The One Christmas Cookie That Could Help Increase Your Milk Supply

You're probably already making your list for Christmas baking supplies, but if you're also trying to figure out what herbs to buy to help you increase your milk supply, you may be able to consolidate that list. Look, who has time to brew fennel tea and look for brewer's yeast this time of year? You need to combine some of your work load with the one Christmas cookie that could help increase your milk supply.

You've probably heard of lactation cookies, but I ask you — who has time to whip up some specialty cookies with odd ingredients when you have the holiday bake sale to consider? Plus, when you consider the main ingredient of lactation cookies, oatmeal, it's easy to think of some holiday cookies that could possibly give you the same result.

And one in particular? My Baking Addiction's Monster Cookies.

Delightfully color coordinated for Christmas (and delicious), the Monster Cookies also feature a major ingredient in most lactation cookie recipes — oatmeal. With a whopping 4 and a half cups of oatmeal in the recipe, your milk should (hopefully) be flowing in no time.

Although, it's worth noting, that Kelly Mom has noted that while oatmeal may help increase your breast milk supply, there's been no major research to back up this claim. And, no matter what type of galactagogue you're ingesting, it's almost pointless unless you're removing milk more frequently from your breasts, whether you're using a pump or breastfeeding more often.

But hey, why not throw a cookie into the mix to see what happens? You're already whipping some up in the kitchen. Just take the breast milk increase claims with a grain of salt (and raisins and vanilla extract).

Full of Christmas favorites like red and green M&Ms, raisins, peanut butter, and oatmeal, the Monster Cookies from My Baking Addiction are major comfort food. (Which Kelly Mom notes may be the reason behind oatmeal helping milk supply — the food can relax you and relieve some stress, which can inhibit your milk production.)

They are huge, they are delicious, and they look great on a Christmas platter. Plus, with all of that extra protein from the peanut butter and vitamins and iron in the raisins, you're not exactly ruining your health with these treats. (OK, so they aren't exactly a "healthy" snack, but let's not split hairs.)

Again, you still need to remove breast milk more frequently if you want to increase your milk supply, but that doesn't mean you can't try these Monster Cookies just to see if they help. Everyone will love them, so they aren't a total waste, and who knows, your breasts may really take to them. (Your tummy definitely will.)