Fenugreek and herbs to increase milk supply?

Hi all, I'm new to this site and I'm trying to find anyone who has successfully used any herbal remedies to increas their milk supply.

I have an 18 week old son and have been exclusively breastfeeding since he was born. He gained wait brilliantly in the first couple of months but for the last 6 weeks or so he has only been gaining 5oz or so a fortnight and he's dropped down from the 75th to the 25th centile.

He is alert and happy but he does seem to be feeding less during the day - he was feeding every 2 hours but now it is 4 hours or more and I always need to encourage him to do so. When he does finally latch on, it's only for a few minutes and he never accepts the second breast. He seems to get a bit frustrated after those few minutes and keeps coming off and going back on for a quick suck then coming off again. I'm convinced my supply is starting to get a little low but I'm reluctant to start him on formula. Has anyone tried fenugreek or anything like it with some success?

Any advice appreciated.
Marie

welcome to JP hun I'm mandy mum to Lauren 3 in Jan and Jake 10mths. If your baby is feeding less then your milk supply sould simply be dropping a bit to accomodate for this? Have you tried expressing, instead of using formula hun? This may help build your supply back up and you can store it in the fridge (24hr) of freeze it for up to 3mth. It can be added to over a day in the fridge too. I'm sure someone on here has posted about using fenugreek before? I will have a look, have a feeling it may have been a long standing member and i'm sure she will give you some advice with it! Good luck hun, sounds as though you are doing a great job managing to exclusively breastfeed for as long as you have Hope things look up for you again soon Xx

I know as a breast feeding mum you are probably wanting to wait until 6 months to introduce solids but it is possible your baby is getting hungry for more than milk and getting ready for weaning. Or on the other hand maybe he was going through a growth spurt and has now settled down abit until his next growth spurt when he will be hngrier again

yes me !!

i brought 100 tablets of fenugreek from holland and barrett and i persnally feel that they made a huge difference

i also started eating porridge every morning for breakie as oats also help your milk supply

there is also something called blessed thistle that you can take with fenugreek but i never found any, i think you have to buy it online

I thought it was you hun, didn't want to say your name though just incase, my memory is still like a sieve! LOL

Thanks all, I am definitely going to try fenugreek then. I went out and bought some today so I'll let you know how it goes. We had a good day yesterday where he seemed to be interested in feeding again, but not today! Fingers crossed this will help!

I am thinking of starting him on solids soon too. He seems ready - is always putting things in his mouth and watches intently when I'm stuffing my face :-) Gonna see how the fenugreek goes first tho.

Thanks again everyone! x

he may look ready to wean but research shows that his kidneys may not be. if you dont have to then i would fully reccommend waiting untill 6 months to wean just to be on the safe side

If your baby seems hungrier at any time before six months, they may be having a growth spurt, and extra breastmilk will be enough to meet their needs.

some great info here from a trusted site
http://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/en/fe/page.asp?n...p;n3=27&n4=48

Hi all, I've been taking fenugreek for a week now and I thought I'd let you all know that it does seem to be working! Jonathan is still a little fussy from time to time but he definitely seems to be on longer than usual and more satisfied.

I've also managed to express a lot more than usual, so I'm well on the way to having enough stored for a good Xmas night out - yay!

Thanks again for all the advice!
Marie x

Aww yay I'm really pleased things seem to be settling down for you hun. It's great that the fenugreek seems to have helped. I hope you have a fab xmas night out to, will put your mind at rest knowing you have a good breast milk supply for your babysitter to use while you are out! Xx

Try something like Breastea if you need to increase your milk supply. It has worked great for me! You can do a web search for it. I received it in the mail in the afternoon and woke up the next morning engorged.

I just found this info from askdrsears

Try herbs to increase your milk supply. There are no scientific studies that show that certain herbs will make you produce more milk, but some mothers and lactation consultants believe that certain herbs can stimulate your body to make more milk. (See "Galactogogues" for more information.) Remember, though, that an herbal tea or other concoction can not substitute for more frequent nursing as a way to tell your body to make more milk.

I also breastfed my baby and from my experience, drink a lot of water can help to produce enough breast milk. I usually take 7 glass of water and 3/4 cup of chocolate milk a day. It helps me to breastfeed my baby.

Cheers

I would recommend Breastea. It has worked tremendously well for me. Just drink a glass a few times a day and breastfeed/pump often. I love this stuff! Just do a web search for it. The website is the same as the name Breastea.