I am a mommy to a 3 month old baby boy. I have started back at work part time for 2 weeks now. I am able to pump while at work and breastfeed while at home. I am noticing that my supply has decreased this past week. I have tried pumping (when possible) after each at home feeding to bring my supply up. I really want to continue breastfeeding. I am not under any more stress that normal and I am getting a good amount of sleep. I take my vitamins and try to eat a good diet. I have seen some herbs out there that state they help in milk supply issues. Some are plant forms of estrogens and I thought that estrogen dried up your milk - hence the mini pill!? I am confused about this. Does anyone have any input on herbs while breastfeeding. I am a little nervous about taking something that will hurt my baby. Has anyone had an increased supply from herbs?
Thanks in advance .
Remember that any herbs or anything you take, will be in your breastmilk potentially, AND be ingested by your baby.
Best to ask a doctor first. Or use "known" products that are approved for lactating Moms.
ALSO, plant forms of estrogens...ie: in soy milk.... also can leech into a baby/child. Beware, that if given in large quantities or in consistent exposure to it... "estrogens" can interfere with a child's own hormone system and alter it. In boys and girls... the effect is different. In boys, it can affect the sperm for example. There is lots of info on it online.
Example: my friend's 2 daughters drank soy milk exclusively as toddlers...she didn't want to give them diary milk. At a VERY early age her girls started menstruating already...abnormally. After many tests and inquiries about their habits...their Doctor ordered them to stop the soy milk... and after several months their "early puberty" symptoms stopped. There are many ways that very young children nowadays, due to environmental and ingested things, are having abnormally "early" pre-puberty symptoms.
Aside from that... your body is probably adjusting to the "new" regime in pumping during your day at work...continue to do so as often as you can... then when you are home nurse exlusively on demand. They say that your body will adjust to the "supply and demand" of your output and nursing routine.
Don't give up. If anything, consult a Lactation specialist to assist you and for tips.
Good luck and all the best,
Susan
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 Holli,
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!
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!
Hello Holli,
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.
Hi Holli!
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 [email protected] 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
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!
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.
Heather
Hi Holli,
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
Sybil Ihrig, L.Ac.
Lotus Wellspring Healthcare
456 E. Mission Road, Suite 100
San Marcos, CA 92069
(760) 752-9786
[email protected]
www.lotuswellspring.com
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-rem.html, or contact Mechell Turner, IBCLC & herbalist at www.birthandbreastfeeding.com or directly email at [email protected].
Check out the following websites that provide more information.
http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/milksupply/fenugreek.html
http://www.breastfeed-essentials.com/supply.html
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.
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.
Hi Holli!
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.
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!
Holli,
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 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.
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.
Try Fenugreek. It helped me increase my supply. You just smell like maple syrup. LOL