Episode 126: Why New Moms Need Lactation Cookies – with Bessie’s Best Founder Jen Acuna & Marketing Head Brittany Hausmann

Disclaimer: Transcripts were generated automatically and may contain inaccuracies and errors.

Welcome to the kids sleep show, where we help tired parents from around the world to get their children to fall asleep independently, sleep through the night and build healthy sleep habits for Life. I’m your host, Courtney Zentz. Now let’s sleep together. Hey, everyone, welcome to this week’s episode of the Kids sleep show. I am excited to be joined not only by somebody who is local to where I am just outside of Philadelphia, but also coming up on their 10 year anniversary. An amazing product that I could not live without, as a nursing new mom, but the founder of besties best and Miss Jen Hakuna is here with us along with her brand manager, Brittany Houseman and they are going to talk to you all about besties best. And what an amazing company this is I’m excited to share their story. And so I’m excited to have you tuning in to listen to all the amazing things about the lactation cookie world and the treats and amazing products they sell. So welcome, Jen, thank you so much for joining. And we’re coming up on a big anniversary year for besties best. So take a minute, introduce yourself and tell us a little bit more about how the company was founded.

Sure, thanks so much for having us. I’m Jenna Hakuna and I’m an accidental entrepreneur. So I was a mother first and just thought that breastfeeding was going to be natural. I just thought it would be okay. This is what we were born to do, right. And so my 12 year old son, I didn’t make anywhere near enough milk. I kept supplementing and pumping and doing all the things I thought I was supposed to do. And so then when I was pregnant, my 12 year old, I just decided that I was going to get informed, I was going to learn what I learn. I was going to go to the support groups, and then I would be okay. Well, I got informed I went to the support groups and I still didn’t make very much milk. And so the lactation consultant who has a gift from the angels, Tammy told me that one of the things we can always try is lactation cookies. So the ones out there on the market were effective and useful and maybe not as yummy as I would have hoped that a cookie would have been. And so I went home and handed the baby to my husband and my two year old and I made a batch with all the same active ingredients that those other ones have. And that first batch is still our recipe today. So I think that it was probably meant to be

Oh, that is amazing. You know, I I second you with the you know, you come home from the hospital. And they tell you it’s the most beautiful time of your life. And oh, just lean into parenting. I’m like I’m wearing an ice diaper. I got milk shooting out of my nipples. I don’t know what the heck is going on right now. And I’m supposed to just like latch this baby on not scream or cry hope my nipples don’t bleed. And you know, this is going to be a magical 12 month journey. And it was similar. Like I was going back to work I wanted to pump I struggled with supply. I tried all the things and you know, it wasn’t till SES best lactation cookies that you’re like, oh my gosh, these can be delicious. And you can actually help your milk supply. So, you know, talk a little bit about you had mentioned the active ingredients, right? Like as somebody who might be listening to this with a newborn who was nursing and going what is a lactation cookie, aside from the fact that they are delicious to eat? How do they help?

So there are everybody asks, like, how did you figure this out. And I mean, I’m not a scientist, I’m just a baker, right? There are things in the world that you can eat that are good for your heart, there are things that are good for your cholesterol, there are things that are good to inspire lactation, and those things are called galactagogue eggs. And the ones that I used in the cookies immediately were the oatmeal, the brewers yeast and the flax seed. And then I based it off what a recipe that I had from the past that we called a monster cookie. So it had sort of like all the flavors in it’s almost like a granola bar and trail mix and a cookie all mixed into one. So it has peanut butter for protein, and the chocolate chips just for yumminess. And so those mixed in with the galactagogue. And then a whole bunch of water really can make a difference.

