Update from my first post:
I heard back from the MN Dept of Agriculture and FDA and have good great news to share. Mama Nosh got approval to call lactation cookies, ‘lactation cookies’. Sounds small, but it’s a big deal! There’s more, too. I can also use the packaging to tell Mamas that they “can help boost breast milk supply”.
My response to the MDA/FDA is below. Thank you all for your words of encouragement and for writing letters in support of Mama Nosh. [I’ll post the letters, anonymously, in the comments of this post].
Thank you for the opportunity to provide you with information about Mama Nosh lactation cookies and for your time and attention. I know you’re all extremely busy and appreciate you giving this matter the attention it deserves.
I want to be clear that I am not representing any other company who makes a lactation product. I am simply trying to bring awareness to the fact that these products do exist, do work to boost milk supply in many women and are in growing demand.
The testimonials below were sent to me about Mama Nosh lactation cookies and illustrate this point.
“I pumped 7oz (3 hrs since feeding)!! Way more than normal!!” – Megan, mother to a 3-month-old baby, sent via facbook private message
“I got 11.5oz on Monday (I almost cried I was so excited!) THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!” – Kendra, mother of a 5-month-old baby, sent via facebook private message
To clarify, [a specific question about fenugreek] Mama Nosh lactation cookies do not contain fenugreek. My cookies contain only natural food galactagogues that might typically be consumed anyway – steel cut oats, rolled oats, flax seed, quinoa, brewer’s yeast, coconut oil. These are all gluten-free, mostly organic and are natural foods. There are no herbal supplements or medicines in Mama Nosh lactation cookies. They are perfectly safe for any person to eat (with the exclusion of any person who may have allergies or otherwise should not eat these foods).
…
As a country and a community, we need to support breastfeeding and the women who are pursuing it. I have met many women who want to breastfeed their babies for 1 year (American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation) or even 2 years and beyond (World Health Organization recommendation), but are not able to for various reasons. Common reasons are a lack of sufficient supply due to returning to work and relying on pumping, medical complications, adoption, dietary issues or a variety of other reasons. In addition to the effect on breast milk supply, Mama Nosh cookies also provide nutritional benefits to nursing mothers. Mayo Clinic and the University of California both provide information about the needs of nursing mothers, which include:
-Intake of an additional 200-500 more calories per day – Mama Nosh cookies contain 220 calories each
-To get these extra calories, opt for nutrient-rich choices, such as a slice of whole-grain bread with a tablespoon (about 16 grams) of peanut butter… – Mama Nosh cookies are made with gluten-free whole grains
-Should eat 2-3 servings of protein per day – Mama Nosh cookies contain 4g of protein each
-Iron also is important for breastfeeding mothers. If you are 18 years of age or younger, you should get 10 milligrams of iron per day. For those over 19, the suggested daily intake is 9 milligrams. – Mama Nosh cookies contain 8% of the iron needs for a 2,000 calorie diet
The use of galactogogues by breastfeeding mothers to increase or initiate breast milk supply has been passed down as traditional wisdom for generations. I understand there’s not a plethora of medical evidence to support how they work, but there’s no denying the multitudes of lactating women who have experienced increased milk supply as a direct result of eating lactation cookies that contain these galactogogues. Since there are some women who experience oversupply issues, we would be doing a disservice to breastfeeding women by not informing them of the likely effects on their milk supply from consuming the galactogogues in lactation cookies. I’ve gathered information from credentialed individuals, like Kelly Bonyata, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, who says,
Hilary Jacobson, a certified holistic lactation consultant, states, “Herbs useful after birth include stinging nettle to rebuild the blood lost during birth, turmeric, to help prevent breast inflammation, oat-straw, to nurture the nerves and to help prevent nervous exhaustion. These herbs also increase milk supply, so keep an eye on your supply and reduce or increase your dosage of these herbs as necessary.” In her book “Mother Food”, about lactogenic diets, she references many of the Mama Nosh cookie ingredients as lactogenic foods, including: quinoa (ancient whole grains), almonds, flaxseed, coconuts and nutritional (or brewer’s) yeast.
These are two of many certified and recognized experts who advise on the use of lactogenic foods.
…
To further demonstrate the demand for lactation cookies, I’ve attached emails… written to you specifically for the purpose of helping you understand their feelings, which echo those of many other women.
I’d like to address the importance of breastfeeding and impact it has on the health of mothers, babies and our country as a whole. I understand that not everyone is as interested or informed on this subject as I am, so I’m sharing the information below to shed light on the importance of breastfeeding and how it applies here.
