Oatmeal cookies during lactation: is it possible when breastfeeding a newborn?

Every young mother asks herself many questions during the breastfeeding period. One of them is: “Which foods should be included in your diet, and which should still be excluded from it?” Naturally, the nutrition of any mother, especially during lactation, should be correct, and it is worth knowing that some foods should still be excluded from your diet, namely those that cause a strong allergic reaction.

Right now, let’s look at one of the favorite products of nursing mothers - this, of course, is delicious and sweet oatmeal cookies. Should you include it in your daily diet? Or is it necessary to abandon it during this period?

Essence of the question

Oat flour and flakes do not contain allergens. It is not without reason that infant milk formulas made from oatmeal are very popular among women whose children are bottle-fed. Moreover, confectionery products made from oat flour are much healthier than those made from wheat or rye.

Oatmeal cookies contain large amounts of fiber, which normalizes intestinal function and gives a feeling of fullness. Complex carbohydrates saturate the mother’s body with the necessary energy, help cope with insomnia and increase the production of happiness hormones - serotonin and endorphin.

In addition, oatmeal cookies contain magnesium, sodium, selenium and B vitamins in small quantities. These beneficial substances improve brain function, normalize metabolism, slow down the aging process, and support the immune system.

However, the recipe for any baking also includes milk, eggs and sugar, which, even in small quantities, are not recommended for breastfeeding in the first 2-3 months after the birth of the child. Based on this, pediatricians recommend including oatmeal cookies for nursing mothers in the menu, starting from the age of three months.

Important: Introduce oatmeal cookies, like any product, into your menu gradually, starting with a small portion. After use, monitor your baby’s reaction for 1-2 days. If the baby’s health does not worsen after feeding, you can increase the daily portion. If you have symptoms of allergies or colic, exclude baked goods from the menu.

But what if you want to eat something tasty? What kind of cookies can a mother during lactation in the first 2-3 months of the baby’s life? At this time, feel free to buy biscuits. It is made from low-calorie products that cannot cause allergies. These Lenten cookies do not contain butter, eggs or milk, and the recipe is surprisingly simple, consisting mostly of water and flour.

An example is biscuit biscuits “Maria” - during breastfeeding they are especially popular as a dietary and anti-allergenic product with a minimal sugar content. Yubileiny cookies won’t do any harm either; they also don’t contain dyes, preservatives or flavors.

Proper ways to prepare oatmeal

In order for the delicacy to be endowed with maximum usefulness during lactation, it should be prepared correctly. To do this, you need to be guided by the following principles:

The quality of the workpieces used must be of a high level.
It is better to cook with oatmeal rather than replace it with flour.
It is useful to mix the dough with nuts, whole grains, and add seeds.
Instead of sugar, it is recommended to use dried fruits or give preference to bananas. When you can’t do without granulated sugar, add it to a minimum.
You should not get carried away with the use of fats: their amount in the product is minimal. During feeding, it is forbidden to eat fatty foods, which can lead to constipation for mother and baby. It is better to use a recipe for making fitness cookies, which does not require the use of fat.

homemade baking

When a nursing mother wants oatmeal cookies, she can quickly and easily bake them using one of the many recipes. Homemade baking is good because it uses traditional ingredients that do not contain harmful additives, preservatives or vegetable fats.

In principle, you can take any of the recipes on websites dedicated to cooking as a basis. But at the same time, risk products must be replaced with safe ones. This primarily applies to margarine. If a recipe calls for this product, replace it with quality butter.

Various fruits, berries and nuts are added to oatmeal cookies. When choosing additional ingredients, make sure that they will not become a source of allergies for your baby. In this regard, chocolate, cranberries, poppy seeds, and coconut are dangerous.

Diagnostics

The doctor must first familiarize himself with the patient’s medical history and perform an examination. The doctor studies the symptoms of the pathology. To do this, he will ask you to make a list of the foods you ate and your reaction to them. It is important to distinguish food allergies from food intolerances.

