Hi, Sabrina! I took Fenugreek to increase my milk supply and it worked great! It'll even make your sweat smell sweet! Try saying that really quickly five times! One other thing ... it may increase your appetite. I was always hungry! Other than that, it worked just great! :-)
Hi, I've used Mother's Milk Tea, which is made with fenugreek. I could ever tell if the tea worked or if my supply went up because of the increase in fluid. I never tried the pills because I read that they make you smell like maple syrup. The best thing I ever did to increase my supply was to put my baby to the breast at least once an hour, even if just for a few minutes.
I started seeing improvement in about a week - maximum improvement was closer to 3 weeks. Make sure you're staying SUPER hydrated, too... you never want to get thirsty.
I pumped till I was empty + 2 minutes on each side.
Steph
I took Fenugreek when I first starting nursing my newborn over 8 years ago.
I believe it does help. However, you are already doing the best thing you can do for low milk is nurse, nurse, nurse and nurse some more! And when you arent nursing, you are pumping in between. Milk supply isnt always in abundance right away. As long as your baby is getting satisfied you've done your job. They know when they are done. I wouldn't pump too much, so there is time for the milk to come back in for the baby. Over pumping can get in the way of nursing. I wouldnt pump over 10 min.
Also, stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water and remember to try to eat as healthy as possible.
Hope this helps!
Christina
acupuncture can help increase milk production.
Hi Sabrina, I'm a nurse and I teach many mothers about breast feeding, I also nursed my children. I would recommend that you continue with the tea and the fenugreek, I used them both and they do work. But first you must relax and decrease your stress level, and get plenty of rest. You must continue with your pregnancy water requirements per day. Eat 3 well balanced meals a day, including nutiritous snacks in between. Try pumping less frequently do it about every 3 hrs, and pump for a longer amount of time about 20 minutes if you are using an electric pump, longer if you are using a manual pump. drink water while you are pumping. Think about your baby while you are pumping a picture will help. This is an extremely critical time for your milk supply, if you can get someone to help you with your 2 year old, the housework, and help watch the baby while you get some rest do so.
Whenever I've needed to take it, it takes about 3-5 days for me to see a noticeable difference in my supply. However, I know others than see a big difference within 24 hours!
Since Fenugreek is herbal, it'll vary woman to woman on how quickly it affects things. The general consensus among my friends who've taken it is one week. They also said that their sweat and urine smelled like maple syrup once it was really in their systems...
as to pumping -- if it were me, I would pump 15min during the day and 10min at night -- the less I'm awake at night the better as far as I'm concerned :-)
Kelly, mama to
Catherine, 4yrs and
Samuel, 1yr
Please take it easy on yourself!!! I had the same problem. I tried everything including hiring a doula, a lactation specialist, taking phenogan and getting smashed 15 minutes prior to pumping to relax enough to let my milk down via advice from the pediatritian. The thing that helped the most was renting a hospital grade pump through a breastfeeding supply store (Special Addition in Austin is great about $70 per month). 8 weeks later I still only produced 2 ounces a day! I was relieved when I made the decision to stop trying to breast feed (I was also able to drink a margarita that night and begin a diet the week after). I gave my son all that I could and he is a thriving, chunky, healthy, and happy 2 year old. Please try the hospital grade pump for 1 month! I hated phenogan (via a prescription from a doctor), but the side effects made me nervous and more depressed. Seek help/guidence from you OBGYN and call Special Addition! Also, do something nice for yourself because you deserve it!!!
I personally have never tried fenugreek, but when I was concerned about my milk supply my midwife suggested drinking a little DARK beer. The hopps that is used to make dark beer is rich in nutrients, and I can tell you first hand that it really works. I actually produced so much milk that I became engorged, which is pretty impressive for an "F". Drinking a small amount does not contain enough alcohol to affect your baby (breast-feeding mothers should never get drunk), and I personally feel better having a few sips as opposed to taking pills. My two beautiful, happy & healthy daughters (ages one and two-and-a-half) are a testament to how effective & safe it is.
When I drank a glass of wine in the evenings, my milk supply increased. Just one glass each night was all it took to open the floodgates!
You may need to get more rest. Maybe you can take a nap when your baby does. Also, put a hook up high on your bedroom door, put some small toys in the room, and let the 2 yr old play while you sleep. Also of course the usual, drink a lot more water, nurse real often, eat balanced meals. And when you nurse, the baby gets most of the milk in the first five minutes; after that it is mostly for comfort. Rotate sides, start on the opposite side each time. Nurse every hour or two for the little one. It will build your milk supply.
Marge Wood, former LLL leader, a million years ago, grin.
the mom of 6 has hit the nail on the head. Breast feeding is about supply and demand. Pumps can not stimulate your body to produce more milk because emptying the breast is best done by babies. If you just take a day to let your baby use you as a pacifier (get comfy!), you will see improvement in 24 hours. Keep at it until he's satisfied!
This is a huge luxury for stay at home moms. If you're working, spend every moment at home with a baby at your breast. I have done both. Also rest assured that your pump quantity is a fraction of what your baby gets straight from the breast.
Think about it. If women in 3rd world countries can nurse their children until an average age of 4 because they have no choice, surely you can relax and let your baby do what he is engineered to do! Quit worrying and start lactating, Mom!
Try More Milk PLus, a tincture available at the Herb Bar on Mary St. in South Austin. Fenugreek will certainly help, but a tincture will get into your system much faster than a pill. Also, put your baby to your breast as often as he wants and THEN pump and top him off with more milk after the feedings. Most babies will have a 4-6 hour long sleep in a 24 hour period, so during that time, certainly pump every two hours.
10-15 on each side should be plenty. Most women need at least 10 minutes of stimulation to make a difference.
Good luck!
Vicki Meinhardt, LM CPM
I have three boys, all nursed for almost a year but really hard when my supply went way down about 5-6 months. To keep my milk up and going I took 2 Fenugreeks with each meal (totaling 6 a day)and when I pumped I would pump for 20 minutes on each side and really try for a second let down with each breast. I massaged as pumping to empty milk ducts well. Hope this helps. Any more questions please ask!
I took Fenugreek when I was breast feeding and drank mother's milk tea. It definitely helped. I went from pumping 2 ounces to 8 ounces but I had to work at it and it took a little while for it to build. I think for some of us, breast feeding is a lot of work. I'm not sure why! Best of luck to you!
My 75 year old Grandfater told me to drink a beer. Oh my gosh! I should have drank half a beer, in a matter of hours I had so much milk I was leaking everywhere. I don't like beer but I got it down and was glad I did. I had not had enough to satisfy my 3 month old and was having to give him formula too. Untill my Grandfater told me to drink a beer. I felt ok with this because I felt it was better than putting medicins into my milk. The beer has a good amount of yeast in it and the old timmers felt it to be healthy.
Good luck!
I have found that Fenugreek works pretty fast when I have taken it. There is another product that is fantastic called "more milk plus" It has helped many of my clients who needed a bit more umph than just fenugreek. It is in tincture form and can be found at Whole Foods. Eating oatmeal every day may also be helpful.
Pumping every two hours is great. I would pump for at least 15 minutes but no more than 20. Sometimes, I would pump for 30 minutes but that was only when I was really full, usually first thing in the morning, just to get out as much as I could. Any longer than that causes for very sour nipples. I took the herb you are referring to and have had great results. I took the brand called More Milk Plus. Hope you are having success. By the way sleep is sooooo important to your milk supply.
My breast milk suddenly went low at 4 months and was not able to exclusively breastfeed my baby, but since I started drinking Healthy nursing tea my milk came in with full flow.