A few weeks ago, I went dairy-free in an attempt to clear up a persistent rash on my newborn’s face, neck and upper chest area. The rash appeared just after he turned a month old, right after his baby acne had cleared. At first, I mistook it as a heat rash, but realized that didn’t make sense since he wasn’t out in the heat. Since dairy is the most common allergy or intolerance for breastfed babies, I crossed my fingers that this was the answer and cut dairy out of my diet.
Some breastfeeding moms go dairy free to resolve a myriad of issues. In an article about food sensitivities in babies, Kelly Mom states:
“If a breastfed baby is sensitive to a particular food, then he may be fussy after feedings, cry inconsolably for long periods, or sleep little and wake suddenly with obvious discomfort. There may be a family history of allergies. Other signs of a food allergy may include: rash, hives, eczema, sore bottom, dry skin; wheezing or asthma; congestion or cold-like symptoms; red, itchy eyes; ear infections; irritability, fussiness, colic; intestinal upsets, vomiting, constipation and/or diarrhea, or green stools with mucus or blood.”
Kelly Mom’s advice is to cut out the suspected problematic food for 2 to 3 weeks to see if you can tell a difference in your baby. Since the cow’s milk protein in dairy takes nearly two weeks to get out of a mom’s system and then up to another two weeks to make its way out of a baby’s system, it’s ideal to wait at least a month before reassessing if dairy is the culprit.
For me, I noticed a marked improvement after about 10 days of going dairy-free, and my baby’s rash has continued to lessen now that it’s been nearly 3 weeks.
Dairy-free has taken some adjustments on my part. I replaced heavy cream in my coffee with Nutpods creamer or coconut cream. But I do miss my cheeses (feta, gorgonzola, cheddar, pepperjack).
So as not to feel too depraved, as well as to satisfy my sweet tooth while boosting my milk supply, I have made a couple batches of these Dairy-Free Lactation Cookies. I freeze them and pull out a couple cookies a day. I also shared a batch with a fellow breastfeeding friend and she loved them, so I thought the recipe was worth sharing.
Note: If you are not dairy-free, you can substitute the shortening for softened butter and dairy-free chocolate chips for regular chips.
Also, if you are not breastfeeding and consume these dairy-free lactation cookies, you WILL NOT LACTATE 
My husband and kids are proof of this!
The Best Dairy-Free Lactation Cookies
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup shortening (I use Nutiva)
- 1 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp flaxseed meal
- 4 tbsp brewers yeast (I use Solgar)
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life dark chocolate chips)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine shortening and sugar, then beat until creamy.
- Beat in eggs, vanilla, baking soda, salt, brewers yeast and flaxseed meal.
- Beat in peanut better until creamy.
- Stir or beat in oats and chocolate chips.
- Scoop out heaping tablespoon of dough and place about 2 inches apart on lined cookie sheet (parchment paper or silicone liner).
- Bake 10 to 11 minutes (depending on cookie size).
- Let cool on pan 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack or counter to cool.
Makes approximately three dozen cookies.
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