Feugreek

I took fenugreek and blessed thistle to increase supply and it did not work. At all. I took whatever does was recommended on the bottle. I think it was 2 capsules 3 times a day for fenugreek and 1 capsule 3 times a day for the thistle. I ended up smelling like a combo of syrup and hay with zero change in my breast milk production. I hope it works for you. Good luck.

When I took fenugreek I took 3 capsules (610mg each) 3x per day. I have heard taking Blessed Thistle along with Fenugreek is very effective (take 2 capsules of Blessed Thistle at 100mg each 3x per day). I have also heard eating oatmeal can increase supply.
Just be aware that when taking Fenugreek your skin, sweat, and urine will all start to smell like maple syrup. You may even smell in on your baby.
If you aren't already familiar with it www.kellymom.com is a great website for breastfeeding information. Here is a link to what she says about increasing supply and Fenugreek.
http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/milksupply/index.html

Hi! I started taking this supplement a couple of months ago to increase supply for my daughter. It has worked wonderfully. I started by taking 3 610mg capsules 3x a day for 2 weeks, then 2 of them 3x a day for 2 weeks. With my son I had to take 3 capsules 3x a day for 4 months to keep my supply up (probably because I was preg with #2). I noticed a difference within the first day or two. I think you can purchase it at any health food store and some grocery stores; I bought mine at www.puritan.com--got a great deal and was able to buy our other vitamins and such there as well.

Before I tried this I had appointments with the Lactation Services nurses at the hospital, paid to rent a "hospital-grade" pump and bought all the supplies needed (my pump at home was not compatible with thiers :( ). After all of that I still couldn't get more than 2-3oz every 2 hours; that is when I decided to take the supplements and use my own pump to increase volume; so glad I did it too! I wish you all the best :)

Jenn

Fennel seed and marshmallow root will also help increase milk supply. Be aware that parsley and sage are both drying agents, so you many want to avoid the spices for a bit.

I had to take 3 pills/ 3 times a day before I noticed any results. But, once your supply is up, you can usually stop taking it. Also, mother's milk tea helps boost your supply. I pumped at work after my first daughter and I'm currently doing it for my second. Just don't get too stressed, you never pump as much as your baby drinks from you. To get a good supply, I pump first thing in the morning and freeze it. That way, if I don't get much during the day, I know I have plenty in the freezer. Good luck!

I tried this and it did not work for me either and I used a very high quality from a master herbalist who ground the herbs and made me my own capsules. HOWEVER, I too heard wonderful things about it and hope it works for you. In the end I used Domperidone. It is an acid reflux drug which off-label (side effect) is increased breast milk and is said to pose no problems for children when nursing. I found this product after my midwife recommended a prescribed med called Reglan, which offers the same side-effect but had higher risks because it crosses the blood/brain barrier in the moms and had neurological risks I wasn't comfortable with. Domperidone doesn't cross this barrier and is available online without a prescription. The manufacturer is Jansenn Claag and the drug name is also known as Motilium. I'm not recommending this as a first step, only as a last step to keep your breast milk up. My son would have lost my milk at 4 months due to me receiving anesthesia without this "help". Instead it brought the milk back and I was able to wean myself off the meds and nurse him to 20 months! Don't give up..... your doing a wonderful thing! http://www.breastfeedingonline.com/domperidonewhere.shtml

I've never tried fenugreek but had good results with simple fennel tea and dates.
I have also heard that peppermint tea reduces the milk supply.
Good luck. I hope everything works out for you.

There is actually a tincture that I have heard great things about: http://www.kerrysherbals.com/breastfeeding.shtml

Nursing as much as possible also helps as does pumping like you nurse (8 to 10 minutes, every 2 hours). Women who go 4 hours between pumping often find there milk drops.

Also, an occasional dark ale beer helps to increase milk supply.

Best of luck!

I believe it is 3 tabs 3 times daily...and yes, you will start to smell like a waffle! LOL Actually, that is the best way to tell if you are at an effective dose! Luckily, maple syrup is a pretty nice smell...I mean...sweat/urine/milk etc. could certainly smell a lot worse! BUT, I couldn't eat pancakes for months after I tried Fenugreek!
Best of luck!