LEXINGTON, Kentucky (LEX 18) – The first store of its kind in Kentucky will open next week in Lexington’s Southland neighborhood.
The Leaky Momma is a bakery that specializes in helping breastfeeding women boost their milk production.
Mercedes Eckman, mother of three, knows firsthand the stress that breastfeeding can bring.
“It’s so stressful, so many tears, and you’ll do anything to get your milk supply going,” she said. “So many mothers tell me that these remedies have saved their lives.”
She talks about the lactation cookies she started baking at home a few years ago when she was breastfeeding her second child. They contain several special ingredients that can help women increase their milk production: oats, flax seeds and brewer’s yeast.
The former teacher eventually expanded her business to the Lexington Farmers Market and the Local LEX Market, and now she has opened her own store.
“I get a lot of weird looks, crazy comments and questions, but I would get the same if I had no idea what breastfeeding cookies were,” she told LEX 18.
Eckman says she enjoys answering customers’ questions because she knows how much the ingredients can help.
“These are things that people need,” she said. “They really, really help mothers as they go through the postpartum period, which is sometimes really, really hard.”
Moms aren’t the only ones who enjoy these treats. Eckman’s husband – a firefighter – was the one who encouraged her to start selling the cookies, which come in flavors ranging from classic chocolate chip to cinnamon rolls and other seasonal flavors.
“My kids eat them all the time,” Eckman said. “My husband takes them to the train station all the time. Anyone can eat them.”
In case you are still wondering: There is no breast milk in the cookies.
“The Leaky Momma” starts on Wednesday, August 21st at 8:30 a.m. The store is located on Southland Drive across from the Good Foods Co-op.
