Low Milk Suppy and Herbs/vitamins.

My doctor recommended Fenugreek. It is available at Mothers or Henrys. She said to take up to 4 pills twice daily, but I only take 1 in the morning. I took it with my daughter and it worked perfectly to increase my supply. I now have twins and am taking it again and have been happy with the results. The only downfall would be the smell. It smells like maple syrup, which I don't mind at all. My doctor said I could sweat and smell the syrup but I have not experienced that at all. Good Luck!!

My sister in law had low milk supply and had great success with Fenugreek (found in herbal supplement sections of health food stores) and "Mother's Milk" tea from Traditional Medicinals (also at health food stores).

www.kellymom.com is a great place to go for this kind of info.

Congrats on continuing to breastfeed while working!
M.

Ask the pediatrician. I had the same problem, and wanted to try fenugreek (sp?). And, I choose not too. My son was gaining weight just fine. And, there are side effects from herbs that can be pretty scary, jnust because it is natural doesn't make it safe.

H.,
I take Fenugreek because, like you, I am pumping and breastfeeding. It is normal for your supply to go down when you begin pumping, it happened to me too. The pump isn't exactly the same and we send signals to our brains differently when pumping as opposed to looking at your baby feeding from you. Fenugreek can be bought at certain Walgreens and at natural food stores. I have to get it at a natural food store off Curbaril in Atascadero on the frontage rode to the freeway.
M.

I would stay away from the pills and focus on the basics of pumping and nursing. Nothing majical ever comes from pills, I digress...I read on here to give teething babies a disolving 'natural' pain pill-"it works great, like ambisol", I later found out that it had a derivitive of opium. Your body works off of supply and demand, keep up the demand and supply will come. Enjoy your break, sounds like you have a good set up!

Try Mother's Milk tea and Fenugreek. I noticed a decrease in supply when I dropped my nighttime feedings - my son simply didn't need them after 12 weeks. So I started the tea and fenugreek. Within a few days my supply increased. I also started eating oatmeal everyday for breakfast. Make sure you are drinking at least 8 glasses a water a day.
Here is an excerpt from an article:
There are certain food supplements as well as prescription medications that may increase your milk supply. Before using any of these, it is important to rule out other problems such as illness in mother or baby. Many herbal supplements have been used for many years to increase milk production, with the most popular being Fenugreek, Blessed Thistle, and Red Raspberry. Brewers Yeast (containing B vitamins) is another commonly recommended treatment for low milk supply. I usually recommend that mothers try Fenugreek capsules (2-3 capsules taken 3 times daily) along with Blessed Thistle tablets (same dosage). You many want to add Brewers Yeast tablets (3 tablets taken with meals, 3 times per day) and Red Raspberry tea or capsules several times each day. I know that seems like a lot of capsules to take, but if you don’t want to take them all, the Fenugreek seems to be the most effective. Fenugreek is rated GRAS (generally regarded as safe), but when taken in large doses may cause lowered blood sugar, so should be used with caution by diabetics. It is in the same family with peanuts and chickpeas, and may cause an allergic reaction in moms who are allergic to them. It may cause a maple syrup odor in urine and sweat. For the majority of mothers, it causes no problems, and can be very effective. It has not been known to cause any problems for the babies of the mothers who take it. Check out this site for more information on supply boosters: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/3490/herbal-re..., or contact Mechell Turner, IBCLC & herbalist at www.birthandbreastfeeding.com or directly email at ____@____.com.

Check out the following websites that provide more information.
http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/milksupply/fenugreek.html
http://www.breastfeed-essentials.com/supply.html

Try Mother's Milk Tea. You can find it at Henry's.

try these sites

workandpump.com
lowmilksupply.org
normalfed.com

fenugreek is an herb that is common to take to enhance milk supply. so is oatmeal. but these sites can answer all your questions and more giving you the information you need to make the best decision you can.

and there shouldn't be any reason you can't continue to breastfeed and work at the same time. you've made it this far, I'm sure you'll figure out what you can do.

oh, and when you are home with the baby, have breastfeeding marathons on the weekends. allow baby to have an "open buffet" and eat whenever. the skin to skin contact will also help your production and let down.

