Has Anyone Used (Finugreek) While Breastfeeding?

Yes - I used it with my first son (who is now almost 2). I never felt like I had enough milk supply for him. I heard about fenugreek when he was 3 months old from a friend of mine who had used in California. I took the pills daily, and I believe it helped increase my milk production. I didn't notice any other side effects. I also tried Mother's Milk tea (it doesn't have fenugreek in it) but that didn't help me. Now I'm breasting my 6 month old but I feel like producing milk just fine this second time around.

HI S.. I'm 31 and breastfeed my 1st child exclusively for 5 months. At 5 mos I introduced rice cereal and oatmeal w/ breastmilk. She did not have forumula till she was 8 months. I used fenugreek and it was WONDERFUL!! I noted an increase in my milk supply -- but you have to take regularly and you might start to smell like syrup a little. I also ate a cup of oatmeal (not the instant kind) -- each morning. Both were recommendations from a lactation consultant at my breastfeeding support group at the Cleveland Clinic.

I just looked up the comments and precautions......I see none. Actually, this is used to PROMOTE lacatation so I don't see drying up to be a problem.

Hi S.,

Congrats on exclusively nursing your little one :) My little girl just turned 4 months old as well. Is there a reason you're starting cereal at this age? Current recommendations (including our pediatrician) indicate that waiting til 6 months is preferable. Not only is this better for the baby, but it will allow you to continue to maintain your current milk supply.

I have never tried fenugreek to increase supply. Do you have supply issues? If you don't, then simply continuing to nurse on demand, even when you've started giving your baby solid foods, is probably the best way to maintain supply.

Here is a really good resource for introducing solids (and all things breastfeeding). Best of luck to you! http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/solids-when.html

I have never heard nor taken that however I did successfully breastfeed my son & it is on supply & demand. I would recommend medella (electric) expensive but worth every penny! You feed him on the right while you are pumping on the left, then switch, feed on left pump on right. You body will think it needs to supply more food & in 2-3 days you will have plenty!!! There is no need to worry that he will not get enough your body will adapt! Pumping is not as bad as others make it out to be it is worth every effort to keep it going!! If you read the cereal box you can mix it with water til your supply is up. It is best to use formula for breast milk better nutrition & calories. Your body knows how to make more milk naturally just get the right equipment to help you out! It might be nice for your husband to feed him a bottle every now & again too! Good luck!! I would check with your Doc before taking anything!

I nursed my oldest for 2 1/2 years, and have been nursing my youngest for 13 months now. Unfortunately, we had some stressful events arise for our family during both of my periods of nursing, and I discovered that uncontrolled stress dried up my milk. I tried many things to get my milk flowing again, and what I found works best to RESTART lactation after my milk had all but dried up is a prescription drug called Reglan (prescribed off label by my OB; I didn't have any side effects). Then, once I was producing a decent amount of milk again, I used Fenugreek (3x/day) to maintain my production. I had great success with this. Now, when stressful situations are forseeable (like the holidays) I take Fenugreek to ward off any decrease in my milk production. The other helpful thing I found is that I started pumping 1st thing in the morning, when I was nice and full and could get a decent amount of milk pumped for cereal and the ocassional bottle fed by Dad. Your supply will be highest in the morning.

From what you said, it sounds like you're still producing plenty of milk, and just want to make sure you keep producing enough. Taking Fenugreek should help you maintain your level of milk production.

I think you will also find that, as you start feeding your son cereal and other solids once or twice a day, he may cut out 1 nursing session for you, which means you could pump then and your body will maintain the level of production as if he were still nursing just as often as always.

I applaud your dedication to breastfeeding. So many Moms give up as soon as things get difficult. Nursing isn't always a walk in the park, but the benefits for your child are SO worth the effort. Good luck to you.

Fenugreek is certainly acceptable while breatfeeding (it is meant to increse milk, not deplete), but if you want to increase your supply, nursing and pumping more will help. It's a supply and demand thing. The more you "demand" from your body, the more it will make. As an aside, fenugreek has been known to make you have a "maple syrupy" smell. For supply issues, you can also try Mother's Milk tea, oatmeal or simply lots more water.

For mixing with cereal, you really only need a tablespoon or so. You should be able to pump that off after feeding or at an added session. But pumping *may* take a little time to get a good rhythm. Some women (myself included) have a tough time letting down to the pump, so you may need to try hand expressing.

