Taking Fenugreek to Increase Milk Supply.

I was really sick a couple months ago and my supply went down drastically. My doctor recommended Fenugreek, 3 tablets, 3 times a day. I noticed immediate results. I went from my breasts feeling completely empty to them being over-full within a day or so. I've always drank a bunch of water throughout the day, but did try to increase my intake wiht the Fenugreek. I did try to cut back on the amount of pills I was taking and did notice the supply go down. If you follow the instructions on the bottle, which is 1-2 tablets a day, you will not notice results.

-Good Luck!

Hi A. - I initially starting on fenugreek with my first and then moved up to prescription medication to increase my milk supply, but my milk didn't come in with either. However, I have heard of them helping other women. Best of luck!

A.,
I drank Mother's Milk tea, which was pretty yummy and really seemed to help. You might want to try this.
Good luck,
A. K

I think the trick with fenugreek is to take enough that you smell like maple syrup. :) Also, lots and lots of water. And oatmeal. There are actually recipes for lactation cookies that sound pretty darn good, I bet if you googled it you would be able to find some.
Four months is a BIG growth spurt. My son is going through one right now, too! It's tough but just keep nursing as much as you can. If you can add another pumping session in there at work, do it. When you're at home, try pumping AND nursing at the same time. I always got a LOT more out of my pump if I also had the baby to the breast.
Good luck! Feel free to send me a message if you need, I breastfed my first until 13 months and worked full time, it was TOUGH!

Hello,
My concern would be not knowing if taking a herbal supplement is safe for your baby. They are not monitored by the FDA. I don't think it would be worth the risk and it might be time to switch to formula.

A.,

I would suggest taking the Thistle with it. I have heard they work well together. It can be found most likely at the same place as the Fenugreek. You may want to consult your local Lac Specialist as well.

Best wishes!

A. S.

Be sure you're taking enough of the fenugreek-- your sweat should start to smell like a mix of maple syrup and gym socks, it's been a while, but I think I took it for 2 weeks, then took a week or two off, then took it for another couple of weeks. I took 3 3 times a day.

Are you using a good pump? I used a Pump In Style. If you are using a PIS I HIGHLY recomend getting the SoftFit shields and a set of the larger shields. (I do NOT know why they don't make them large AND soft!) I'd use the soft ones for a week or so, and then when my output dropped I'd use the large ones for a week or so! I also had to add pumping sessions-- for the first couple of moths I was able to keep up and even add to my freezer stash just pumping twice a day at work, eventually I was pumping twice at home too, and four times a day on my days off. I also woke him up just enough to nurse every 2 hours when I was home and awake. It just didn't make sense for him to suck down bottles while I was at work and sleep all the time when I was home!

You can also try lactation cookies here is my recipe but there are others;
http://www.recipezaar.com/Peanut-Butter-Lactation-Cookies...

Also, when he starts solids I'd give them to him while you are at work-- afterall any one can dish up the Gerber, but only you can nurse. And if he's taking all his solids/juices/water while you are at work he'll take fewer bottles!

I'm with you on loving to nurse and hating to pump! When Isaac turned 1 I threw away the pump and did a victory dance around the dumpster-- he had only had 3 ounces of formula! Now I have a nursing toddler-- you don't have to worry about milk supply becaus he's eating a lot of solids-- and you don't have to worry that he's getting enough solids because he's still nursing good-- VERY relaxing!

hi A.-
i was taking fenugreek- two pills about 3-4 times a day, and when i ran out, my supply was so good, i didn't bother buying more.... then 3 days later, i was getting considerablly less!! so i went back on it and my supply went up again... i was having a cup of mother's milk tea in the morning, then every time i pumped/nursed i'd take 2 fenugreek... i've cut back on the fenugreek now (he's 8 mons) and my supply seems to be about the same...
the other big difference this time (vs with my 3 yo) is that i've scheduled pumping times- so i'm very regular with it, and i'm getting more sleep!!! i think these 2 actions have made a huge difference!! good luck! (ps- pumping while typing this! lol)

