Several months ago, I decided to take a leap of faith and launch a cookie business out of my tiny home kitchen. For those that know me, launching a business isn't out of the ordinary. It's something I've been doing for the past few years. And as most conventional businesses are born, this one started from a baking passion of mine and a desire to fulfill a need I couldn't seem to find access to anywhere else. As they say, sometimes the best things in life happen unexpectedly.
My Very Own Struggle With Breastfeeding
My struggle for breastfeeding atarted after I had my first daughter, Kayhlen. Now being a first time mom already has its struggles and for me, breastfeeding was one of them. I did everything my research had told me to do. I breastfed on demand, ensured I didn’t switch to formula as they said this would reduce my supply, but nothing worked. No matter how much I nursed, my 6lb baby was hungry and my body couldn’t keep up with the demand to nurse her, so sadly I switched to formula but continued giving her the little breastmilk I produced.
Fast forward to baby number 2, Rylee. With not much breastfeeding success, I told myself I probably didn’t do all that I could have done. That paired with my friend having a baby the year before and being able to produce breastmilk exclusively for her daughter, I was sure this time it would work. She even gave me the pump she used and a link to the lactation tea she drank to help her. In my mind, if I did everything she did, I’ll be able to exclusively breastfeed. This time I was pumping and nursing as much as I could have. But every time I pumped, I would get 2-3oz of milk. At this point I getting very frustrated. I even joined a breastfeeding group to get advice from lactation consultants. I also researched a recipe for lactation cookies (yes, you read that right, we’ll discuss that further). But as time would have it, I again, sadly made the switch to formula and supplemented with the little breastmilk I produced.
The Idea
After delivering my third daughter, Taylor , I made up my mind and was determined to exclusively breastfeed. After rejoining the breastfeeding group on Facebook, and doing all the research beforehand, in my mind for sure this time was successful. AGAIN, I was having a really hard time keeping up milk supply and Taylor needed a lot more food than my body could produce. I was frustrated, but didn't want to switch to formula. I pressed on and incorporated pumping into the routine every hour between feedings. Unfortunately, my baby was still hungry ALL THE TIME and I could only pump up to 1-2 ounces per 45 minute sitting.
While clearing out my pantry, I came across some of the ingredients for the cookies I planned to experiment with. AHAH! I could try making them. So I rushed to research a recipe for lactation cookies. Having a few ingredients I knew for sure I would have had to order online, I quickly purchased some other items and got to baking. I must admit, the cookies tasted so good I had quite a few. So did everyone else in the house. The following morning, I began my normal pumping/feeding routine and was astonished when I produced 4oz of milk in just 30 minutes. From then, I experimented to come up with a special formula that tastes better the more you bite AND give amazing results.
Within just a short couple of days, I was producing more breastmilk while also eating cookies that tasted good (talk about a win-win). The best part is that my daughter was getting as much breastmilk as she needed, which meant that I could wean her off of formula.
Finally, after years of research and experimenting, I achieved my goal of being able to exclusively breastfeed. This made for one happy mommy, and an even happier baby!
The Start of a Company
With the success I was having with my breastfeed journey I immediately thought this would be great for nursing mothers who are faced with the same struggles as myself. Being versed in coming up with business ideas, I merged my love of baking and came up with A DOZEN (as in a baker’s dozen….get it?) I designed the logo, ordered some packaging items and got to mass producing my miracle in a cookie.
Even though I have had business success before, the start of a new venture is always nerve-wrecking to me. But I wasn't turning back now as I knew I would be able to help others. So after advertising on Facebook, I received my first 4 orders. After they were sent out, all I could do was wait.
A couple days had passed when I woke up the best best message I could have ever seen on my phone. It was a review from one of the mothers who had purchased my cookies. She was amazed and thanked me as she was able to double her milk supply and had recommended me to her other breastfeeding mamas. I already knew these cookies were an incredible opportunity to help new moms, but the idea of turning it into a business was only confirmed incredible feedback from moms around the country who experienced the same success I did through breastfeeding with the help of these cookies.
Our cookies are currently available for doorstep delivery. If you're looking to increase your breastmilk supply, you can place an order today and have fresh batch delivered to you within 2 - 4 days. Check out our website to learn more and don't forget like us on Facebook to follow us on Instagram @adozen.bydee
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