The American Academy of Pediatrics’ Policy Statement Organizational Principals to Guide and Define the Child Health Care System and/or Improve the Health of All Children: Section on Breastfeeding states,
“The AAP Section on Breastfeeding, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Academy of Family Physicians, Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, World Health Organization, United Nations Children’s Fund, and many other health organizations recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life…
Obstacles to initiation and continuation of breast- feeding include insufficient prenatal education about breastfeeding; disruptive hospital policies and practices; inappropriate interruption of breast- feeding; early hospital discharge in some populations; lack of timely routine follow-up care and postpartum home health visits; maternal employment (especially in the absence of workplace facilities and support for breastfeeding); lack of family and broad societal support; media portrayal of bottle feeding as normative; commercial promotion of infant formula through distribution of hospital discharge packs, coupons for free or discounted formula, and some television and general magazine advertising; misinformation; and lack of guidance and encouragement from health care professionals.”
In the same statement, AAP advises those health care professionals to “…Encourage development and approval of govern- mental policies and legislation that are supportive of a mother’s choice to breastfeed.”
I believe the MDA and FDA, as the organizations who oversee regulation of food products intended to support breastfeeding, are directly included in this call to action to support the mother’s choice in breastfeeding.
In January 2011, the Surgeon General released The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding stating, “One of the most highly effective preventive measures a mother can take to protect the health of her infant and herself is to breastfeed. However, in the U.S., while 75 percent of mothers start out breastfeeding, only 13 percent of babies are exclusively breastfed at the end of six months. Additionally, rates are significantly lower for African-American infants.”
I find the below section particularly relevant, as Mama Nosh will provide a support community to nursing mothers, by making lactation cookies which can help with milk supply issues and by helping to make breastfeeding a more public and accepted act through marketing and awareness efforts.
“Lactation Problems – Without good support, many women have problems with breastfeeding. Most of these are avoidable if identified and treated early, and need not pose a threat to continued breastfeeding.”
I realize this is a very long email, but this is a complex (and possibly unchartered) topic for the MDA/FDA. Again, I sincerely appreciate your time, attention and openness throughout this process. I look forward to hearing back from you.
Respectfully,
Emily Baynard
Mama Nosh 
Upon returning to full time employment after the birth of my third child, I experienced a significant drop in milk supply. Significant meaning going from nearly 5 ounces per pumping session to less than 2 ounces per pumping session. Fearful a continued drop in production would eventually force me to discontinue breastfeeding my baby, I desperately researched my options for increasing my supply. The difficulty inherent in being a working mother is multiplied exponentially when you are a working mother attempting to successfully breastfeed an infant you are now detached from for an eight hour period of time daily.
My main concern in increasing my supply was doing so without the use of prescription medication; and without detaching from my baby during time spent at home to utilize additional pumping sessions as a way to increase supply. My best possible solution was the consumption of foods considered to be lactogogues.
I made batches of “lactation cookies” containing oats, brewer’s yeast, almonds, and flax seed. I also supplemented my efforts with steel cut oats on a daily basis. The change in my milk supply was dramatic and took place in only a week’s time. I went from being able to pump 1.5 to 2 ounces per session to pumping 4 to 7 ounces per session. The dietary changes, although quite simple to implement, made a significant difference in my baby’s chances of being breastfed for an extended period after my return to work. I have now been successfully breastfeeding my baby and working full time for 11 months and fully intend to continue until she is finished breastfeeding.
I was excited with my results and I am hopeful these cookies be made commercially available to every nursing mother struggling with supply issues. Mama Nosh bakery is doing an awesome thing for new mothers, many mothers don’t have time and/or are unaware of the impact these foods have on their milk production. Had these cookies been available, I personally (and many mothers like me) would have been saved months of frustration – which leads me to firmly believe products such as the cookies Ms. Baynard proposes would be a terrific incentive for new Moms to start and to continue breastfeeding their babies without the added supplementation of commercially produced infant formulas.
I am writing to you because I realize you’re in the process of making an important decision that has the potential to affect hundreds, even thousands of mothers across the nation.
I have been one of those breastfeeding mothers and work with other nursing mothers on a regular basis. As a supporter to women and lactation, I am asking you to approve the sale of lactation cookies and allow their manufacturers to label them as such, because of the amazing benefits they have to nursing moms.