As far as starting cereal. That's completely your choice. Many people don't start until 6 months now, but there honestly is no hard and fast "rule". Also, you can use plain water to mix with cereal if you don't have breastmilk available. It is merely for learning how to eat . . . all the nutrition is still coming from nursing.

It's fenugreek and it works very well for most women! You can get it from places like Wild Oats or cheaper on Ebay. Take 2 capsules with each meal and you should see a difference within 72 hours. Most women can back down on how many they take or stop all together once their supply has increased.
You can also drink Traditional Medicinals Mother's Milk Tea (also found at health food stores among other grocers). It's yummy and had fenugreek in it, but it can get expensive if you have to continue to use it all the time.
Hold off on solids, all the research shows that 1) breastfeds don't need cereal EVER, just start with high-calorie things like avacado and sweet potatoes at 6 months and 2) it's much better for babies to wait until 6 months because their little tummies aren't ready to digest cereal yet:( Don't hurt the amazing thing you've done by exclusively breastfeeding!

Also, your body will get used to pumping if you start before you need it. Start now and in a couple months your supply will be up and you'll have some "back stock". Always nurse your baby first and then pump whatever you have left. At first you may get little or none, but your body will respond and start producing more. You have more in the morning than at night, so I would suggest just pumping after the morning feeding at first and if that's not enough, add a pumping later in the day.

S.,

I used Fenugreek and domperidone after I started back to work while still nursing. It definitely helped stimulate my milk production, however, since I was taking both, I'm not sure if one was doing more than the other or if I was getting a little benefit from both. I don't know if you can still get domperidone...it was hard to find and was only available from "compound pharmacies" when I used it (2004). I don't recall experiencing any side effects from either one (with the exception of smelling like maple syrup)!! Hope this helps.

Due to an nursing issue my daughter had I was forced to pump milk for her in order for her to be breastfed. Because of exclusively pumping I always struggled to make enough milk for her. I tried fenugreek and about every other thing out there. I found that fenugreek was ok (not great) but it made me stink (like celery). The most effective thing I found was a product called More Milk Plus made by Motherlove. It contains fenugreek as well as other herbs and the only effect it had on me was increasing my milk supply. I attribute the fact that I pumped and was able to almost exclusively give my daughter breastmilk for 8 months to this supplement. I got it at Whole Foods but also found it online @ lucky vitamin.com.

I agree w/ everyone else about holding off on the cereal for a little while but also before you worry about supplementing I would see how your body responds on its own. It may be up to the challenge w/out any help.
Good luck!!!

The American Academy of peds reccommemds delaying solids until 6 mos. You can go to their website http://www.aap.org/breastfeeding/tenSteps.pdf
for more information.

I use an herbal tea Yogi Tea brand) - Woman's Nursing Mom. It contains Fenugreek. It has increased my supply enough that I can nurse fulltime and pump to create a stored supply. You can fund this tea ar Meijer's

Hi S.,

You don't have to start cereal yet. If your boy is doing well, you may want to consider just breastfeeding for a while longer until he exhibits signs of wanting solid food - usually that happens around 6 months. Of course, every child is different and you're his mother - so whatever decision you make is going to be the right one for your family and child.

If you're concerned about your supply, head on over to Whole Foods or another natural grocery and find More Milk Plus by Motherlove. I struggled with supply for all 13 months that I breastfed my daughter, and it's the only milk supply booster that has blessed thistle - which I found way more effective than Fenugreek. It's a tincture, so you put it in a small amount of water and grimace it down. You may smell a little like maple syrup while you're taking it, but your supply will increase. You could become engorged if you take this when you don't need to - so go slowly while you figure out if you require it.

Also, a gentler way to boost your supply is to think about eating oatmeal every day. Oatmeal supports lactation. Other solutions: skin to skin contact with your child - take a bath with him. And, if you feel your supply waning, nurse him more. You can also buy Nursing Mother tea that supports lactation.

If you haven't had supply problems to this point, there is no reason to think that problems will start now. If you're a normal milk producer, your body will keep up with demand naturally. If you do have problems, just one or two of these things will likely keep you in enough milk to feed an army!

Also, if you're concerned about pumping, maybe you should try and pump now to get a frozen supply of milk as a backup so that you don't have to worry about it. Of course, fresh milk is best - but frozen breast milk is sure handy to have around if you need it.

Good luck, and happy breastfeeding!
T.

