Breast milk, Chinese medicine and a cookie recipe
How does Chinese medicine view breastmilk?
“Breastmilk closely resembles blood with it’s nourishing and immune boosting properties”
In Chinese medicine, breast milk closely resembles blood in terms of its deeply nourishing and immune boosting effects. Newborn babies depend on breast milk for nourishment and to help provide immune support while their bodies are growing and developing.
Does blood loss during childbirth affect breast milk production?
Given that the birthing process is so exhausting; involving a huge exertion of Qi and loss of Blood during this process.
From a Chinese medicine viewpoint, it makes sense that the expenditure of so much Qi and Blood means that there may not be much left in reserves that is available for the body to transform Blood into Milk. Your registered Chinese Medicine doctor may prescribe a Chinese herbal formula for you, in order to rebuild your Blood and Qi reserves with the addition of a few specific herbs to help increase your Breastmilk production.
Did you know that Chinese herbs can improve your breast milk production?
A Chinese Medicine practitioner can be of assistance during this postnatal time. By using Acupuncture and Chinese herbs, we are able to:
Increase your Qi energy levels
Nourish your Blood
Regulate your hormones
Improve breast milk production
Did you know certain foods can improve your breast milk production?
We recommend having warming foods like broths, soups and slow cooked stews especially in the first 40- 100 days immediately following birth (postnatally) to replenish, restore and build up the Qi (energy) and Blood stores within the body.
Traditional recipes to rebuild your reserves and deeply nourish the body include:
congee (hot tip: add lots of ginger)
Korean seaweed soup called miyeokguk
chicken soup with red dates, goji berries and ginger
slow braised pork trotter with black vinegar and boiled eggs
Modern recipes that are deeply nourishing to rebuild your reserves include:
ham hock soup with beans/lentils and vegetables
ginger fried rice
pumpkin and red lentil soup
oat and chia porridge
slow-cooked stews
Are there cookies to improve Breastmilk?
These lovely muesli –like cookies have the added benefit of helping to increase production of breastmilk.
The key ingredients are:
oats
brewer’s yeast
almonds
Recipe: Lactation Cookies to increase breast milk
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups wholemeal flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups oats
1 cup raisins and or choc chips (or a mix of both)
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 tablespoons brewer's yeast
Method:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
Mix the flaxseed meal and water together in a small mixing bowl. Set the mixture aside for 3-5 minutes.
In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar; then stir in the eggs.
Stir flaxseed mix and butter mix together, then stir in the vanilla. Beat until well blended.
Combine all dry ingredients (except oats, raisins, choc chips and almonds) in a separate bowl.
Add the butter mixture to the dry mixture. Stir well
Add the oats, raisins, choc chips and almonds. Stir to combine.
Drop dough balls onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.