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Welcome to milkmakers
delicious cookies that boost milk supply and replenish key nutrients moms need.
 Last month, in honor of Mother's Day, I asked you how you've changed since becoming a mother. I knew there were some pretty amazing stories out there, but I wasn't expecting to be so completely blown away! I was blown away not only by the sheer number of responses, but by the raw emotion and extraordinary inspiration in the stories. It was truly amazing to hear from so many incredible moms about what is clearly a very important and emotional topic. I'm sharing bits of some of the stories you sent, so you, too, can hear from some of these remarkable women. - "Since becoming a mom my heart is softer. At some point, I will have to explain hurt to my son. So, my heart is softer now, in an attempt to dispel some of the hurt in the world before it reaches him. I've learned to be more patient and compassionate with others. To extend a hand to those in need." - Miranda - "I can do things with my toes that I never thought possible (since my hands are not free because I'm holding a baby, nursing, rocking baby to sleep, making dinner, etc.....). Just today I mopped the floor, played race cars and even rolled dice with my toes." - Laura - "I never knew that my heart could be filled with such joy and unconditional love. Children have a way of making you and your heart smile even when you really don't feel like smiling!" - Amber - "My daughter absolutely transformed me into a more engaged, more caring, more interested, more loving teacher. I can see the "baby" in everyone now. There's no way for animosity to prosper when you see the world as infants." - Andrea - "I have learned to do without less sleep, and it isn't bad! Before it was 8 hours minimum, 10 hours good, 12 hours fantastic! Now it is more like 4 hours minimum, 6 hours good and 8 hours fantastic. Who knew the smile of a baby could make me a happy camper at 7am?" - Ann - "I have learned to live in the moment. I used to be so busy planning the next five minutes, five days, five weeks, but my daughter has taught me that those plans will go out the window! I've also learned to sit still and cherish ten minutes of quiet time whenever I get it." - Heather Thank you for sharing. I'd love to hear from you about your favorite memories of being a mother. Share your most treasured memory on our Facebook wall or milkmakers@milkmakers.com and be entered to win a fabulous professionally-edited video (see details below).
 | | Celebrating lovely memories of motherhood |
emily
mom to Isabel, Olivia & James and founder of milkmakers
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Using stored breast milk
The milk that we buy at the
grocery store has been pasteurized and homogenized. The pasteurization process kills all the bacteria and live cells in the milk-making it safe for us to drink, but also less stable. Homogenizing the milk blends in the fat so that it doesn't separate and float to the top. Most of us don't have experience using fresh milk straight from the source. Fresh milk from any mammal-including humans-looks very different from the milk we buy at the store.
After your milk has been expressed and it has been sitting on the counter or in the refrigerator for a while, the fat will begin to separate. You may notice a thin layer of cream on top of milk that looks quite watery. That is perfectly normal. Your milk has not gone "bad."
Since fat content varies by the time of day, the fat layer may range from just barely visible to a half-inch or more. Milk fat content also varies widely among mothers, so expect to see a difference among your friends. Any amount of fat you see in the milk is perfect! There is no need for concern that your milk isn't "good enough" for your baby.
To Use Stored Milk:
- Shake the milk gently before giving it to your baby in order to mix in the cream.
- If it's been refrigerated, you can gently warm it to room temperature in a bowl of hot water. You may not even need to warm it-many babies are just as happy with cold milk.
- Frozen milk can be thawed slowly in the refrigerator or you can thaw it in container of hot water.
- Never use a microwave to thaw or warm your milk. Important nutrients will be destroyed if the milk gets too hot. In addition, using a microwave may create "hot spots" as the milk warms unevenly.