There’s a myriad of respected officials, medical professionals, holistic practitioners, yoga instructors, herbalists, organizations and government agencies that all taut the importance of breastfeeding our children and encourage supporting those breastfeeding women.
Lactation cookies are one of the many ways we can make it possible for some women to meet their breastfeeding goals and create healthier communities.
I implore you to approve the labeling, description and sale of lactation cookies and give the necessary licenses to those manufacturers who meet the requirements to produce them. This will be a great benefit to lactating moms across the country.
It has come to my attention that you are in the process of approving the sale of lactation cookies to enhance milk production in breastfeeding mothers. I have been a breastfeeding mother for the last 12 months, and after I returned to work full-time (8 weeks after my son was born), my milk supply plummeted. I was tied to the breast pump and downing herbs like fenugreek multiple times per day. It was very important to me that my son exclusively drink breast milk during this pivotal time of development, yet I couldn’t keep up with the demand. I started looking into dietary components as a way of enhancing my milk supply, and shortly thereafter met a friend who made me some lactation cookies. The cookies contained ingredients such as flaxseed, oats, and brewer’s yeast, and created the small bump in production that I needed to continue feeding my son the full amount of breast milk that his developing body and brain needed.
The problem of losing your breast milk supply in order to work full-time speaks more to the larger systemic issues of unpaid maternity leave and lack of support for new mothers; however, until our government and healthcare systems become more mother-friendly, new moms have to struggle along as best they can. Having the freedom and knowledge to purchase lactation cookies or similarly labeled products can vastly improve some of that daily struggle that new parents are burdened with every day.
We need you to approve the labeling description and sale of lactation cookies, and to give the necessary licenses to those manufacturers who meet the requirements to produce them. As they say, breast is best. Please help make it possible for more babies and families to experience the innumerable benefits of breast milk and the breastfeeding relationship.
Thank you.
I am emailing you to inform you of the impact lactation cookies had on my breastmilk supply. I had milk supply issues with both of my children (currently 2 and 8 months). The first thing my lactation consultant (an IBCLC) and my nursing Moms support group (La Leche League) recommended were lactation cookies. I made my own cookies, containing similar ingredients to the Mama Nosh cookies (brewer’s yeast, oats and flax seeds). I definitely noticed a difference! I was normally only able to pump between .25 and .5 ounces but once I was regularly eating the lactation cookies (as well as lots of oatmeal to which I added ground flaxseed) I was able to pump up to 1 ounce. While this doesn’t seem like much, for someone with low supply this is a fantastic increase. I continued eating lots of lactogenic foods for the duration of my pumping experience.
As a nursing Mom that struggled with milk supply, anything that can be done to make the breastfeeding relationship better is a fabulous thing. Any small increase in supply is a fabulous thing. Many Moms are willing to try anything to achieve successful breastfeeding and consuming lactogenic foods is the easiest, most convenient and healthiest way for both the baby and Mother. I lead a Mom to Mom support group and the first thing we recommend to any new Mom with supply issues is to increase her intake of lactogenic foods. And we usually mix up a batch of “more-milk” or “lactation” cookies for her! While there may not be much scientific evidence of the direct correlation between lactogenic foods and milk supply increase, there is no shortage of real world proof. The bond between a nursing Mother and baby, not to mention the health benefits is one of the most important relationships there is. The longer and more often a mother can nurse, the better that relationship becomes. Any increase in the rate of breastfed babies is a boon to our future generations and any healthy product that supports that should be made more readily available.
Thank you for your time and consideration
I am emailing you to inform you on how lactation cookies helped me and why I believe they should be labeled as ‘lactation cookies’. I returned to work when my daughter was 4 months old and immediately had a drop in supply. My daughter ate 12 oz during the day and was only pumping 6 or 7 oz (three different pumping sessions). I reached out to my new mama group and was directed towards Emily Baynard as she was beginning to test her cookies. I had immediate results. The next day I pumped 6 oz the first session! Then I have consistently pumped 12-16 oz a day (still three pumping session.) And I do notice a drop in supply if I forget to eat the cookies for a couple of mornings.
I believe breast feeding is on the most important things a mother can do for their baby. It not only promotes a healthier baby (current and in the long term) but it provides for great bonding. I believe without the lactation cookies, I would have had to supplement with formula, which is something I do not wish to do.
I think if mothers were made aware of ‘lactation cookies’ and ‘with ingredients to boost your milk supply’ on a commercial level (by allowing the cookies to be labeled as such), we would have mothers breastfeeding more and for longer – which would have a healthier population of children.
Thank you for your consideration.