The specialist will recommend a diet that will require you to eliminate problematic foods. A diet that excludes foods means that the patient does not consume foods that cause allergies, according to the medical history or tests.

If the symptoms disappear, this indicates that the product is allergenic, but if they recur, then you can consume it, this indicates an allergy. The duration of the diet is from 10 to 14 days.

During the diet period, which includes foods, you eat both allergenic and regular foods under the supervision of a specialist.

If a reaction occurs only to foods that were suspected of being allergenic, then the diagnosis is confirmed. This test is the best option for determining allergies.

Doctors can do an allergy test, it consists of:

Skin test. The doctor will apply some liquid with allergens to the top layer of skin, then give an injection. When hyperemia (blister) appears on the epithelium, this indicates that there is an allergy to this allergen. The skin test is a simple and quick safe test, but the results may be unreliable. This means that there is no allergy, but the results show the opposite. A skin test is contraindicated if a person is predisposed to various types of allergic reactions.
Enzyme-labeled immunosorbent assay. Measures the level of immunoglobulin E antibodies in the blood that the body is able to produce in response to certain allergens.

Also used to diagnose the disease:

Radioallergosorbent tests;
Tests using CAP-system;
Linked immunosorbent assay.

Tests that did not give adequate results in diagnosing food allergies:

Determination of the level of immunoglobulin G4 antibodies;
Provocation/neutralization;
Cytotoxicity;
Applied kinesiology.

Simple recipes

1. Eggless oatmeal cookies.

This oatmeal cookie recipe deserves to be in the cookbook of every nursing mother who loves sweets, because it contains no eggs. Therefore, this delicacy can be eaten almost immediately after the birth of the child:

Measure out 3 cups of Hercules flakes and fry in a frying pan until light golden brown. This will take about 10 minutes.
Grind the toasted flakes with a blender or meat grinder.
Pour 0.5 cups of low-fat sour cream into a bowl, add 150 g of soft butter, ⅓ tsp. salt and 1 cup sugar. Mix the ingredients with a mixer.
Add 1 tsp to the bowl. baking powder and mix again.
Add crushed flakes and 7 tbsp. l. wheat flour. Knead the dough. The consistency of the dough should be quite thick.
Grease a baking sheet with oil and dust with flour. Place dough cakes on it.
Preheat the oven to 180°C in advance, place a baking sheet in it and bake until golden brown. Do not let it brown, otherwise the cookies will dry out. Approximate baking time is 15-20 minutes.
Immediately remove the finished cookies from the baking sheet and cool. Now you can enjoy delicious baked goods. By the way, you don’t have to grind the oatmeal, then the structure of the baked goods will be more interesting.

2. Oatmeal cookies with nuts and fruits.

The second recipe contains more ingredients, but it does not contain not only eggs, but also milk and sugar. However, do not worry, the taste will not suffer from this, because the composition includes other useful components:

Crush ¼ cup almonds or walnuts.
Grind 1 cup of Hercules flakes in a blender to flour.
Mash 2 large bananas with a fork until smooth and pureed.
Combine mashed bananas, chopped nuts, ½ cup whole oatmeal, ¼ cup raisins, 3 tbsp. l. flax seeds, a pinch of salt, 1 tsp. baking powder and 0.5 cups of water. Add cinnamon if desired.
Mix everything thoroughly and let it brew for 1 hour.
Line a baking sheet with foil, shape the cakes into the desired shape and place them on the foil.
Preheat the oven to 120°C. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Oatmeal cookies according to this recipe can be safely included in the menu of a nursing mother from the first month of a baby’s life, without forgetting about caution.

3. “Oatmeal.”