Hi A. -

I hated pumping too! I took Fenugreek for a few months with my son. As the other posts have said, you really need to take it religiously and take the maximum amount. I had to use nipple shields with both of my babies because of poor latching due to low milk supply. My son decided he wouldn't nurse with the shields on around 3 months. I was in such pain from nursing that I had to bottle feed at least every other feeding. Even pumping every 2-2.5 hours, I couldn't pump enough milk for him. Whatever I couldn't supply we just mixed in a little formula. He ended up getting about 2-4 ounces of formula per day for about a month. Around 4 months he started latching better and my milk supply was up enough to keep him satisfied and I stopped pumping so much. It was a brutal month but so worth it....after he starting nursing well again, I rarely pumped or supplemented unless I needed to be away from him. He's almost 14 months now and I just stopped nursing a month ago! Good luck and hang in there!

I didn't use Fenugreek while nursing/pumping, but know a few women who did without a lot of success. The thing that worked best for me was good ol' supply and demand--if you want to produce more milk try nursing a little longer (telling your body it needs to produce more) or trying to pump at regular intervals so that the body knows you need more. It is a huge commitment to pump, especially if you're doing it AND nursing. Hang in there--I wish you many good thoughts!

I used Fenugreek with all 3 of my kids. I do think it helped. You must take 3 tablets 3 times a day regularly. I also did a prescription on this third child born in January 2009 (along with the Fenugreek). I think its brand name is called Reglan but my generic is called Metoclopran and I took 10 mg I think 4 times a day. It is still critical to pump regularly otherwise nothing you do will matter. But I can tell you I really noticed a difference with the Reglan after about 4 or 5 days. I stopped taking it when I knew I could no longer keep pumping at work. Talk to your doctor or your lactation consultant. I wish I had pushed harder for it with my first two because I had such problems with production that I was not able to make it breast feeding past 6 months.
Good luck.
D. J.

Hi A.! Fenugreek was a huge waste of my money. I spent literally hundreds of dollars on supplements to boost my supply. The thing that helped a little was Mother's Milk tea.
Good luck!

I have been taking Blessed Thistle and it seems to be working. If I forget a dose or have run out, I seem to have less of a supply right away. But when I get back on track, the supply seems to increase almost right away. I have thought of taking this along with Fenugreek because our daughter is a big eater and I'm having a hard time keeping up with her. She usually takes two small bottles a day after nursing because she is still hungry. Ten weeks old and already drinking 6-7 oz at a feeding. Our first child didn't drink that much until 5-6 months!

I took fenugreek when I started nursing my son because I had a lot of problems with supply for my first child, and I figured it couldn't hurt. I also started pumping and nursing him earlier and more often at the hospital than I did with my first, so that could be why I did a little better with his milk supply.
We had problems with him staying latched on because of a cold early on, so I began pumping every 4 hours when he was two months old. I would take two tablets four times a day (right before I would pump), and I did notice when I would miss more than one dose a day that my supply would decrease a little (about an ounce).
If you're finding pumping so stressful, that could be contributing to the decrease in supply also. Try to relax, especially while you're pumping. When I was pumping at work, I noticed that on busy days I would pump less than days when we weren't running around quite so much.

What jumped out at me is that you said pumping is "SO stressfull!!" Perhaps your stress is affecting your milk supply? Could you change pumping to a relaxing, rejuvenating experience? Another thought is, could it be that you have vitamin deficiency? My friend has struggled with this, anemia specifically and she is small in stature and her babies were small too. She takes herbal supplements, but I don't know what unfortunately, I'll have to ask her... I found out from my doctor that my iron reserves are low and I know have been prescribed calcium with vitamin D and iron. I felt I was running on empty for a long time and it turns out I was!! Perhaps a through physical is in order? The LaLeche league may have good advice too. Hope you find something to help!

I took fenugreek for over a month when my supply dropped in half due to stress from a job change and my son dropping his night feeding at the same time. I never noticed any increase and was trying fenugreek along with drinking lots of water and pumping as often as I could. My supply never recovered and I had to start supplementing with formula. Hopefully you have better luck than I did!