Hi, I am nursing my third baby and have had no problems with milk supply until now. I was decreasing at 2 months and 4 months. My friend who is a lactation specialist told me to buy fenugreek and blessed thistle (you can buy it at a whole foods store). Get one bottle of each. You take 3 tablets of each 3 times a day for 5 days. So you will be taking 18 tablets a day, which is a lot, but it worked like a charm and will not harm your baby. I ended up doing a five day set and then had to do another 5 day set. My baby is no almost 7 months and my milk supply is fine. Good Luck.
H.

The herbs do help but I would call the pump station and talk with them as well. Just an fyi..I have gone through a few days where it feels like my milk supply seems lower and I ride it out and it recovers. Remember to pump at work each time your son will be eating at home. Good luck and drink plenty of water,juice and milk if you tolerate it.

Hi H.!
I absolutely love More Milk Plus by Motherlove. They are herbal drops that you can buy at Whole Foods or Capital Drugs. It’s a mix of fenugreek seed blessed thistle, nettle leaf and fennel seed. It works great! You take ¼ tsp 4 times a day and you will notice the difference in a week. A few other helpful things are oatmeal for breakfast, but not the instant kind. You need to make the old fashioned kind. The whole grains are great for milk supply. You can use hot compresses before you pump. You can massage your breast before and during pumping. You can also rent a hospital grade pump for a couple of weeks to get your supply back up to were you want it to be. Those hospital grade pumps have some serious suction and will help with the demand for you body to produce more milk. It costs about $4 a day but is well worth the money when you see the results.

H.,
I increased my milk supply with both my girls taking Fenugreek, its an herb you can get at Whole foods. It will make your pee and underarms smell like pancake syrup (yuk!), but it works. Some woman get headaches from the herb, I did, so I didn't take it for too long.

Good luck.

I have used drops called mother's milk that I got a whole foods, but the thing that worked the best were fenugreek capsules, which I got at a vitaganza store in Monrovia. Any herbal supplement/vitamin store should have them, and they did wonders for me. It is common knowledge and grandmother's advice that fenugreek tea or capsules increase your milk supply. Never heard of any problems with that, and my doula recommended it.

good luck!

I used More Milk Plus from motherlove.com. I think it helped increase my supply, but it's sort of expensive - about $60 for a few weeks' supply.

Many people take the Mothers Milk Plus and extra fenugreek to boost their supply, but I never found that to help me. Instead I took brewer's yeast, which you can get in pill form at any health food store and sometimes even a regular grocery store. In Europe, they encourage new moms to drink dark lager to increase lactation, so this is basically the same idea, without the alcohol! It really upped my milk noticeably and had no side effects of which I was aware. Good luck!

Fenugreek is all natural. I know they have it at Sprouts.

I had a really hard time getting and keeping milk and the best (and worst) advice I got was oatmeal...I hate oatmeal!!! It was amazing though. After just a couple of days of eating a big bowl for breakfast my supply increased and I was producing TONS of milk. Anytime my supply got low again I would choke down more of the evil stuff! Good luck.

Hello H.,

I understand your concern! I am a mother of 3 breastfed babies so I think I qualify to give advice : ) I'm not here to raise your axiety...

You should drink lots of water. The more you drink and eat a balanced meal with enough calories, your milk will come. Rice and oatmeal helps out a lot too! Try not to stress (yes, it may be hard), since that will decrease your milk aside from not consuming enough water and eating a proper diet. Your baby will take a lot of nourishment from you, so it is important to consume a healthy diet. Try to do 3 meals and 2 snacks.

As for herbs, go with Fenugreek. It is the best, I think for stimulating your milk supply. You'll smell like maple syrup, but hey, that's the price of providing the best for your little one : ) I've also heard Mother's Milk works well too.

Well, good luck and feel free to email me if you have any other questions.

I used an herbal hot tea called Organic Mother's Milk. It kinda tasted like black licorice (anise) but I think it worked on those days/weeks when I was feeling low on milk. They have it at Ralphs but I'm not sure of the brand name.

I would not take unknown herbs; but for me, the keys to increasing milk supply were; more frequent feedings, drinking lots of water, and being relaxed. It may take a day or two, but its really a supply and demand-regulated thing. The more you pump/feed, the more milk you will make. Dont get discouraged; you'll be glad you perservered.

