In case you can’t tell from the title of this post…. no baby yet 😦 We are now only 3 days out from our due date and not much seems to have changed, although according to my doctor things are still moving in the right direction, so at least there’s that! I’ve cleaned all I can clean, run all the errands there are to run, done all the laundry there is to do and the nursery is completely finished. Nesting is officially complete so now we wait…and wait…and wait.

If our girl doesn’t arrive before her due date we are going to discuss inducing (induction?). My OB doesn’t like for you to go more than a week over your due date, and although I was initially very reluctant, I am becoming more open to the idea of being induced. I am not terribly uncomfortable physically but emotionally the anticipation and waiting has taken a toll and I am ready for a change. Above all else I am thankful for a still healthy and growing baby girl and that is the most important thing!

One thing that made the waiting slightly harder (but also so very exciting!) is that my good friend Lindsay who was due a few weeks after me had her baby boy a few weeks early on Tuesday! He is absolutely darling and they are both happy and healthy despite his early arrival. Seeing her little one definitely made me more ready for the arrival of our own, and I think finally made it more real for Robert! I’m still not sure he quite knows what he’s in for (um do I even know? Probably not) but I think he’s going to be great in the moment!

When my friends give birth or are going through a major life event I am a big believer that the most helpful thing you can do is bring a meal. Bring a meal, then leave, to be precise. Not bring a meal and stay to share it or bring a meal and stay to be entertained for a few hours. I imagine that new parents have quite enough going on and often family around to entertain so I like to drop something hot off, hold the sweet babe for a minute if they so wish and then merrily be on my way. It’s been a tried and true formula that most people seem to appreciate so I highly recommend it.

I have a few go to recipes for times like these; Chicken and vegetable casserole, Sausage and Tortellini Soup (Can be prepared Gluten Free if need be!) and most recently Chicken and Poppyseed Casserole. None of these recipes qualify as health food but all are delicious and comforting which is exactly what you want during a time like that. I typically add a bagged salad to the casseroles to be made at their convenience, or a loaf of fresh bread to the soup and in the case of new mamas, I always bring lactation cookies.

Besides Lindsay, I have about 6 other friends all expecting around the same time as me (something was clearly in the water around here!) so for the past month or two I have been making a batch of lactation cookie dough every few weeks and popping them into the freezer. Lactation cookies are basically just regular cookies with extra ingredients added to boost your supply. The following are considered “galactagogues” or foods that will increase milk production: Oatmeal, Flax Seed, Brewers Yeast, Oils/Fats (butter), Whole Grains. Perfect for cookies right? Right.

This recipe yields A LOT of cookie dough…like 70 or so dough balls at the size I make them which are a little smaller than a golf ball (I am not precise enough to use a scoop or measure…just eyeball it). You can of course bake them immediately, but I typically make my dough, chill it, roll into balls and then freeze them. When I need a batch I take out the desired number and bake them straight from the freezer. This method does yield a taller cookie (although it doesn’t affect the taste in the slightest, but if you want them to spread more… smush them with a spatula half way through cooking.

Every mom I have ever taken them to loves them and I am definitely guilty of grabbing the occasional raw dough ball from the freezer and eating it energy ball style when I want something immediately and they are really tasty…no fear of raw eggs here 🙂 Make a batch today for the next new mama in your life, or for yourself, or for anyone really…they are good cookies whether you are lactating or not 🙂

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies

Ingredients:

1 Cup Butter, softened

1 Cup Brown Sugar

3/4 Cup White Sugar

2 Eggs

1 teaspoon Vanilla

4 Tablespoons Flax Seed Meal

2 1/4 Cups Flour (Can substitute some whole wheat or other desired flour)

6 Tablespoons Brewers Yeast

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Cinnamon (optional)

3 Cups Old Fashioned Oats

1 Cup Chocolate Chips

Optional Add In’s: Shredded Coconut, Chopped nuts of your choice, Dried Fruit, etc.

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, beat Butter, Sugar and Brown Sugar. Add Eggs and Vanilla and continue to mix well. Add Flax Seed and mix until well combined.
2. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients; Flour, Brewers Yeast, Baking Soda, Salt and Cinnamon.
3. Add dry ingredients to your wet, incorporating as you go until well combined.
4. Stir in Oats and Chocolate Chips and any additional add in’s you are using.
5. Chill dough for 30 minutes to an hour.
6. If baking right away, scoop onto baking sheet and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. If freezing, roll dough into balls and place on a parchment lined plate. Freeze balls for several hours or overnight. Once frozen, place balls into ziplock bags and store in freezer for several months. Bake straight from freezer at 350 for 15 minutes. Enjoy!