It can take a while (1-2 weeks) I recommend a tea made by www.earthmamaangelbaby.com
They have a mother's milk tea that has great results. I used it with 4 of my 8 kids. I wish they had been around for the other 4. I also use all of their baby products, such as lotion and bottom balm in my childcare center. Also make sure you are drinking lots of water and don't take any allergy meds.

There is also a prescritption that you can take at the same time as you take fenugreek. I took both and they helped me for about four months but I was under so much stress that I was unable to continue nursing. Try to decrease your stress if possible but also talk to your doctor about a prescription.

I tried fenugreek, but I don't think I knew much about it and was expecting instant results and so quit. I went to the dr. and got a prescription for metoclopram and it worked wonders! You have to take it for a long period of time, like 6 weeks or something...it really did help, but also made me and the baby very tired! Good luck!

Fenugreek does work if you continue to take it often but even better is just lots and lots of water. And, believe it or not, oatmeal. No need to make special lactation cookies (who has time), just eat cooked, instant, granola, granola bars, oatmeal cookies or oatmeal muffins. Also, I agree with another writer about grow spurts. It's those times that I would always panic about my milk production and reach for the Fenugreek but most of time it's just about increasing your water intake and adding some oats to your diet. Good luck!

Pumping is the most challenging part of nursing, anyone who tells you it is easy must be one of those freaky super producers. I was always barely producing enough to feed my son the whole time I was pumping. I gave my daycare provider backup formula if she ran out of milk because I never wanted my son to go hungry so don't feel guilty if you need to suppliment.

I also tried Fenugreek, I don't know if I ever really got results from it, I think the difference was that I made sure I was drinking a ton of water and doing my best to relax while I was pumping and nursing my son. Make sure you are eating enough food so your body is still producing.

Around 4 months I felt like I did not have enough milk and my son was frustrated and hungry all the time. I think it had to do more with his growth spurt and less with him not having enough milk. He also might be pulling off because he is getting milk too fast from the bottle and it is too much work to get milk while you are nursing. Make sure he is using slow nipples. Just a few ideas and don't ever hesitate to contact a lactation specialist or the LaLeche League for help to up your supply, they could get the recipe for the cookies to boost your supply. I also recommend renting a hospital grade pump to maintain your supply. It was the best $50 per month I could spend for piece of mind.

Good luck, it is not easy, but it can be done if you are determined! I went thru every challenge nursing and still did it until my son was 15 months.

Hello A.,
I have read several of the responses and just wanted give u some of my input. I had such a terrible time with keeping my milk supply up after 3 months. So I tried fenugreek, blessed thistle and mothers milk tea. Now if you hate black liquorish then you will have a tough time drinking the mothers milk tea as I did, I thought it was the worst tasting stuff imaginable but I drank it. I didn't notice any increase in my supply. Then I tried brewers yeast that seemed to help a little bit, but at that time my daughter was going through a growth spirt and I just couldn't keep up. So I took reglan the prescription to increase milk supply. It definitely helped but be careful because it makes u feel so worn out and tired, well it did for me at least. I hope this helps out and I sympathize with you for I had such difficulty to and they don't tell you how trying breastfeeding really is! I hope this information was helpful. Best of luck and I am sure everything will work out just fine!

I haven't tried Fenugreek but have had great success with an herbal tea used to stimulate milk production in nursing mothers. Just go to any organic store (some grocery stores carry it too). I think it's called Mothers Tea or Nursing Tea.
Works great. In an hour or two you will notice your milk production is up. And it tastes good too...kinda like black liquorice.
Good luck!

Go to a La Leche League meeting, I am sure there is one near you and you can find them on line - they were a God send to me when I was nursing.

An alternative to Reglan is Domperidone. It doesn't have the side effects of Reglan because it doesn't cross the blood/brain barrier. You will either have to get a prescription from your doctor for a compounding pharmacy, or order it online which is what I did. Here is a great website on Domperidone.

http://www.breastfeedingonline.com/domperidone.shtml

Good Luck!