Eat oatmeal everyday. It's great for milk prouction.

Hi H.,

I'm not sure about the herbs, but Brewer's Yeast can help increase the milk supply. I used it while breast feeding my three kids.

WATER, WATER, WATER. Be sure you are drinking a lot of water. You need a lot to continue your milk supply. You can't get too much water!!!!

M.

H.,

I bought some "Organic Mother's Milk" tea, but didn't really use it much. It turns out, I produce more than enough milk even now. I just moved away from Anaheim to San Diego, but if you'd like I could send what I've got left to you (about 25 packets left). You could try it and if it works, buy some more. I bought it on e-bay.

I'm not a "fanatic" about nursing per se, but I do sing it's praises: My baby is now 10 months, almost 11 months old and has only been sick 1 time. (3 days of cough due to my sister's severely sick child being in my house for 1 week when my baby was 3 months old.) I have been sick 3-4 times lasting an average of 2 week each time and even now feeling a bit under the weather, but she never has caught anything from me! Not only does it help your little one be healthier, it will definitely help your family financially. My advise to you: nurse her as long as you possibly can, but if you feel that it is too much then consider supplementing with formula or stopping nursing alltogether. It's about how much you're willing to put yourself out because after all, continuing to nurse and pump while working adds a heck of a lot to your plate.

Good luck to you.

Back 8 years ago when I had low milk supply, my IBCLC suggested the following: Fennugreek, Blessed Thistle, Mother's Milk Tea. None of these things will hurt to take and should help your supply...good luck! Stick with it, you can do it!

My post pardum doula recommended Fenugreek to increase milk supply. I used it when my daughter was 6 months old. You only need to take it as until the milk increases and then stop. So I only was on it for 3 days and I have had no problems since. She's now 7.5 months!

H.,

I'd recommend that you join the yahoo group "PumpMoms" I've been a member through pumping for 2 kids and the help and support has been really good. Most women who have to pump a significant amount end up with supply issues at one point or another. What works for one woman doesn't necessarily work for another which is why it is so helpful to have a group forum.

I never used herbs because my first child was colicy and some of the herbs can make that worse. My second child is allergic to dairy and soy and had reflux and I just didn't want to risk it. So I increased my supply by pumping a whole lot. 4 times a day every day during the week (once first thing in the morning, 2 times at work and then again before bed) and twice each day on the weekends (morning and night) in addition to nursing on demand when I was home. The single best breastfeeding resource I've seen is www.kellymom.com If you search "low milk supply" you'll see plenty of info on the topic in general as well as the herbs and even medications that are commonly used to boost supply.

I pumped until both of my kids were 16 months old and I used no formula. It is possible but it can be a lot of work.

Good luck!

T.

Hi H.,

I nursed all four of my children...my first two were exclusively nursed. With my last two, I returned to work and so I did the pumping thing too. As long as your baby is gaining weight, you really do not have any things to worry about. I know that my kids would hold off and wait until I got home to really want to nurse...my son was always content when i was at home nursing him, but when he was at day care, the day care lady always said he wanted more...(usually more than what I had left)...so I just started leaving some formula for him, in case he was extra hungry. I know it was just because he had to work harder to get out the breastmilk rather than the milk in the bottle. Another thing to consider is if you are finding it difficult to pump...I finally got to a point when my baby was about 7 months old, I just nursed him when ever he was with me and he at food and formula while at daycare. So, when he was with me, he nursed and when he was at daycare, he got formula....it worked out fine for him and me.
Best of luck, pumping and working is a very doable thing, if you want to keep on nursing.
'
T.

I was in the same boat as you, and like you, I am not a breast feeding fanatic. I pumped what I could and them supplemented the breast milk with formula. Needless to say, all 3 of my kids are fine! Good luck.

Hi H.. I, too, am a working Mom. As soon as I returned to work, at 4 months after both of my girls' births, my supply started to decrease. According to my midwife and through my readings, this will happen because you are away from the baby. You don't smell your baby boy, and you don't hear him cry, both of which encourages your body to make mile and more if needed. We went to Whole Foods Market and found Mother's Milk Tea. It looks like all the other Moms have given this to you as recommendation. I would agree. It helped keep my supply (together with regular pumping at work) up to 7-8 months. Nothing is going to replace your being with your baby 24-7, but this will help prolong it. I took this tea even before I gave birth and took it at least twice a day afterwards. It's natural and it won't hurt your baby. Good luck and congratulations!