The Oatmeal recipe also deserves attention. The cookies turn out aromatic, tasty and moderately filling. If in previous recipes the dough did not need to be rolled out, then here you will have to work a little with a rolling pin. But the result is worth a little effort:

Take 85 g of soft butter and grind it with a bag of vanillin and 0.5 tsp. cinnamon.
Grind 1 cup of oatmeal in a blender or coffee grinder.
Pour the crushed flakes into the mashed butter and add ¾ cup of sugar, stir.
Pour 75 ml of warm water into a glass, add a pinch of salt and stir until completely dissolved.
Pour the water and salt into the bowl with the cereal and butter and mix again.
Sift 1.5 cups of wheat flour into a bowl with ingredients and add ½ tsp. soda Knead soft elastic dough.
Dust the table with flour and roll out the dough to a thickness of 0.5 cm.
Use a glass to cut out round shapes for future cookies.
Preheat the oven to 210°C.
Cover a baking sheet with parchment, grease with sunflower oil and sprinkle with flour so that the finished cookies can be easily removed.
Place the pieces on a baking sheet so that they do not touch each other.
Bake at the indicated temperature for no more than 12-15 minutes. Do not under any circumstances increase the baking time. The light color of the cookies should not be misleading - after cooling, the delicacy will become crispy. If you want the cookies to be softer, roll out the dough thicker.
Cool the finished cookies. Bon appetit!

Important! Hot oatmeal cookies take the shape they are placed on. If you want the cookies to be even, cool them on a flat surface and then place them in a bread pan.

Symptoms

The manifestations of an allergic reaction are on average similar to many other food manifestations.

Each organism may have its own characteristics, but among the most popular are:

Skin reaction . The presence of symptoms depends on the degree of reactivity of the immune system. This may cause itching and redness on the skin. Due to severe itching, scratch marks may be observed.
Some people develop a rash ; it can be polymorphic, most often resembling urticaria. With pronounced symptoms, the appearance of papules and vesicles, which are filled with transparent contents, is noted.
Sometimes there is an increase in body temperature, a feeling of malaise, and weakness.
The most dangerous manifestation is anaphylactic shock and Quincke's edema . This pathology is accompanied by swelling of the mucous membranes, difficulty breathing and life-threatening consequences, including death.

It can be especially pronounced because the digestive tract system, as well as the immune system, have not yet fully formed, and therefore, a foreign agent can quickly disrupt this relationship. The basis for its formation is a violation of the mother’s diet.

Usually occurs due to improper introduction of complementary foods, as well as hereditary predisposition. It often happens that parents create an excess of simple carbohydrates in the form of these products in the diet.

But oatmeal cookies are a group of products that are classified as low allergens. Those. very rarely can cause a pathological reaction. Therefore, even women who are breastfeeding can eat this product. Oatmeal is considered healthier and less allergenic.

Children are often allergic Heinz brands This is due to the fact that its composition is not adapted for the child’s body. It contains not only palm oil, but also stabilizers and acidity regulators. This product is not useful even for an adult, and children are prohibited from using it.

Bondi cookies , which contain various preservatives, as well as sugar. Such ingredients can quickly damage a child's immune system.

Jubilee cookies are recommended for use by women who are breastfeeding. This is due to the fact that it contains few nutritional additives. In addition, it contains almost no sugar, which means that colic almost never occurs. The risk of allergies in a child is quite low.

Store-bought cookies

Homemade baking is great, but it's not always possible to find time for it. A nursing mother sometimes does not have enough strength for ordinary household chores, not to mention fiddling with dough. But you really want to treat yourself to cookies for tea. There is only one way out - buy ready-made.

If you have any doubts about whether a nursing mother can buy oatmeal cookies in a store, cast them aside. Of course you can. You just need to do this carefully. Here are some tips for choosing a quality product that is safe for the health of mother and baby:

Check the expiration date. If it is more than 3 months old, refuse to purchase - this product contains an excess of preservatives.
Make sure the item is not expired. If you buy cookies by weight, don't be shy - look at the date on the box.
Check the condition of the product - it should smell nice and look fresh. If the edges are dry or there is a foreign smell, do not take risks, buy the product in another store.
Sometimes manufacturers sprinkle oatmeal cookies with sugar or crushed nuts. You should not take such a product, because nuts can become a source of allergies, and excess glucose is harmful to the baby. If you have a choice, give preference to options with fructose.
In confectionery factories and bakeries, non-standard ingredients are often added to the recipe, which can negatively affect the health of the little one. Therefore, store-bought oatmeal cookies during breastfeeding should be introduced into the diet gradually, starting with 1-2 pieces per day. At the same time, use “proven” products so that in case of unwanted symptoms in your baby, you can be sure that the problem is in store-bought oatmeal cookies.

