flax
- 4-5 scoops of Needed collagen (use code MAMASTEFIT for 20% off your first order)
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
Tip: Pre-measure ingredients ahead of time to quickly be able to mix together for this recipe!
Directions:
- Take all the dry ingredients and mix them together. It’s important that the oats are quick oats as they will better absorb the wet ingredients in a later step!
- In a separate bowl, mix all the wet ingredients together. Mix until well blended, smooth consistency!
- Then mix the wet and dry ingredients together.
- After well mixed, form into small balls.
- Store in your fridge for up to 1 month, and up to 3 months in your freezer.
Grab our favorite collagen for this recipe! Use code MAMASTEFIT for 20% off your order!
Need to increase your milk supply?
Lactation cookies and snacks won’t necessarily increase your milk supply long term–it may provide a temporary increase, but if your milk suppply is an issue, then we want to focus on WHY there is decreased milk supply.
Things that we may want to focus on to increase milk supply include:
- Baby’s latch
- Milk removal
- Nutrition/Hydration
Baby's Latch
How baby is latched will influence how well they can remove milk (and more milk removed equals more milk being made). If baby’s latch is less optimal or positioned in a way that does not remove a lot of milk, we may want to focus on improving the latch!
Some quick tips:
- Align baby’s nose to the nipple. This will encourage them to open their mouth wide and tilt their head backward for a deeper latch.
- Gently baby’s chin downward to encourage them to open their mouth wide.
If baby is not opening their mouth wide, we may want to consider their ability to open their mouth! This could include considering baby’s body tension, tongue tie or oral restrictions, and how baby is positioned!
If baby has body tension, seeing a pediatric chiropractor or craniosacral therapist could be helpful! We found a lot of help in body tension in our babies after working with both a chiropractor and CST. If you are local to us, Dr. Ring, our in-house chiropractor, is in the gym to support you during your pregnancy, postpartum, and your entire family!
If you are unsure if your baby has a oral restriction, working with an IBCLC and pediatric dentist could help assess baby’s oral restrictions and come up with solutions to resolve it for a better latch! Roxanne’s babies both had tongue ties that she did a lot of bodywork initially to resolve, but then did a revision that helped a lot.
And then the easiest option is to focus on your breastfeeding position and how baby is positioned while nursing!
Milk Removal: Supply and Demand
The more milk that is removed, the more milk you will make! This is where baby’s latch is important, but if you are not latching baby to nurse, your pump set up is important!
When pumping, ensure that the flange is the appropriate side for your nipple. A flange that is too big or too small can inhibit milk removal!
Next, ensure that your pump is set up correctly so that it is working effectively!
And finally, if you are exclusively pumping or pumping frequently throughout the day, ensure that you are pumping regularly! If you miss pumping sessions, you may notice that your supply is being affected.
Nutrition and Hydration
Our milk supply also depends on our caloric intake and hydration levels! If we are not eating enough food, we may see that our milk supply is affected. This can be a huge factor once we return to workouts too! If you are not eating enough to sustain your workouts, you may notice a decrease in your milik supply!
Eating at LEAST 1500 calories a day (which is already way too low for an adult) with no more than a 30% caloric deficiet, should help you maintain your supply.
Next, we can also focus on hydration! Drinking just plain water may not be enough to support hydration, so including some electrolyte salts throughout the day can support milk supply!
We love LMNT hydration salts. They come in a variety of flavors too! Read about our favorite hydration drink mixes.
Supporting Your Milk Supply
A part of supporting your milk supply is eating enough food! Easy-to-eat snacks are helpful in ensuring you are consuming enough calories throughout the day. I found power balls to be a great way to get some extra food in, as they are easy to eat and also quick to make!
If you are concerned about your milk supply, a lactation snack may not resolve your supply issues. You may want to consider working with a lactation specialist to assess your baby’s latch, your pumping set up, and any body tension or oral restrictions your baby may have that could be affecting milk removal.