That’s amazing. And I think one of the things that new parents shortchange is nutrition and liquids, right? You know, so you struggle a lot with just focusing on yourself like your whole world shifts to priority number one, which is couple day old baby, and you’re trying to figure this out, and you don’t eat or you don’t sleep, or you don’t drink because you got the baby and they’re sleeping and you don’t have access to the drink or you don’t think about the thing you know, and I think probably one of the most beneficial things that you can do is have those types of treats right, whether it’s the trail mix or the cookies or the pretzels right We’ll talk about some of your products. But like having those in the nursery, when you’re going to be sitting there and there’s a baby who might be sleeping on you, or might be nursing for quite a while, you know, I struggled with my kids had lip and tongue ties, and I had no idea what that was. And I’m like, why is nursing taking 40 minutes and like, we’re not getting anywhere with this, you know, and it wasn’t till I had a lactation counselor, like they have lip and tongue tie, and you got a whole bunch of stuff. But lactation counselors are really helpful. You know, but when it comes to, I think, quality of a product, right, and actually taking time to be mindful of the fact that like, your nutrition, your hydration is important in the production of breast milk, but also to be a good new mom, you know,

yeah. And I think that the mom guilt is so real, and such an active part of every single thing that happens, especially in the first year after you bring baby home. And that’s not something that you can quantify or put on paper, or combat against in any like, in any sort of way that is obvious. But I do think that being able to eat something that you’re enjoying, while you know that it’s for the purpose of helping your baby makes it a lot easier to feel like you’re you know, indulging in something yummy. Instead of like, filling up your your the capacity that you have to eat with something that’s only good for them. It’s just, I think it’s really tough. The mom guilt thing, you know, at that, at that support group I was talking about, I remember a mom who had plenty of milk, and she was saying, I always feel like I’m choking my baby. So it doesn’t matter which way you go, you have the mom guilt. And, you know, we

just hope we can help. You know that moment. It made me laugh, because at one

point, we were joking, I said, I’ll just lay my baby under your baby. So like all the extra milk would just, it’d be perfect, like, everybody wins. But yeah, there were ended up being a lot of moms in that group that ate my cookies. And, you know, we’re also just grateful to be able to feel like they were taking the steps they needed to take.

Yeah, it’s amazing. I you know, I used my milk as a weapon one or two times, I’ll tell you, for those of you listening, it works great when your husband does something that makes you mad. And I would just be like, and it shoots pretty far it has a nice trajectory. But all joking aside, which I have done once or twice, when he’s said something stupid. You’ve got great products, right? So you started with the cookies, but you’ve got this whole portfolio of products. And now, you know, I will also want to take some time to chat with Brittany about the growth of this right, Brittany. So you are a part of the team now. Besties best for two years. And I’ve done such amazing things, you know. So can we shift gears for a second, allow me to introduce you and then talk a little bit about just the product like the evolution of how as a team, you’ve got a great team, you’re trying to come up with new ideas, the pretzels, the cookies, the granola? Like, what can you do to make food, fun and yummy, but beneficial to the fact that like the end purpose is to increase lactation so that you get a better supply for whether you’re pumping or whether you’re nursing to get that milk out.

Exactly. And our cookies are delicious. I think most people who try our cookies really love them. But we are also recommending that moms eat two to three cookies a day. And that can end up being a lot that can be some people don’t even like sweets at all. So for Jen originally whenever they created the cookie, and it was so successful, was like What else can we do to give moms more options that they have something to eat other than just a cookie every single day. So they created the granola. And that became a big part of the whole besties process as well right that you can both have your cookies in the morning. And you can also have granola on your snack on your yogurt later in the day or because our granola bags have have a zipper on them, throw them in the diaper bags, throw them in your glove compartment in the car, put them in your drawer at work and just pull out a handful and eat it. So we were doing that and then after I came on, we were really talking about trying to come up with like that next thing that was different from what everybody else was doing and again offered like a different taste option for somebody. So we did just release the lactation pretzels in November of 2022. So they’re still relatively new. And I was actually thinking when you guys were talking about earlier how important hydration is that I’ve actually had heard a couple moms coming back to us saying that they’re loving the pretzels because not only does it have the ingredients that help with their milk supply but it’s making them drink more water. So I love that idea too that are salty snack that’s both good for has those ingredients like brewers yeast and flax seeds that helps your milk supply is also contributing to drinking more water because the last thing that we do at bestes is say we You’re the solution to your problem. We say we love to provide you with delicious things that can help you with your low milk supply. So we know hydration, either power pumping or feeding on demand are the most vital. And we just hope to provide a really delicious snack that has those galactic dogs that can help you through when you really are struggling with your supply.

