Every now and then I feel like writing about something other than cloth nappies... as much as I love them ;)
Since having my second bub, I'm once again thinking about milk supply and weight gain. LouLou, my first, starting sleeping 8 hours a night at around 8 weeks and would often sleep up to 5 hours during the day as well. She started this while we were on holidays. I assumed that because she was going to sleep ok and staying asleep she mustn't be hungry and must be getting enough. Unfortunately that wasn't the case and when we got back and weighed her she hadn't put on enough weight. So for the next 2 months, I did lots of expressing, trying to increase my supply, but at the 4month mark, she still wasn't putting on enough so I had to start supplementing with formula. And by 6months I had pretty much run out (and LouLou had grown teeth!) so I decided to give up. I was quite sad at the time, because I loved the connection we had while she was feeding, and it didn't seem quite the same with a bottle. But LouLou thrived and loved me just as much, if not more, for feeling full & healthy and I had one less (big!) thing to worry about, which was great!
So with ChaCha coming along, naturally I started thinking about it all again. While I was pregnant I found out about lactation cookies and teas and stored that info away for future reference, which is now :)
I found this great recipe for lactation cookies with helpful info on the ingredients and why she chose them. They're really yummy but also full of good stuff - a real "feel good" bikkie... and with choc chips! The recipe is here at Dr Momma.
I did find them a bit hard to make, though. The dough is quite dense and I almost burnt out my little electric hand beaters. If you had a mix-master or kitchen-aid it'd probably be easier. So anyway, I decided to make an Anzac version to make it a bit easier on myself and thought I'd share it with you, as I didn't notice any online in my searches. I've used the same key ingredients from the above recipe and added them to my Anzac recipe. I hope you like it!
Aussie Anzac Lactation Bikkies
1 1/2 C Rolled Oats
1 1/2 C Coconut (I use 1C dedicated & 1C shredded)
1 C Plain Flour (I use 1/2C white & 1/2C Wholemeal)
3/4 C Brown Sugar
1 C Flaxseed Meal
3 Tbsp Brewers Yeast
3 Tbsp Golden Syrup
200g Butter
2 Tsp Bicarb Soda
4Tbsp Boiling water
1. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients (oats, coconut, flour, sugar, flaxseed meal, brewers yeast), mix well, make a well in the centre and set aside.
2. In a medium sized glass (microwave safe) jug or bowl add the golden syrup and butter and microwave on high, stirring regularly, for 1 minute or until melted and hot.
3. Add the bicarb soda to boiling water, stir to dissolve and add immediately to the syrup mix. It will froth up a lot, so be ready to pour it into the dry ingredients.
4. Stir the wet and dry ingredients together until well combined.
5. Roll heaped teaspoons of mixture into balls, place on tray and squash a little fork. To stop the mixture sticking to your hands and fork, wet them after each few balls.
6. Bake at 180C (160C fan forced) for 10-15mins or until golden.
Variations:
For extra fun (& nutrition) you could add 1/2c of chopped mixed nuts to the mix.
Or swap the golden syrup for honey and add peanuts for a "Crunchy Nut" version :)
These bikkies are a bit more "meaty" than regular Anzacs, but have the lovely Anzac flavour. Let me know what you think of them!
Disclaimer:
I do have to mention that if you too are blessed with a good sleeper, it doesn't necessarily mean that you'll have problems with supply like I did. There were a few other contributing factors that are worth mentioning.
Firstly, my mum had similar problems with the four of us, so there's a good chance it was partially genetic.
Secondly, we were on holidays and doing a lot of driving, so she might have been rocked to sleep in the car when she otherwise might have woken and cried for food.
I'll let you know how I go this time round :)
No comments:
Post a Comment