Why does the reaction occur?

There are many factors that cause an allergic reaction.

Let's highlight the main ones:

Allergy to sugar, flour, oatmeal);
Poor quality raw materials on the basis of which the cookies are produced;
The presence of synthetic elements in the product;
Gastrointestinal diseases;
Weak immune system.

Important point! Allergies of this type have characteristics that are determined not only by a variety of causes. The clinical picture also differs from other types of allergies. We can say this is a positive thing, since it is possible to quickly identify the presence of a negative response to oatmeal cookies or any other.

Essence of the question

Allergy to oatmeal cookies in children: fiction or reality?

As soon as any mother finds out about her “interesting” situation, the time comes for restrictions and prohibitions. These restrictions especially affect the diet of the mother herself, and then the baby. Of course, it is very difficult to give up your favorite foods, but often it is simply necessary, since many of them can cause allergic reactions in a child.

Different opinions arise when it comes to flour products. So, for example, there are several points of view on the question: is it possible for a child to be allergic to cookies?

These cookies definitely cannot be classified as allergens that cause, for example, colic or constipation in a child. In addition, it contains carbohydrates necessary for the mother during lactation. And oatmeal is very healthy, unlike rye and wheat. So is a child’s allergy to oatmeal cookies just a fiction?

To understand this issue, you need to find out what is in the cookies that can cause allergies.

What are the causes of oatmeal cookie allergies?

It turns out that an allergy to oatmeal cookies can only occur if they are industrially produced cookies. At the same time, margarine, animal fats and even flavor enhancers and preservatives can be found in cookies. In addition, it is not always possible to find a quality product on store shelves. Excessive components and lack of proper quality are the main reasons.

What symptoms may indicate an allergy to oatmeal cookies?

The main symptom is skin damage in the form of dryness, moisture or rashes. Less common are gastrointestinal disorders (diarrhea, constipation, colic, etc.). Nasal congestion and difficulty breathing are practically non-existent.

To determine whether these symptoms are a consequence of eating oatmeal cookies, you must first eliminate other possible allergens from your diet and, of course, consult a doctor.

How to treat allergic diseases?

In resolving this issue, it is important not to forget that it is naturally better to entrust the treatment of allergies to an allergist or dermatologist. A specialist will study the problem and prescribe medications that will help you cope with allergies quickly and without harm to your health. Now, of course, there is no shortage of such drugs. Most often, FENISTIL is used to treat allergies in children (in drops for oral administration or ointment for external use), and for children from one year of age - ZODAK (drops).

Naturally, many people use traditional treatments to combat allergies. You need to be careful with this method, as improper treatment can only worsen the situation. To treat “skin” allergies, baths with an infusion of string are most often used (in such a proportion that the water acquires a slightly yellowish tint).

For internal use, a weak decoction of chamomile is used (2 tablespoons of dried chamomile flowers are poured into 1 glass of hot water; infused for 20-30 minutes, applied 1 tablespoon after meals or dissolved in a bottle of water for drinking).

Naturally, you will have to exclude cookies from your diet and adhere to a strict diet. And, most importantly, do not forget that it is better to trust the treatment of allergies to professionals in this field, especially when it comes to a child.

homemade baking

Treatment

After diagnosing an allergy, the specialist prescribes a set of therapeutic measures. The main advice is to completely avoid contact with the allergen. It is strictly forbidden to give your baby any type of industrially produced cookies. Medicines, antihistamines, are rarely prescribed in such situations. Since in most people the manifestations of allergies disappear one to two days after stopping the use of the allergen.