Yeah, no, that’s, that’s great advice. And I will say like from a power pumping standpoint, too, because there’s a lactation counselor, people are like, what is that, right? So I was explained, like, you got to pick that time a day when you have the ability to focus on the same time every day and do that pump. 10 minutes on 10 minutes off, 20 minutes on 20 minutes off, like, I think the whole Pennsylvania Turnpike saw my boobs at some point because I was pumping everywhere every chance I had. And I used freebies at the time, which was about 10 years ago, because that was what was available on the market. And they were so much more convenient to like, pop them in and just pump when I was driving and then I’d get to my office and I could do all the things you know. And it’s funny because when I saw that you released the pretzels in November, I baked like I eat relatively like a clean diet. You know, I’ve had some issues myself with like stomach cancer, I can’t eat processed foods really. So I make almost everything that I eat because my body doesn’t like anything that’s you know, kind of made in a factory of, you know, potato chips. So I love them, I cannot eat them. Nuts, it got me thinking like what about nuts? Because I used to eat nuts a ton. So just an idea. When I saw the pretzels, I was like, gosh, if they could put the de bittered you know, brewers yeast on the almonds, with some savory ingredients and the salt like I roast almonds in maple syrup. I roast almonds the other day used garlic and salt and my in laws on Easter were like, What are these almonds, I’m like sweet garlic salt, like nothing fancy, you know, because to your point, like, they’re high nutrient dense, they give you the calories, they give you the ingredients that you need to make the milk better. And they make you want to drink more, you know, like, I mean, I eat a cup of almonds a day. Just today and I have for years. And you know I love like almonds are pretty lame, you know, but like, flavored almonds with all this good stuff on it. Like I can dig that, you know, especially ranch ones, you know. So just some ideas for the arsenal. But like I love the idea of the pretzels. And to your point like get that hydration going now, talk to me about the Amazon boxes, right? So what is like congratulations on that. Right, which is so cool. I want to take a minute to highlight that. And to talk about like what’s in the boxes, what are you offering, like, World of going to babies, Eros is kind of gone, right? So most people today when you register, you go to byebye. Baby, you go to Amazon, you go to target, you know, and I was even in target the other day. And I’m like it’s kind of limited and a year like as a pregnant parent, you’re like, I’ll take that one, I guess you know, but I remember when I registered a baby’s arrest. It was like bam, bam, bam, like I mean, I was hitting that gun on everything in the store, you know? Now you have Amazon, it’s like a virtual, endless supply of products. And you are in the box. Right? Let’s talk about the box. So take some time to tell me a little bit more about that.