S.,

If you are looking for "milk" to mix with your cereal, don't worry about it. You can mix your cereal with water and it works just fine. I had to use water with my 3rd son because we weren't sure of allergy issues he may have had. I didn't even worry about mixing breastmilk with my daughter just for the fact that I knew that I could use water. If your breastfeedings are going well and you don't need to pump then why pump.

I too would have to agree on holding off on the cereal for at least a month or so. I think I started my last 2 at around 5 1/2 months. As a first time mom I thought it was cool to get them into the next step and give them cereal at 4 months because that is what was the "Norm"...somewhere along the road I think that the "norm" has changed a little. Then with my last 2 I realize that I was just rushing them into growing up and not enjoying them as babies. They grow-up so fast as it is why rush it. Good luck with whatever your choice is.

I Have tried Fenugreek, and did not like it. You have to take a large amount to make a difference and I found it did not help that much. It is worth a try if you need it, I know moms who it has worked for. You can get it at Nature's Bin in Lakewood if you want to try it. I only breastfd my daughter also. I am Anti-formula (if you have a choice) I have heard that you should not mix cereal w/ Breast milk anyway because the enzymes in it start to digest the cereal. There is no reason to start on cereal yet if you don't want to. My little one had no solids at all until 7 months and she is happy and very healthy.
I hope this helps!

Hi S.,
My baby got pneumonia and RSV, then I got really sick from her and my amazing milk supply diminished significantly. So I tried Fenugreek (and still take it) but it didn't help at all that I noticed. But surprisingly, per my mother's suggestion, I tried drinking a dark beer in the evening and by the next morning I was overflowing. Also, increased sleep really helps if you have someone that can watch your baby while you try to squeeez in an extra nap. Since then, whenever I feel like my milk supply is lower, I have a dark beer (about 3 times a week). I think the important ingredient is brewers yeast - not sure. But it won't work if you drink a light beer - it has to be amber or darker like Yuengling or Guiness or something. Good luck!

P.S. Most people I know don't start their babies on cereal until 6 months.

S.,
I take fenugreek everyday. Iv found if I don't keep taking it my milk production really slows. MY boy is 4 months old and I really needed to use it when he hit two months. The research Iv done doesn't say anything about side effects. It does however make me very thirsty all the time and I retain water with it. But Ill put up with it to keep the breast milk coming. Fenugreek is pretty cheap too. You can get it at GNC for seven bucks. Good luck!!
A.

I tried Fenugreek, but didn't notice a difference. The only thing that I found to be a sure thing was frequent feedings. If you can pump in between, too, great! Also I tried to drink lots of water and avoid caffeine and alcohol. Yes, even the safe "one drink every now and then" affected my production. I also found that the more stressed out I was the lower my production. Go figure. Good luck.

I would pump milk to mix with the cereal. He will probably take less milk once he's started cereal. Hope this helps.

Hello. I took Finugreek (not sure if I spelled that right) while I was breast feeding. It did work for me. I had a nurse and a dietician from a children's hospital recommend it to me. Due to stress and wanting my child to have breast milk I finallly broke down and had my doctor prescribe me Reglan so I could keep a good supply. That also worked well for me. I have a two year old and was only able to breast feed for six months. I wanted to go longer but just could not do it. If I felt I didn't have enough milk I would use Similac to make his cereal and he was find with that. Good luck.

I used fenugreek (sp?) when I went back to work with my first child because I was afraid of my milk supply lessening due to lack of stimulation. It actually increased my milk supply and I actually had too much milk from all my pumpings. It worked for me.

Fenugreek is sometimes used to increase milk production. I took some when I went back to work and they refused to let me pump more than once a day and my milk production dropped off. It worked for me but it took a day or soo for me to see and increase.

I am a breastfeeding counselor through the local wic office. I know mothers who have used fenugreek with good results & some who it did nothing for. I would suggest that you pump immediately after feeding the baby. Even if you don't get anything at first don't give up. The stimulation will tell your body that it needs to produce more. Also, let him nurse as often as he wants. If he goes several hours between feeds you can pump half way between. As you probably know breastmilk is a supply & demand thing. Your body will produce what it needs to. Keep up the good work!

S.,

Rest assured fenugreek is perfectly safe and causes increased milk production not drying up, although you may start to smell like maple syrup for a while. I used is for a while, and I exclusively fed my children breastmilk (direct or pumped) with no other food at all, until they were 10 months old. My friend, who has allergies, fed all 4 of her little ones nothing but breastmilk until they were 12 months old, and only then introduced solid food. There is no rush for cereal or other things than can then lead to allergies. Be sure to drink lots of water!