Drugs

Pharmacotherapy for this type of allergy is used in cases where diet and other preventive measures have little effect.

If skin itching is present, an allergist will prescribe an antihistamine ointment or cream (Fenistil - gel).

Antihistamines in tablet form are often used, but not for more than 14 days. Third generation antihistamines are well suited because they do not adversely affect the human body and do not cause drowsiness:

Desloratadine;
Cetirizine;
Erius;
Levocetirizine;
Fexofenadine.

Erius is a medication that belongs to the antihistamine group of drugs and is taken orally. Has anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effect. Adsorption of desloratadine from the gastrointestinal tract is high, its maximum values are reached 3 hours after administration, and the detectable concentration in the blood plasma is visible after 30 minutes. In recommended doses, as indicated in the instructions, it does not cause sedation.

For the treatment of allergy symptoms, Erius is used regardless of food in the following doses:

Adults and adolescents (over twelve years): - 10.0 ml of Erius syrup (5.0 mg of the active substance of the drug) once a day.
Children aged: - six to eleven years are recommended to take 5.0 ml of Erius syrup (2.5 mg desloratadine) once a day.
From one to five years, it is recommended to take 2.5 ml of Erius syrup (1.25 mg desloratadine) once a day;
From six to eleven months, it is recommended to take 2.0 ml of Erius syrup (1 mg desloratadine) once a day.

If the pathology is severe and there is a danger of anaphylactic shock, you will need an injection of epinephrine (adrenaline), which will instantly eliminate the acute inflammatory process and normalize breathing. In this situation, you must call an ambulance.

According to the research results, it is clear that in case of food allergies, especially in children, a fairly effective stabilizer of mast cell membranes is Cromolyn. Release form: sprays, aerosols, tablets.

Folk remedies for treatment

Treatment of allergies with folk remedies alleviates the main symptoms of the disease and eliminates the feeling of discomfort. For this purpose, decoctions based on medicinal herbs are actively used, which are added to the water at the time of bathing the child.

However, there are certain nuances here - a consultation with a doctor is inevitable. In extreme cases, the problem can easily be made worse.

It will give a positive result if you lubricate the affected area with sea buckthorn oil or aloe gel. Chamomile infusion will relieve dry skin.

Simple recipes

1. Eggless oatmeal cookies.

Measure out 3 cups of Hercules flakes and fry in a frying pan until light golden brown. This will take about 10 minutes.
Grind the toasted flakes with a blender or meat grinder.
Pour 0.5 cups of low-fat sour cream into a bowl, add 150 g of soft butter, ⅓ tsp. salt and 1 cup sugar. Mix the ingredients with a mixer.
Add 1 tsp to the bowl. baking powder and mix again.
Add crushed flakes and 7 tbsp. l. wheat flour. Knead the dough. The consistency of the dough should be quite thick.
Grease a baking sheet with oil and dust with flour. Place dough cakes on it.
Preheat the oven to 180°C in advance, place a baking sheet in it and bake until golden brown. Do not let it brown, otherwise the cookies will dry out. Approximate baking time is 15-20 minutes.
Immediately remove the finished cookies from the baking sheet and cool. Now you can enjoy delicious baked goods. By the way, you don’t have to grind the oatmeal, then the structure of the baked goods will be more interesting.

2. Oatmeal cookies with nuts and fruits.

Crush ¼ cup almonds or walnuts.
Grind 1 cup of Hercules flakes in a blender to flour.
Mash 2 large bananas with a fork until smooth and pureed.
Combine mashed bananas, chopped nuts, ½ cup whole oatmeal, ¼ cup raisins, 3 tbsp. l. flax seeds, a pinch of salt, 1 tsp. baking powder and 0.5 cups of water. Add cinnamon if desired.
Mix everything thoroughly and let it brew for 1 hour.
Line a baking sheet with foil, shape the cakes into the desired shape and place them on the foil.
Preheat the oven to 120°C. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Oatmeal cookies according to this recipe can be safely included in the menu of a nursing mother from the first month of a baby’s life, without forgetting about caution.