Yeah, I think a lot of people don’t still don’t even know that Amazon has this baby registry option. So you’re you’re completely right, I was just talking to another mom brand recently about how like, like the targets, baby just isn’t as robust as you would want it to be so sure, you can go register there. But those specialty stores like byebye baby, which is pretty regional. And babies are mothers that really aren’t, you know, a thing anymore. Like the options for parents are just so much lower now. So you can actually go online to Amazon, you can sign up for their baby registry, you can add things to your list exactly like you would create a regular list on Amazon. And then you can share the link with other so that people can buy off of your list. Again, it’s exactly like a registry in person on a store. So what Amazon started doing, they started doing it a couple years ago. But basically it was just like their larger brands that sold a lot through their platforms. They just started talking to them about why don’t you just throw us samples of your stuff. And we’ll start sending packets of samples out to the people who are registering for the baby registry. So they eventually brought on a company to help them really like push this out and actually make it into more of a thing. So really created into something that’s not just samples and flyers that you throw away but actually valuable products so that new moms can just new new families in general can get a sense of what is new out there in the market and what sort of specialty products are there. I recently heard about a new product that’s coming out I’m 10 games 10 years out of the baby game myself. So it’s a spray for diaper rashes. So like things that not parents not know might not know about that are coming in this box from Amazon to tell them about these new products. So we are so excited, it was actually the end of 2021, we started going into these boxes and they, they they put out a ton as you can imagine it’s a very, very large quantities. So we might not be in every single box that shows up. But we are slowly providing more and more samples. And basically it’s just a individually wrapped cookie a full sized cookie that goes into this, this bag and boxes. So they will find other samples from other products, new up and coming trending. But we are happy to be the exclusive lactation cookie in their box as of right now. And also kind of a little insider tip too. We were recently invited into Walmart’s post natal box. So they are doing something very similar. And that’s actually launching in May. So for anybody who might be interested or interested in also registering on Walmart, they are doing a similar style box, but they are doing postnatal for both the parent and the baby for after baby is born. So that’s that’s pretty cool, too.

That’s amazing. Yeah, it’s just such, like it’s a different world from when I feel like all of us had our kids, you know, and the products like what do you use, and a lot of it’s word of mouth, right? Like if your cookies are good, which they are, they’re amazing. People are going to talk about them, people are going to order more, right. And when you make a product that’s also quality, like I just I love getting behind companies like yourself that are doing good in the world. And then also, you know, serving a purpose that is helpful. You know what I mean? In the in the, in the very stressful and overwhelming time of new parenthood, right? Because you could read every book you want before that baby pops out. But the day you’re sitting in the hospital with a newborn on your chest, go on. Yes. So now what and you realize when they strap you in that car, see going home and they go, ah, hi, good luck. Like I counted the seconds till I could, you know, as Jen mentioned, like, get to a nursing group. So that I had somebody to talk to my husband went back to work the next day, he’s in finance, he’s like pee, she got this, like, you got the boobs, I’ll see you around five, you know, and I was like, what, okay, I got, I don’t know what I’m doing. And I have severe postpartum, I would call it anxiety, I don’t actually know, because I never had anxiety. And I was never depressed. So I didn’t really know what I was feeling. But it was not normal. And it wasn’t till about eight weeks when I was like I’m having a mental breakdown. At this point. I’m trying to be the perfect mom. I’m trying to be the perfect boss who’s on maternity leave with 40 employees who are still emailing me every day, trying to be the perfect nursing mom who’s going to have this freezer full of milk to check some box. Yeah. And I was crumbling on the inside, you know, and so to take the stress off of parents with a product that’s going to help in an area that is so hard for some parents, right, there are the moms and I wish I was them who had this like oversupply now I know oversize can be an issue as well. But like, I was never that mom who was like, I got milk who needs milk, you know, I’m just never made, you know, and to have a product like this that has a shelf life of several weeks, right? That is quality, and it does a job and they’re good. You know what I mean? Like, we don’t take care of ourselves. So sometimes to parents, that could be a treat, I got my nails done for the first time this week in like, three months. And I feel like a new human, like, I just feel prettier when my nails are painted. And I don’t make time for myself eight years later, to spend an hour to get that done. And I’m like, I’m going to start putting it in my calendar that every three weeks or whatever, I go get my nails done, because it’s like, it’s not much, but it makes me feel good. So it’s like, I think as parents like it’s okay to give yourself permission to buy some cookies and device pretzels and to have these things. Because it’s in the it’s in the greater good of our mental, physical and overall, like well being as a parent, you know,