Written by Renee Beebe, M.Ed., IBCLC. Renee is available for in-home consultations. Enlist Renee's help to create a customized plan for re-entering the workforce. Renee also offers phone consultations for a wide range of issues including childcare, pump selection, pumping and storing milk, increasing milk production and getting enough rest. Renee can be reached at www.second9months.com . |
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Real Mom Story: Lara Chase,winner of the milkmakers' Mother's Day contest
Name: Lara Chase
Profession: Active Duty Army Officer
Mother to Brody, 16 months, and Bryn, to be born on/around June 6, 2011
My story: I grew up moving around as an Army brat. After attending college and graduate school, I commissioned in the Army in 2005. I deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from August 2006 to November 2007. My husband, Matt, and I married on September 25, 2008. Matt is also an Army officer. We had our first baby, Brody, on January 7, 2010. Matt was deployed to Afghanistan at this time. He met Brody for the first time in person when he was home on R&R, Brody was 4 months old. We are expecting baby #2 (a girl!) on or around June 6, 2011. Brody is a busy little boy, so we will definitely have our hands full. We are currently stationed at West Point, NY.
My baby has taught me: My baby has taught me the meaning of unconditional, everlasting love. It is so true that you experience this the most after you become a mom. My love for him amazes me and grows daily. I am so thrilled to experience it all over again with our baby girl. Just when you think you can't love someone or something any more, a new day begins and you realize you wake up loving them even more.
How I've changed since becoming a mother: I am now a master at balancing life between a full time Army job and full time mommy. I have learned to cherish my time with my son and enjoy every new phase he is in. I also worry now. Life used to pass me by with not a care in the world. Now that I care so much for this little being, I worry about the things that can be dangerous to him. I worry about the years to come when he gets more independent and he doesn't 'need' me anymore. I worry about something bad happening to him. All this is necessary so I can continue to make his world the safest place he will ever live in. I have also changed in the sense that he comes first. I no longer come first. He eats first, he sleeps first; his needs always come first. I do this without thinking because I am a mom and I exist for him. I am here to provide for him in the best way possible. I'm also here to allow him to grow up and be proud of what his mom is.
Favorite children's music or books: "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, A Bedtime Story" recordable Hallmark book read by Grandma.
I wish I would've known: Even though you have 9 months to prepare yourself and you think you are mentally ready, when you bring home that baby for the first time you really have NO clue what you are doing. However, you are just like every other first time mom out there and everything you are experiencing and feeling is perfectly normal. You will eventually become less crazy, I promise. J
Advice/wisdom I can share: Don't get stressed out with breastfeeding (easier said than done, I know). Also, don't give up so soon when you do feel frustrated. Feeling frustrated is normal. Talk to friends who were successful with nursing. Breastmilk is so good for babies and there is something just so wonderful about being able to provide that kind of food and nutrients for your baby. Be patient, talk to people for support, read literature. It is so rewarding when nursing works out for both of you.
Challenges I've faced with breastfeeding: Producing enough milk throughout the day when my son is at daycare. I was required to bring in a certain amount of bottles for each day. Even though I had my 'emergency' frozen supply, I didn't want to have to break into those on a daily basis. Pumping almost became like a religion for me because I was always finding ways to attempt to increase my production. I wanted to be sure I had the right amount to replace what he would drink at daycare. I always took in 4 full bottles of milk with the hopes that I would bring 1-2 bottles home each day. I would be sure to nurse him right before I dropped him off. He would get a bottle in between drop off time and lunch time. Then at lunch I would go to daycare (luckily it was a 2 minute drive from the office) to nurse him. Two to three hours later he would have his 2nd bottle of the day. I would rush out of work as soon as I could to attempt to avoid any other bottles being fed to him so I could nurse him when I got home. Typically throughout the work day I would get about 2-3 opportunities to pump and would make about two full bottles daily. These would then replace the bottles he was fed at daycare and so on and so forth. I wish my body would just pour the milk out like some moms, but I never seemed to be that lucky. I was extremely happy to have made it 10 months nursing. It really helped when he started eating foods because I managed to trick my body into thinking he still needed the same amount of milk. At that time it became slightly less stressful because I knew he was eating food.
What I enjoy most about breastfeeding: The bonding time and the closeness I feel with my babies.
Pumping tip: hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Also, eat a healthy well balanced diet and eat a lot of little meals throughout the day instead of three large meals. These things helped me produce more milk when I was away from my son at work.