H.,
My herbalist recommended Mother's milk tea. It contains fenugreek and a bunch of other herbs, but it worked for me. I went through the same thing with my supply dwindling because my breasts just did not respond as well to the pumping. Whether I pumped for 5 minutes or 45 minutes, I was only ever able to pull off about 2-3 oz per session. At work I pumped during my morning and afternoon breaks as well as right after lunch and then right as I got home (baby usually wasn't hungry right away).

Try the mother's milk, which has a nice flavor. You can find it at most organic or health food stores. I also found it once at Ralph's but I think that was a fluke.

Good luck!

Hi H.,

Just in case the fenugreek alone doesn't do it for you, consult a local acupuncturist and ask for an formula called "Pu gong ying tang." It is VERY effective for increasing breast milk, no danger to baby, and has been used for a couple of thousand years successfully! (It can be had in granular or capsule form as you prefer.) Certain acupuncture points can be used to help production as well, so undergoing a few treatments can be useful.

Best wishes

S. I., L.Ac.
Lotus Wellspring Healthcare
456 E. Mission Road, Suite 100
San Marcos, CA 92069
###-###-####
____@____.com
www.lotuswellspring.com

Hello H.!

Yes, there are a number of very safe, very effective herbs to assist with lactation.

For instance- fenugreek, nettle, vitex, goat's rue, nettle, etc.

Do not worry about 'estrogen in herbs'. Its not that simple, and herbs are more complex then that. Actually, herbs balance hormones, and are not hormones themselves.

Wish Garden makes a nice goat's rue formula, and Vitanica makes a nice formulation for lactation.

A.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A. Salazar-Dunbar, Master Herbalist
Herbal/Nutritional Consultations in San Diego
Classes available locally or online and FREE Newsletter!
http://www.thenaturalife.com/herbalist
###-###-####

I tried all the things that are already mentioned here either when I was trying to induce lactation when we adopted my son 4 years ago, or to increase my milk supply just after our daughter was born 1.5 years ago.

I would suggest trying the More Milk Plus herbal tincture first. That would be the easiest thing.

Then if that doesn't work, if it's going to work for you, the More Milk Plus will work within a few days. Go to www.fourfriends.com and click on the Adoptive Breastfeeding site. They have a section for increasing your milk supply with herbs for biological moms. All the gals like Sutherland and Darrilyn are really supportive. They also have a pumping and herbs "bootcamp" to get your milk flow going again.

http://www.fourfriends.com/abrw/forum/index.php?

I just wanted to say I agree with the other post. Fenugreek and Mother's Milk Tea. I have used both. I heard about them from my lactation specialist, doctor, and friends.

A little about me:

I am 30 years old and have been married for almost 4 years. I am a first time mom of a gorgeous baby girl.

Eat and drink ALOT, especially now that you're working, your body is under stress and it takes more than you'd think to produce healthy milk. Snack and drink plenty of water... Keep breast feeding it is THE BEST thing you can do for your child.

I had low milk from the get go. My dr. recomended fenugreek. It is safe, but may affect the taist of your milk. It didn't work for me. I've also heard brewers yeast and beer! Read up on the beer thing though. There are definatly two camps of thought, one says its safe, the other not. Read and decide for yourslef. Anticdotally, my sisters friend drank a 6 pack a day to increase her milk supply at her dr.s recomendation! Another friend was orderd by her Dr. to drink a guiness a day. I tried all of the above (not the 6 pack Lord have mercy) and in the end none of it increased my supply and I had to go formula. Best of luck.

Dear H.,
Greetings!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW ARRIVAL! : )))

I truly commend you on nursing your son. I sooooo love nursing my dazzling son, Dylan Orion. And.....don't laugh, but I call him my LUSCIOUSLY VORACIOUS MILKY MONSTER because he loves to nurse with wild abandon! Nursing is the most amazing communication I've ever experienced with another being before.