I’m so pleased about the samples because I think that the first few weeks months as a parent, all we do is second guess every decision we make. So the idea of hopping onto Amazon and looking at 9000 options is overwhelming. One of the things that I mean lactation cookies have had a reputation of not being the most delicious things. One of my favorite things is every trade show people sound so surprised and they’re like, they’re delicious. And like I mean, that’s the point. Yeah, like, you know, you’re not supposed to be that surprised. And so if we can just, you know, be in a mom’s hand and she tasted this is good. I don’t have to think or decide or shop around or compare. And she can just pull the trigger. Isn’t that nice? One less thing to be worrying about all day. So

and I think it’s helpful because there’s always parents, right? We’re What do they say? What can I do? How can I help you? Right? They can’t feed the baby. Now they can come over and hold on a little bit, but like Okay, that’s great. You’re gonna do that anyway. How can I help you Gosh, I would love this. I would love these on my registry. I would love for you to send me some of these because they’ve actually been helpful. It takes a little bit of stress. and it doesn’t always have to be to your point the cookies like the pretzels, awesome, easy snack, you know. And so I think to your point like arming and empowering a mom to make one less decision, but also to be making a decision where they, they don’t feel guilty about it like the cookies are good, and they’re good for you and for babies. So, you know, there’s an added benefit to it.

We really want moms to feel like the brand is approachable as well, we always kind of tout ourselves as a whole as that mom who understands because we have literally all been there, like we literally have all been up in the middle of the night crying, while our baby is crying and feeding them and trying to do what’s best for them. So that is like, that’s why we keep a certified lactation counselor on staff, who is our customer care coordinator. And whenever there are questions that come through, she has an educated response. And a lot of times it’s not about the product. A lot of times it’s I don’t know, if I have learned that, how do I know what to Who do I talk to? Where do I go. So we don’t just want to sell you a product. We also want to be there for you when you don’t know who else to turn to because we have literally been there. So that’s really, really important. And that is seriously like the reason I took this job to begin with because Jen, and the besties team has built this from the ground up in that way that it’s all about supporting parents wherever they are in their breastfeeding journey,

which not only Oh, I’m sorry, go ahead. No, I’m just gonna say I’m the only business owner that you’ll ever meet that like praise that you don’t need to buy my products like you. You’re doing awesome. I hope you never need my cookies. But if you do, we’re here for you. You know,

and I love the mentality of that. That is why I got into this world. Like I wasn’t a sleep consultant. I didn’t go to school, I went to school for finance, my master’s degree is marketing. Like, I was not a sleep coach, right. And then I had my son and I was like, there is no support. There’s nowhere to go. I don’t know what the heck I’m doing. My baby is up at two in the morning crying my husband is sound asleep. And I didn’t know my milk hadn’t come in yet. Nobody told me that at the hospital, like just do the full hold and let him suck and I’m like, I got home and my girlfriend’s like he’s starving. Your milk didn’t come in yet. And the next day, she like jams, one of the formula supplements that you get in the mail into his mouth, he slammed it and passed out and I was like, Well, no kidding. Okay, let’s keep some formula on hand until my boot, you know, and then the next day was like, yeah, no, I didn’t know that I was the first time. And even with my daughter, as a lactation counselor, she struggled like to this day she struggled with like, I still don’t know what it was. And so as a fully equipped, second time mom, who is a lactation counselor, and at this point, a sleep coach, we struggled, she had a lip and tongue tie. But even after that it was like she ate milk and was like breaking in. So it’s like you have to go through that process of elimination. Is it something in your diet something there? And it’s like, there’s just so it’s not this perfect, beautiful world. And I think it’s it’s never that way for anyone regardless of what they say. And I think to your point, like you, you sound very much which I totally resonate with, like, people think what I do sometimes in the world of like baby sleep coaching and sleep training, you work with newborns, you’re barbaric. And I get these like hate messages. And I’m like, You have no idea. This isn’t about sleep training a newborn, it’s about educating a parent that a newborn should only be awake 45 to 60 minutes, otherwise, they get overtired, then they’re not going to eat well, they’re not going to sleep well. And you’re going to have a strung out crying, upset newborn, who you’re trying to figure out what the heck is wrong. But you don’t look at it like that. You categorize what I do as like this terrible thing. I’m at parent educator, I don’t want to be the parent who leaves the hospital gone. You just checked it, they’re strapped in, and I don’t, I don’t know what I’m doing. Like, I want to be the village for people to like, get the help. Like, he sounds very much like you like you want to be the village like you may not need to buy my sleep coaching services. But let me put out the podcast and a million freebies and have a Facebook group and have customer service and answer your emails. Like if you like me, and you need my help, I’ll happily help you. But here’s a bunch of quality things that will help you along the way because I don’t want ever want parents to feel like I did, which is the mission of tiny transitions. And it sounds like very much the same with besties best like just we’re we’re a village man, like it takes a village I didn’t have a village my mom died when I was 25. My dad was in whatever state he was living in at the time. You know, when my husband went back to work the next day, like I was alone going what what do I do with this thing? You know, and that’s a hard place to be. And so I think the more as companies like we can connect with parents and you can help to build that community and to collaborate and to share messages and ideas and like support and coaching and good quality products like it just makes it easier for that mom because we have all been there and it’s a lonely place man. So the work you’re doing is amazing because You’re helping him with something that again, one less thing. And it’s a quality product. So I’m excited. So I mean, what is on the docket? Like it’s your 10 year anniversary this month? Like, where’s besties? Best go? And like, what are we thinking about what great things can we tell parents about? Like how to find you? I know you’re in some local artisan shops, like in different parts of the country, but like, how do they find you?