The best thing about being a mom: Tough question because there are so many things! Currently the best thing about being a mom is asking my 16 month old son for a kiss and he responds by giving me a kiss on the lips. Another wonderful thing is when he walks up to me and hugs my legs or the way he backs up to sit on my lap when I'm sitting on the floor. Overall, the best thing about being a mom is knowing how much he needs me and how much I need him.
The way I treat myself: Usually a trip to the spa for a massage or pedicure.
My experience with milkmakers: I love Milkmakers and used them all the time when I was nursing. My mom saw a clip about Milkmakers on the Dr. Oz show and she bought me my first batch. Now I give them as gifts to my nursing mommy friends. Everyone I suggest them to loves them as well. I'm so excited to be able to use them again when I have our baby girl.
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please, please, please 'cuz I love them!
At least once a day Olivia asks for a milkmakers cookie. Sometimes, it is even the first thing she asks for when she wakes up in the morning! The other day, I knew it was coming and grabbed my phone to catch it on video. Watch and enjoy.
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milkmakers Announces Partnership to Support Breastfeeding Moms
In honor of Mother's Day, milkmakers is launching a program in which 5 percent of all sales in May will be donated to Open Arms Perinatal Services, an innovative Seattle-based nonprofit that serves women and families through the transformational time from pregnancy though birth and into early parenting.
May 2011 (Seattle, WA) - milkmakers, a Seattle-based baking company that makes lactation cookies to support nursing moms in their efforts to provide an abundant supply of breastmilk to their babies, is donating 5 percent of all sales of its cookies in May to Open Arms Perinatal Services in honor of Mother's Day on May 8th.
Open Arms embraces a world that cherishes birthing women, their babies, their families, and their communities. The mission of Open Arms is to provide services that support, educate, respect, honor, and empower women and their families from pregnancy through birth and into early parenting. Most of the women served by Open Arms have little to no support available from other sources. milkmakers founder Emily Kane is passionate about their cause - she has volunteered with Open Arms since 2009, and currently serves on the Board of Directors.
"Open Arms fills a big void in communities by giving mothers the support they need to become empowered, confident parents," Emily says. "Becoming a parent - whether it's for the first time or if there are other children - is a life-changing moment. It's hard enough for families with strong resources and support to navigate that transition. But for a woman facing financial pressures, domestic violence, cultural or language barriers, or who simply finds herself socially isolated, this transition can be incredibly difficult and even traumatic."
Open Arms Perinatal Services provides community-based services, which recognizes culture and language as important and provides a partner for members of the community to identify needs and goals for resolving those needs. This model has proven to be very effective, for both new mothers and for women who find work serving other women from their community in this way. Open Arms has the capacity to serve women in fifteen different languages including English. Open Arms has seen the positive impacts of their programs, including lower health care costs and higher breastfeeding rates. But sometimes the result of good support is simply that a mother can welcome her baby with joy.
To view a video of one mother helped directly by Open Arms, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVnW1Rw0LHI. For more information about Open Arms Perinatal Services, please visit http://www.openarmsps.org.
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WIN A
professionally
edited video!!
What's one of your most treasured memories as a mom?
We want to hear your story.
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milkmakers' featured giveaway |
One of the best things about being a mom is all the amazing memories that you make with your beautiful children. As a mother of three, I know that the memories are infinite and in an effort to keep them all, we end up with endless amounts of pictures and videos that often just sit idly on our computers. Luckily, a new service called Clipik has been created which simplifies the tedious process of condensing your favorite memories into one easy-to-share video.
So we want to know, what's one of your most treasured memories as a mom? Looking into your child's eyes for the first time? Seeing them take their first steps? Maybe a trip to the park? There's gotta be tons, but pick one and share it with us on our Facebook wall or milkmakers@milkmakers.com. As our current featured giveaway, Clipik has generously offered a to the person who writes the most compelling answer. free professionally edited video
like the one featured below ($99 value)
 | | An example of a beautiful video memoir Clipik can create for you. |
Don't miss out on this chance to capture your favorite memories into one free professional-quality video to share with friends and loved ones. We want to hear from you!
 http://facebook.com/milkmakers
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