I am not currently having a flow issue but may once my daughter starts on some solids so I wanted to go ahead and see what other moms have to say about Fenugreek. Good and bad experiences would be helpful. Thanks!
**Guess I should clarify... I don't plan on starting solids for another 3 months or so. I would love nothing more that to breast feed at least a year but have had problems keeping up in the past. My 2nd was only 6 months old when I got pregnant with my 3rd and my milk dried up 2 months later much to my dismay and despite much effort. I also have started my period 5-6 weeks postpartum with all 3 even though I have exclusively breast fed all three until 5-6 months when I start solids. I am currently on period #4 with my 3 month (and 4 days) old daughter. The longest she goes without nursing is 6 hours at night so it isn't lack of stimulation... my body is just ready to start pumping out eggs and get pregnant again. I want to do whatever I need to to keep this nursing going because I really missed it and felt sad and guilty when there was nothing there when my 2nd son still really wanted it and I still really wanted to be able to provide it for him.
Please keep the comments flowing. Very helpful!
I have heard that many women have good results from it. It didn't do anything for me though. Don't forget , you should still wait a couple of months before starting solids and even then it should not replace breast feeding.
i had a great result with fenugreek caplets. my sweet son had reflux that caused him some nursing issues early on which caused me to have decreased production early on. i tried the fenugreek and felt an increase in my milk supply within 24-48 hours. i can't remember the amount i took--but i was seeing a lac. consultant so i am sure it was an average dose--one thing i did notice was when i went off of it ( i think i stopped taking it prematurely) and my milk supply went down...i returned to taking it and the result was not as substantial as the first time. just my experience. it is a great supplement, i think!
I used fenugreek when I had some supply problems after going back to work, although not until I had been back for several months. It worked for me; I took it three times a day for several days and then would stop for a week or so and go back on. My son is 14 months old and we still breastfeed first thing in the morning and last thing at night. He eats solids well but did not take to them until closer to 6 months; I tried initially closer to 4 months.
I'm just curious why the rush to get your baby on solids? Breast milk IS the perfect food for the first YEAR of life and research is showing more and more that the earlier we start babies on food the more digestive and allergy and other developmental issues there are, and honestly all those prepackaged baby cereals are truely toxic if you want to feed your baby rice why not make and mash brown rice oatmeal do the same. Personal preference I like to choose a REAL food as a baby's first and not until much much later I like avocados (great brain food) pears (the least allergenic food there is) bananas sweet potatoes etc I've never bothered with baby cereals because the body really doesn't absorb or digest synthetic chemicals or nutrients the way it does from whole food sources. My advice is to relax and just feed your baby the way nature intended!
I used it when breastfeeding my twins. I needed all the help I could get! I took probably the lowest dose and got a 10% increase in breastmilk.
I used Fenugreek and it kept my supply going; not an abundance, but kept me going. I dried up in a week of stopping it. I currently have a 3 month old son and would probably use it again if I have that problem again, but would probably do in addition some Blessed Thistle. I believe the latter is more expensive though.
Another good thing about Fenugreek is, if I remember correctly, helps with congestion too. So, it's good for other things as well.
I did the fenugreek and blessed thistle combo too. I also added in a bowl of "old fashioned" oatmeal everymorning for breakfast (fix it to your liking, but it can't be anything but the old fashioned). That helped me tremendously.
I used it, along with Blessed Thistle, upon my OB's and Hospital Lactation Consultants recommendation and it worked great. Any natural health food store should have both but the Blessed Thistle is a bit tricky to find. The fenugreek makes your sweat and urine smell like maple syrup, so don't be surprised if people around you start suddenly craving pancakes! Good luck!
I used both Fenugreek & oatmeal to keep my supply up. I think the oatmeal actually worked better for me. The Fenugreek was OK, but it made my pee smell like maple syrup (that's normal believe it or not) and I had to take 3 pills 3 times a day which got tedious. The oatmeal was easier as I just ate it for breakfast (cold oat cereal should work too). And then I snacked on 1 or 2 Quaker Oatmeal to go Squares a day (I bought a box of 24 at Sam's Club for $8 or $9). Although if you have the time homemade oatmeal cookies/bars would work well & be cheaper too. I kept the Quaker bars in my purse so I could snack whenever the nursing-munchies came over me.
good luck!
~P..