Best wishes,
K.

Hi S., What is finugreek? Is it something you take to help with your milk supply? Anyways, if I were you I would wait to start him on cereal. I know the doctors probably told you (or someone suggested) that you start him at 4 months. Breastmilk is all he needs right now. As far as your milk supply goes for when you do start him on solids,you only really need about a couple tablespoons or so to mix with the cereal. I tandem nursed my 17 month old and newborn. Actually the younger one is still nursing,she's 22 months now. So you'll have enough. Butif you do decide to wait on the solids you'll probably skip the cereal and such and go straight to whole foods. But like I said, if you start him on cereal soon , just a couple tablespoons will do. Your a stay at home mom, I would wait. It's easier anyway! Hope you don't think this is discouragement.

Cereal should not be started until at least 6 months, but it can't be digested until the year mark. The ideal first foods are fruits and veggies. You can cook them until mushy, then mix breastmilk in them if you wish. It is important to hold off solids until at least 6 months in order to prevent food allergies later. The AAP recommends exclusive breastfeeding (no solids) until at least 6 months. Their tummies are just not ready for solid food yet. Cereal and other grains should come after fruits and veggies. These are new guidelines, check out lalecheleague.org for information about feeding first foods to a breastfed baby....

Hi S.,

I haven't used it, but my neighbor did. She said it put her almost to the point of engorgement so it worked for her. Also, it makes you smell like maple syrup. I too thought about using it when I had milk production problems after I got a cold bug/stress. I decided against it because I thought it would be a band aid to my problem. I elected to pump instead in order to improve my milk and it worked. Pump in the morning if possible. I got the most milk at that time. I also added pumping in the evening before I went to bed. The La Leche League website describes a "Massage-Stroke-Shake" (M-S-S) technique as taught by Chele Marmet. That worked for me.

For me, the fenugreek had no results other than to make me smell like maple syrup. However, I took domperidone and had amazing results...

I used fenugreek to assist with milk flow and I thought it helped. If you think your milk is drying up try drinking much much more water, like a gallon or more a day. Otherwise, get a pump and start pumping longer and more often than you normally breastfeed. Continue to breast feed as normal.

Fenugreek actually INCREASES your milk supply. I drank tea with fenugreek (available at most health food stores). Also try Mothers Milk tea. I used a homeopathic called Suma that increases your breastmilk supply as well. Let me know if you need more help...I'm sure my midwife can give you some great suggestions on keeping your supply up.

Hi S., I breastfed all five of my kids. Now that was quite a while ago. My oldest is now 28 and my youngest is 18. But I never used "finugreek" while breatsfeeding. When I started my kids on cereal, I used water to mix it up. I would add applesauce or bananas to sweeten it. I realize that since your son has only been on breast milk, it would be hard to sweeten the cereal with fruit since he hasn't had it yet. But try the water. I was never able to pump milk...don't know why...but never was able to get much out. My kids never went hungry though. Had plenty for them!! Another suggestion is using the Enfamil powdered formula. It is the most like breast milk and has the same sweet taste as breast milk. I had to use that with my 2 youngest children to supplement. Hope this helps.

I'm surprised not many people mentioned pumping for you. It sounds like you'll only need enough supply to mix with cereal. You can easily get that amount with a manual pump. They are much much cheaper than electric pumps and, I think, perfect for what you need it for. You can feed on one side and pump on the other. You can also pump before or after you feed your little guy. It may take a few days for your supply to increase, but it will eventually. We started my dd on cereal at 4 months and she never had any adverse side effects. I just made it really really runny. It was mostly liquid. If you give your little guy a bite from a spoon and he spits it back out, he's not ready for cereal. The thrust reflex must be gone for them to eat solids. But, I'm sure you knwo that since you're an experience mommy! ;)

Dear S., I've used finugreek when I was breastfeeding and it didn't help at all, but everyone is different. What does help is drinking alot of fluids. Drink up and don't worry your baby will get more than enough.

S., I've used Fenugrek with really fast (1.5 days) and positive results. I might have to quit because of my son's allergies, but it worked really well for me. My body is pretty sensitive too. I only took one capsule a day and noticed a significant change in the volume of my milk supply. You can also try pumping 20 minutes after you finish feeding him. Your body will hopefully notice the increase in demand and respond accordingly. You won't get much at first, but hopefully with time, you'll increase it enough to help with your cereal use.
Good luck.

Hello,

Fenugreek will actually increase your milk, not make it dry up.

K.