Anyone heard of Fenugreek??

Susie - posted on 04/05/2009

I didn't notice jack crap when I used it. And it tasted terrible. I had a lot better results with Domperidone. Have you seen a lactation consultant? Good luck.

Abbie - posted on 04/05/2009

I used it, and I lost all my milk!!! I had to stop breastfeeding. I got horribly sick from it. Seriously for 2 days I was in the bathroom. It wasn't stomach flu....... I had these horrible burps that were like maple syrup, and I was miserable. I would strongly say to say away from it. You can try it if you want, but it says NOT FOR BREASTFEEDING women. My laction nurse told me also to try 1 can/bottle of non alcohalic beer a day. Something in the barley that helps produce more milk. But i would stay away from the other stuff. Good luck!!!

Jan - posted on 04/05/2009

I did Fenugreek in the form of tea when I was pumping for my babies.  I would have one to two cups per day.  I can't say that I noticed a huge jump in production, but I was producing 4oz per side every three hours.  Not sure if my body just knew to do that though because I had twins???  Anyway, it's worth a shot.  It is safe.  If you enjoy drinking tea, you can find it in decaf.  Every woman's body if different...so it may work for you; it may not.  The key is keeping hydrated...the fenugreek may just be a bonus.  Good luck!

Laura - posted on 04/05/2009

I used Fenugreek pills when my son was very young and my milk supply jumped up. My lactation consultant recommended it and she said that it are safe, herbal supplement. I bought them at Whole Foods and a bottle of 90 pills cost about $10-15. The dosage is 3 pills per day but my lactation consultant told me to take 4. They taste and smell like curry. She also recommended Mother's Milk tea, which you can also get at Whole Foods. Both of these gave me plenty of milk for my son!

Marcia - posted on 04/04/2009

I started taking fenugreek AND blessed thistle when my son was a month old, he is now 6 months old and i'm still taking them....taking them together really worked for me

Chrissie - posted on 04/04/2009

Like other mommies, I've used fenugreek as well. Of course different regimens work for different mothers, but I took the capsules and tea three times a day. Sometimes a shift in nursing schedules (my daughter did the most of her nursing during the night and since she sleeps through the night now, we had to switch to daytime sessions-this dropped my milk supply) affects your supply and you might need to re-arrange nursing sessions and pump. When my milk supply dropped I was barely pumping 5oz/day; after fenugreek, better hydration habits, and nursing more often I'm producing nearly 20oz/day. GNC carries fenugreek and 100 capsules will cost you just under $10. Best of luck to you, don't give up, and happy nursing!

Mylene - posted on 04/04/2009

I used Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle to improve my milk production. They work best taken together I was told... You have to take them 3 times a day for most products... It did help me quite a bit. I also started drinking loads more water. May I suggest you get in touch with a lactation consultant to make sure everything is good with the way baby latches on and that your breasts are stimulated enough??? I didn't and I had to stop BF because I my son wouldn;'t get enough fat milk and had lost weight...

Jessica - posted on 04/04/2009

Yes, I've used it twice. With each of my biological children, I had a good supply until the three month mark. Then I had a period and my supply dropped. With my first one, the lactation consultants recommended fenugreek and blessed thistle or Reglan. I hesitated to take the prescription drug, so I tried the fenugreek and bt. I think I waited too long, though, because I ended up not getting any results and my daughter was mostly formula fed with my breast milk as a "snack" a few times a day (which I hated).



When it happened the second time, I was ready for it and decided to skip the herbs and try the meds to see if I got better results. The Reglan worked like a charm for me and kept my supply up really well, although a side effect of it can be depression, so you have to be on the lookout for that. I took it until he was a year, but my supply lasted another three months.



This last time with my adopted son, I induced lactation so I could nurse and started out with fenugreek and blessed thistle. I did get some results in getting the process started, but didn't produce much milk, so again I switched to meds (domperidone this time-it does not cross the blood-brain barrier, so there are no neurological side effects). I had great results with it-of course I had to supplement, but he got a fair amount of breast milk, and I was grateful for whatever I could produce.



Sorry, I've written a book! In a nutshell, I've used it twice, but was not really impressed with the results. I've talked to other women who did great on it, though. I think you just have to try and see how your body responds to it. It does make you smell like syrup, though. Oh, and you don't necessarily have to drink a lot of milk to produce milk. Just drink lots of water-that's what the lactation consultants always told me, anyway. Good luck!

Shabnam - posted on 04/04/2009

Fenugreek did work for me when my milk supply went down with my first baby.  Its actually a herb/seed/spice that is used a lot in Indian(asian) cooking and an ingredient in curry powder.  I think you might find it in a pill/capsule form from any herbal/GNC store.  Also if you just want to buy the actual spice, you could try locate a local indian store and they would sell you the seeds (called "Methi" )that you can grind to a powder in a coffee grinder which is what  I did.  I took a teaspoonful of powder followed by a glass of water every night.  It's kinda yucky slightly bitter tasting but you try to swallow it instead of chewing it down too much. 

For more information try http://www.pregnancy-period.com/fenugree...

Another thing about increasing your milk supply is trying to rest as much as possible, nursing your baby often and drinking lots of liquids. 

Hope this helps.

Shabnam

Shabnam - posted on 04/04/2009

Fenugreek did work for me when my milk supply went down with my first baby.  Its actually a herb/seed/spice that is used a lot in Indian(asian) cooking and an ingredient in curry powder.  I think you might find it in a pill/capsule form from any herbal/GNC store.  Also if you just want to buy the actual spice, you could try locate a local indian store and they would sell you the seeds (called "Methi" )that you can grind to a powder in a coffee grinder which is what  I did.  I took a teaspoonful of powder followed by a glass of water every night.  It's kinda yucky slightly bitter tasting but you try to swallow it instead of chewing it down too much. 

For more information try http://www.pregnancy-period.com/fenugree...

Another thing about increasing your milk supply is trying to rest as much as possible, nursing your baby often and drinking lots of liquids. 

Hope this helps.

Shabnam

Emilie - posted on 04/04/2009

My best friend had to take fenugreek, and it worked really well for her. It also made her smell like maple syrup, just a heads up. I would look for it as a herbal/ vitamen store in your area. The kind of store that sells organic food and herbal suppliments.

Amanda - posted on 04/04/2009

my sister and I have both used it with great results. My milk production was so low that I used it all the time. My sister only used it just before and during her babies growth spurts to keep up with them. It's safe to use and worth a try!

Felicia - posted on 04/04/2009

Yep sure have. I just had my first. A baby boy in January. I was having a hard time with my milk supply. The nurses in Marquette told me about Fenegreek. So I tried it, with in one day I was pumping 4oz out of each one I noticed a big difference. I only took it for about a week, then stopped and I still kept my milk supply. I would give it a try. It wouldn't hurt nothing.

Dawnie - posted on 04/04/2009

I tried it and did not have any real noticable results. You also have to take it a lot. That was not really working for me either.