Mother's Milk and Fenugreek

Please see a doctor and a lactation consultant as well. And be aware: Not all women can make milk, or enough milk, to feed their babies. No one wants to admit it but it is simply true. I did it all -- fenugreek, drinking tons, even taking the one prescription medication that can help increase milk production; I fed my daughter at the breast with formula in a bottle around my neck and tubes taped to my breasts so she wouldn't forget how to suckle while I tried to get milk to come in. Pumped and pumped. None of it worked. (And the prescription med is NOT a magic bullet; you can only take it for a very few weeks and not long-term so it's not really much use.)

It does NOT mean you are a bad mother if your body cannot produce enough milk. It means you are blessed to have a healthy baby and be living in a time and place where you have the option of formula and safe drinking water to use with it.

He's only two months, so keep tryinig BUT if you are not also supplementing, he may not be getting enough nutrients. Please, please see a lactation consultant and your doctor. I advise against La Leche League, however; I have had friends who were seriously berated and bulllied by their consultants when my friends were trying so hard to breastfeed and the milk wasn't coming. Get a consultant who is going to be open to anything. A lactation consultant was the first person to hand me formula and say, "It's OK. Your baby needs food, period."

First off try to relax.

What type of pump are you using? I would suggest renting a hospital grade pump. Unfortunately the pump is not the same as your little one.

I had the same issue with my son. As soon as I started pumping my supply went down. I would always pump at his feeding schedule.

My issue was that I went back to work when he was 6 weeks old and was only able to pump twice a day at a 12 hour work day. I also tried fenugreek and walked around smelling like maple syrup. lol

With my daughter I stayed home for 12 weeks and refused to give her a bottle and what a difference. I did lose my supply when I went back to work though.

Whatever the outcome you did what was best for your little one and try not to beat yourself up if you start using formula. I was never a large producer of milk either.

Good luck!!!

Have you met with a lactation consultant? Pumps are just not as effective as babies, and an LC can help with the latch. If he is tongue tied or something, that might need to be addressed. An LC can help you figure that out. Please see a professional about this. Your OB/GYN or hospital should be able to refer you. They helped me very much when I had a problem. There was even a tool, kind of like a little milk "IV" to help supplement my supply and encourage nursing. It went well and I was able to BF till he was 2.5.

Why will your son not latch? Have you worked with a lactation consultant or his ped? That would be my first suggestion. They can work with you on different hold and techniques.

Great advice from the other ladies but I wanted to ask if you are on any kind of birth control? I took the mini-pill after my first child and had no issues. With my second child I felt that my supply tanked after I started it again and went off of it after about a month. My supply came immediately back. My doctor said your homones change baby to baby and that maybe the mini pill this time threw everything out of wack. Just a thought. I would also contact a LC to see if they can't help your son latch. You might try doing skin to skin with him. Even if he doesn't breastfeed it will still probably help your body produce more milk. The smell and touch of him will help with your hormones and milk production.

I'm sorry you're having difficulties. I agree with the others on seeing a lactation consultant - have you done that? Look for one that's board-certified (IBCLC). An IBCLC can also help you assess your pump to see if it's working well. But if you're exclusively pumping, you should be renting a hospital-grade pump.

The IBCLC can also work with you on your supply. Increase your fenugreek...I take 6 a day, some people take more. I wouldn't stress over drinking a ton...there's actually a point where you can over-drink and it hurts your supply. Just drink to your thirst.

There are also communities online for moms who exclusively pump. Good luck!

My first was the same way (non-latching). I went to multiple LC and YES I did have to rent a hospital grade pump for about two months. When I was back at work, I just used medela pump in style.

Drink a lot of fluids. That is a direct correlation. Not just tea, either.
I took fenugreek and saw a huge difference. I also noticed stress would cause milk to fluctuate as did time of day. Keep at it and pump a few minutes longer or even after you son nurses, strap that pump on and go a few more minutes. Your body will respond to the demand. You have already produced this level of milk, so you know your body can do it.

Try not to stress out and you should consult a LC. Good luck.

A lot of this may be stress and lack of reserves to make milk. Are you eating, drinking, and sleeping enough? Is your stress managed? I would address these topics primarily. I used fenugreek when I was breast feeding on and off but it did not help nearly as well as managing my life. :) when I was taking it I totally smelled like pancakes all day too!!! There was no way to wash it off... Soooooooooo not cute after a few hrs. Lol. :) good luck. I know this can be stressful. Maybe even try a small glass of wine to help relax. :)

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A lot of this may be stress and lack of reserves to make milk. Are you eating, drinking, and sleeping enough? Is your stress managed? I would address these topics primarily. I used fenugreek when I was breast feeding on and off but it did not help nearly as well as managing my life. :) when I was taking it I totally smelled like pancakes all day too!!! There was no way to wash it off... Soooooooooo not cute after a few hrs. Lol. :) good luck. I know this can be stressful. Maybe even try a small glass of wine to help relax. :)

You might be able to try more fenugreek. When I was going through this, I was taking fenugreek capsules (2 or 3 which was the dosage on the bottle), but I needed to increase my intake to 9 capsules a day.

Check out the dosage section on Kellymom.com to see if you can safely increase the amount.

http://kellymom.com/bf/can-i-breastfeed/herbs/fenugreek/

Good luck!