3. “Oatmeal.”

Take 85 g of soft butter and grind it with a bag of vanillin and 0.5 tsp. cinnamon.
Grind 1 cup of oatmeal in a blender or coffee grinder.
Pour the crushed flakes into the mashed butter and add ¾ cup of sugar, stir.
Pour 75 ml of warm water into a glass, add a pinch of salt and stir until completely dissolved.
Pour the water and salt into the bowl with the cereal and butter and mix again.
Sift 1.5 cups of wheat flour into a bowl with ingredients and add ½ tsp. soda Knead soft elastic dough.
Dust the table with flour and roll out the dough to a thickness of 0.5 cm.
Use a glass to cut out round shapes for future cookies.
Preheat the oven to 210°C.
Cover a baking sheet with parchment, grease with sunflower oil and sprinkle with flour so that the finished cookies can be easily removed.
Place the pieces on a baking sheet so that they do not touch each other.
Bake at the indicated temperature for no more than 12-15 minutes. Do not under any circumstances increase the baking time. The light color of the cookies should not be misleading - after cooling, the delicacy will become crispy. If you want the cookies to be softer, roll out the dough thicker.
Cool the finished cookies. Bon appetit!

Important! Hot oatmeal cookies take the shape they are placed on. If you want the cookies to be even, cool them on a flat surface and then place them in a bread pan.

Store-bought cookies

Check the expiration date. If it is more than 3 months old, refuse to purchase - this product contains an excess of preservatives.
Make sure the item is not expired. If you buy cookies by weight, don't be shy - look at the date on the box.
Check the condition of the product - it should smell nice and look fresh. If the edges are dry or there is a foreign smell, do not take risks, buy the product in another store.
Sometimes manufacturers sprinkle oatmeal cookies with sugar or crushed nuts. You should not take such a product, because nuts can become a source of allergies, and excess glucose is harmful to the baby. If you have a choice, give preference to options with fructose.
In confectionery factories and bakeries, non-standard ingredients are often added to the recipe, which can negatively affect the health of the little one. Therefore, store-bought oatmeal cookies during breastfeeding should be introduced into the diet gradually, starting with 1-2 pieces per day. At the same time, use “proven” products so that in case of unwanted symptoms in your baby, you can be sure that the problem is in store-bought oatmeal cookies.

First signs and symptoms

Let's look at how a cookie allergy manifests itself in a child and an adult.

Even small manifestations of pathology should not be ignored. After all, it is impossible to predict how the body will react next time. Each person has an individual reaction: from banal rashes to Quincke's edema.

It is worth noting that there is a danger to health, including death, so it is not recommended to trigger allergies and self-medicate.

Any food allergy is expressed in different forms. To do this, it will be enough to hold the nuts in your hands or smell the fish - and the body’s strongest response will immediately manifest itself with an attack of suffocation.

An allergy to cookies in a baby is especially dangerous, for this reason the mother should pay special attention to nutrition. The first baby food, which is recommended by pediatricians, mainly includes safe hypoallergenic ingredients.

The reaction is provoked by: allergens in cookies:

preservatives
dyes;
sugar;
flavorings.

There is a high probability that the person is allergic to gluten. This substance is a plant component of fiber. It is found in cereals (wheat, barley, oats). The starchy functions of gluten are well suited for thickening yoghurts, confectionery products, and instant soups.

Gluten-free cereals can be purchased on supermarket shelves; cookies and sweets are much more difficult.

Signs of food allergies:

Hives;
Peeling and itching of the skin;
lacrimation;
Stuffiness and runny nose;
Swelling of the limbs;
Malfunction of the digestive system (dysbacteriosis, constipation, stomach pain, spasm of the esophagus);
Labored breathing.

Symptoms often appear in the form of a rash: on the soles of the feet, in the face and neck, and on the palms of the hands.

Some people experience swelling of the ears, fingers, lips, and eyelids. The temperature rises to 38 degrees and above.