Yeah, so our products are easily available on our website, just besties best.com. We, you can follow us on our socials. And we always have either something fun entertaining, or just delicious looking out there. But we, we have a lot going on, actually, we between Amazon, and Walmart, we are kind of at the beginning stages of breaking into getting into some retail stores, and getting on shelves so that moms can actually pick these things up when they’re shopping. So we’re really looking forward to that coming up too. And like you had kind of had mentioned earlier, we always have a new product sort of bug in the in the background, so that I can tell you, that’s always a conversation as well. And we, we are working very hard towards all of these things right now.

That’s good. It’s so amazing. And I’m just so blessed to have somebody so local, right? So you are not far from me. And Pennsylvania is good, but it’s beautiful to be able to ship your products all over the place. So I’m so excited, I’m going to share in the show notes for everyone, all of the different locations that they can find you all of your social links they can find out there, I know we’re doing a Mother’s Day Giveaway. This episode will be airing a little bit before Mother’s Day. So you’ll have plenty of time to find besties best to find hiney transitions, and to make sure you’re following everybody for amazing giveaways that we all like to do together. And I so appreciate the both of you jumping on today to just talk a little bit more about besties. Best, Jen. Any last words of advice for new moms who are coming in feeling like I don’t know what the heck I’m doing.

Just ask ask for help. If whoever you need write to us in the middle of the night. That’s why we’re here. You know, you mentioned like eliminating things from your diet. We will help you accommodate your dietary needs. We’ll help you cut out that dairy if you need to just

ask. Yeah. Awesome. I love it. Thank you so much to both of you for being on the show. We’ll share all the notes and I’m excited to see the amazing things that come for besties best this year. And I really appreciate both of you jumping on to talk a little bit more to those new parents who might be struggling right now. So thank you. Hold on. One more thing before you go. As a valued listener of the kids sleep show, I want to help you build a great sleeper not just in the times you’re listening to the show. But all day every day. Every week of the year. I have a new Facebook group called slumber made simple. It’s a place to gather with other parents looking for sleep support, laughs and the latest in sleep research to build a family that is rested and at their best day in and day out. If you want to be part of the community where you can get free sleep support, weekly training sessions, unbelievable content and so much more. Head on over to tiny transitions.com forward slash community that’s tiny transition stuff comm forward slash community or head over to Facebook and search slumber Made Simple. drop me a note and let me know when you join. I can’t wait to see you there.