There are many things that will naturally help enhance your milk: Brewer's Yeast, Fenugreek, Oatmeal, Hops (as you'd find in beer but can buy separately in a health food store) and of course, drinking lots of water is essential!!! TRADITIONAL MEDICINALS ORGANIC MOTHER'S MILK TEA and MOTHERLOVE'S MORE MILK PLUS are also AMAZING.

I also love the LA LECHE LEAGUE for all the help they've given me, and I highly recommend calling them! If you haven't checked them out already...here's their website for California: http://www.llli.org/Web/California.html

Hope this helps! Please free to call me anytime: (323) 906~2784 or e~mail me at ____@____.com

LOL,
L. (Mama to 46 week old Dylan Orion) : )))

fenugreek and oatmeal...work!!!

remember to relax when pumping...drink lots of h2o and most of all...Keep up the good work!! its all worth it!

Hi H.,
I don't know about herbs but I had the same issue with my first daughter and my doctor told me to drink a couple ounces of a "hoppy" beer a day and it would help increase my milk supply. I was a little skepticle and I don't drink much especially not beer but after pumping every 1.5 hours and feeding her just as often I was at my wits end and figured it was worth a shot. I got a darker imported type beer like a new castle or ale type, if you can find an organic ale that is your best option (not a domestic brand those are chemically watered down). Then I drank about half of a normal small bottle in the late morning early afternoon (I sipped it and it would take me about 30 minutes to get it down as I didn't much like the taste) I kept pumping every 2 hours as well and then after a day or so i started noticing I was getting more milk with each pumping. I only did that for a week or so and then i was actually able to keep it up without drinking anymore beer. I know it sounds a little unorthodox but it worked for me... hope this helps... Good Luck!

Hi H.!
You might want to check out www.PumpStation.com.
They have a wonderful breastfeeding resource library and if you don't find what you need there you can email ____@____.com and you can get advice from one of their lactation consultants. This is right up their ally. They did a tremendous amount for me!
Good luck - Sherri

I tried mothers milk and it did not help me. I was told to try Fenugreek and I did and I ended up in the E.R. with severe heart palpitations! I still have them to this day and I and quite sure it was the Fenugreek. That was just my experience, but after this happened I googled Fenugreek and heart palpitations and apparently I am not alone. Make sure you drink tons of water. That and consistently feeding and pumping were the only things that helped me. I feel your pain and wish you the best.

Hello!!

I had the same problem. The good news is is that your body will correct itself and you will see more milk some weeks...and then less milk on others. Try not to stress about it too much. Trust me...I stressed about it a ton and in the end I always had enough milk.

Two things did help me tremendously:
1. Lactation Blend Nursing Support pills. These are fennel and fenugreek and they totally helped in increasing my milk supply.
2. Drink lots and LOTS of water. Always be drinking water...even when you don't think you can anymore. This will TOTALLY increase your milk supply in a hurry. Days that I didn't drink as much as I should were definitely lower than the days I did drink a ton of water.

Good luck and have fun. I work fulltime and I am still breastfeeding my little one and she is 14 and a half months. Granted she also is drinking cows milk as well...but I am still able to produce milk using my two methods.

Take care!!

-V.

I'm wondering why you think your milk supply has gone down? It may have, because pumping does not stimulate milk supply like nursing does, but you cannot judge milk supply by the amount you can pump. OR by the way your breasts feel. The body adjusts to nursing over time and you will not get that "full to bursting" feeling that you did during the first few months. When my fourth was 3 months old I went back to work full time for 4 months (a tax time job) while my husband stayed home with the kids. I didn't pump much, but I did breastfeed while at home and at night. Never affected my supply, and when the job ended I went on to nurse for another 1.5 years. The important thing is not how often or how much you pump, but how much you nurse when you are not working.

Hello, H.,

Moringa Oleifera is excellent for nourishing the body and helping moms produce a greater milk supply.

contact:

www.moringafarms.com

My very best to you,

T.

Try Fenugreek. It helped me increase my supply. You just smell like maple syrup. LOL

I have been producing enough milk to satisfy my LO when suddenly I decreased in my supply when baby was three months old. I tried different remedies tried to formula feed but nothing worked and baby wasn't ready to take any supplement. Then a friend suggested healthy nursing tea. I started this tea and within a few days I started producing the same quantity as before.