Lactation troubles? Try a cookie from Milkin’ Cookie in Charlotte!
Nursing is such a great bonding experience, but let’s be honest, it isn’t always easy. I know with my first, I assumed that breastfeeding would come naturally and be completely instinctual and it wasn’t. It was toe curling at times and it took time getting used to being essentially a milk cow. My first had latching issues and when I went back to work my supply took a dive. One of the most common nursing issues women can have is supply issues! There are so many wives tales for how to increase your supply (my friend swore by blue gatorade and my mom by dark beer!) but have you ever heard to try a cookie?! Milkin’ Cookie in Charlotte offers just that! Their cookies are made for lactating mothers with nutrient packed ingredients that are known to increase supply in a natural way! Rolled oats, chia seeds, and almonds are just a few of the natural ingredients they use in their cookies to encourage milk production!
I had the opportunity to ask Elizabeth Pippin Nelson CEO of Milkin’ Cookie about her business and a little about her personally as well. Keep reading to learn more about her and her amazing business!
WHAT is a lactation cookie | Milkin’ Cookie Explains…
Okay first things first, what even IS a lactation cookie?
A lactation cookie is a regular cookie with an few additional ingredients to help Mommas not only make more milk but also more nutrient dense milk. Our ingredients contain all natural and organic ingredients that are clinically proven to help increase both the quantity and the quality of milk. The galactogogues found in our cookies are designed to help keep both Momma and baby well nourished.
What different flavors or types of cookies can you find at Milkin’ Cookie?
Oat Chip
Gluten Free Oat Chip
Cranberry Almond
Gluten Free Cranberry Almond
Tell me more about what Milkin’ Cookie Offers!
What products does Milkin’ Cookie offer?
We offer lactation cookie mixes and baked lactation cookies (but anyone can eat them … both kids and dads do too)! We have two flavors, cranberry almond and oat chip. And both of those flavors come in a gluten-free option. Customers have the option of buying individual bag mixes, or signing up for a monthly subscription which can be one or two bags of mix. They can also buy baked cookies by the bakers dozen individually or they can sign up for a monthly subscription of a bakers dozen or serious stash.
Where can I buy Milkin’ Cookie products?
Ordering on the website is easy! Mixes ship next day and baked cookies are baked and shipped on the first and third Mondays of the month. Our Mixes are currently sold in 3 stores in the Charlotte Metro Area … Betty By Moxie, Southern Dandy inside Salata Style, and Nest Portrait Studio.
More about Milkin’ Cookie’s CEO Elizabeth…
I asked Elizabeth about the story of her business and it’s so fun to get to now other local moms and how they have earned their success. Here’s what she had to say!
“Milkin’ Cookie first came into my life 6 days after the birth of my daughter. Clara surprised us all by coming nearly 4 weeks early so to say I was slightly unprepared is an understatement. Clara was born on a Monday and a small group of local Moms and I had a Christmas Dinner and gift exchange scheduled for the following Sunday … it was supposed to be our last get together, “before the baby came.” One of the things I had listed on my secret Santa list was lactation support items because I had struggled to make enough milk with my son. So Clara came early, surprised us all, and I still got to out to dinner with my friends the following Sunday. My secret Santa totally came through and hooked me up with a bag of Milkin’ Cookie Oat Chip Lactation Cookie Mix and a few other nursing related items. I was so grateful and excited to give them a try because we had already had to take Clara back to the hospital for fluids since my milk wasn’t fully in yet. I went to see the lactation consultant the next morning and she assured me that Clara’s latch was perfect and that my milk was on the way so I headed home to make the cookies. They came together so quickly, and so easily, and the house smelled amazing. I could hardly wait to get them off the tray before I tried them, (I actually think I burned my tongue), and they were fantastic. Truth be told I didn’t read the back of the bag to heed the serving size warning… I ate three (OK four of them)! PS - There’s a reason we say 1 to 2 a day … Because within a matter of 24 hours I went from only making colostrum to having a mega oversupply and mastitis. I had so much milk; I was drowning in milk. The mastitis was terrible but what a fortunate problem to have had. So I kept eating the cookies, but slowed down the pace and my milk supply was double what it was with my son. I knew it had to be the cookies! So about two to three weeks later I went on the website to order another bag of mix and I saw that the company was for sale. The Momma who founded it in 2017 was moving her family out of state and wanted to pass it on to another Momma who would continue to help others. So I sent her an email around 3:00 in the morning asking her what she was selling the company for and anxiously awaited a reply. I was a few weeks out from going back to work, and I was dreading it, as I think all Mommas do because we get so little (if any) Maternity leave. I heard back from the founder the next morning and we decided to meet and chat. I had worked in corporate America my whole life and I didn’t know anything about running a business … but somehow in my crazy, postpartum, hormonally charged brain I got the wild idea that I could figure it out and that the Cookie Company was going to be my way out of corporate America. I floated my wild idea past my business partner at work, Jade. She’s a nurse, and when I told her what was going on, she was all in! So after several conversations and multiple meetings with the Founder we came to an agreement to purchase the company and my business partner at work and I became business partners in the Cookie business too. So, we set the date of sale for 60 days out. What we didn’t know at the time was that we would find ourself’s laid off 1 month after we closed on the business. So one month into being business owners we found Ourselves unemployed, and it pushed us to focus our efforts full-time on our new business. At the time we didn’t know how we would make it… But now, we can’t imagine anything different! We have our lives back, we get to spend more time with our kids, and most importantly we get to help other Momma’s. We field emails and questions via the website and we get to help Momma’s make more milk and feel empowered while they do. What a gift! Jade is a nurse by trade and I am medical sales specialist. We both have a passion for helping people but the amount of fulfillment that we get from the number of Momma’s and babies we are helping is more fulfilling than any job we’ve ever had.”
The Milkin’ Cookie CEO Elizabeth and her family story
My husband and I have been married for 11 years this July. We have two children, Hunter, who is 5 and Clara, who is 15 months. My husband and I met in Morocco and we’ve had three wedding ceremonies. As a family, we love to travel and go hunting. We love the mountains and the beach. We also enjoy watching fútbol … aka soccer. My husband referees and my son plays. I played soccer through high school as well. We eat a ton of Moroccan food. I may be the baker but my husband is the chef! We speak multiple languages at home. I was an Au Pair in Spain so I speak conversational Spanish with the kids along with English. My husband, however speaks five languages … English being his fifth language. Berber is his primary language (that was spoken at home), followed by Arabic, French and Spanish.
Three Fun Facts about Elizabeth and Her Family
I met my husband in Morocco (He was my tour guide). I was living in Scotland, getting on my Masters degree, and traveled to Marrakech with some friends after Christmas break. I met him in the Medina across from the Jemaa el-Fnaa Mosque and it was love at first sight.
I have traveled to more that 15 countries and my whole bucket list I centered around traveling and food … For example, I want to eat sushi in Tokyo, I want to drink vodka in Russia, I want to eat Indian street, food in front of the Taj Mahal … you get the idea!
I am obsessed with reality TV! It is my absolute guilty pleasure and My favorite holiday is Christmas. I am one of those people who puts up the decorations the day after Thanksgiving and I leave them up until epiphany.
You never have to ask me twice to eat a cookie!! And bonus points if they hep increase lactation! Nursing burns a lot of calories, so cookies can be encouraged. :) Happy nursing!!!
Looking for other information about nursing? Check out this blog on lactation consultants around Charlotte while you’re here too!
