Fenugreek Seed??????

[Tiger]

Fenugreek seed is a herbal supplement that I'm taking to increase my breastmilk.
I don't know much about it except that it's found in maple surup and I smell like a pancake when I sweat! Does anyone have any more info. on fenugreek seed? Does anyone else take it?

[BosunsWife]

I took it when I was trying (one of many things) to increase my milk supply when breastfeeding DD. I don't recall smelling like pancakes LOL. Mine was in pill form and I think I recall that you could get it in a tea also. By the way, it didn't work for me, is it working for you?

[Tiger]

Bosuns wife- I don't really know if it's working. My DD was losing weight and they thought I wasn't producing enough milk. It turned out she is just burning too many calories because she has a lot of apnea.
She's now gaining. I pump too. Usually by the end of the day I've had it and give her a bottle of pumped milk. I know this isn't what I should probably be doing.
What other things did you do to increase your milk supply?

[wallycat]

Fenugreek is an seed/herb that is frequently used in Indian cooking. From what I've read, it is mostly known for lowering blood sugar levels from the blood.....

[BosunsWife]

Lets see, what did I do to increase? Pumped my breasts (most times I only got an ounce of milk at a time). Took warm showers to try and get my milk to letdown. Had my doctor monitor my diet (I lost about 20 pounds in the first 10 days after giving birth) to make sure I was eating enough. Drank tons of water so I wasn't dehydrated. Tried to get enough sleep (yeah, right with a newborn). I had DD in the hospital being weighed almost every two days for the first six weeks - it was seriously depressing most days. Also sitting and having a lactation consultant monitoring me was depressing. In my case, breastfeeding obviously did not come naturally to me.

I seriously think it may be something genetic in our family (my mother couldn't breastfeed my brother nor I). I never actually felt engorged at any time nor do I remember my milk coming in after DD was born. I guess only time will tell since I have finally convinced DH to help me give it another try with this pregnancy. I am taking a breastfeeding class at the hospital where I will deliver and hopefully I will gain some knowledge there.

Good luck to you (sorry to sound like such a downer about nursing).

[claire797]

I tried fenugreek but I really couldn't stand the smell. Emma and I both smelled like maple syrup and balloons. Since I couldn't tell if it was even helping or not, I just stopped. Also, in small babies, taking the seeds can cause colic. I noticed Emma was fussy during the time when I took the fenugreek, so that was another reason I stopped.

Now what I do is 1) eat oatmeal every day 2) drink lots of water 3) drink Mother's Milk Tea (you can find it at a store that sells natural foods and 4) eat protein. If you can pump, do that to. I'm not a good pumper..

Also, a friend of mine swears on having a can of beer a day even though it's probably the barley malt in the beer rather than the alcohol that stimulates milk production.

[Tiger]

Bonsunswife- Actually you made me feel better. I can pump 6oz in 10 min. ( 5yrs ago I feed my son on only pumped breast milk for 3 months) Boy did I know when my milk came in and I do get eng. In the beginning they were worried because DD wasn't gaining weight. So I guess I'm still nervous about my milk supply.

Claire- My DD is very fussy as soon as she's done eating. I'm going to stop taking the seed and see if it helps. Thanks for telling me your experience!

[SusanD]

I tried the Mother's Milk tea. Maybe I wasn't drinking enough, but I don't think it helped. I had a problem with low milk supply too so I just drank lots of water and tried to keep my caloric intake up. My dr. also said to have a beer every day, you can bet I took her up on that suggestion! :p You're right, Claire, it is the malt - so I stuck with the heavier beers that have more malt in them.

[claire797]

I'm skeptical about the Mother's Milk Tea too. I've been drinking it for a few months, but I have a feeling if I stopped I wouldn't noticed. It's about $4.00 a box, so it may not be worth buying anymore.

One thing I'm wondering is if calories really play a part in how much breastmilk you make. I'm thinking of raising my calories from 1800 to over 2000. I've always eaten a pretty low calorie diet, so for me, 2000 sounds like a lot. Lately though, I've been REALLY HUNGRY all the time and I think my body may be trying to tell me something. Then again, I don't want to gain weight and use breastfeeding as an excuse.

[Tiger]

Clair- Remember breastfeeding burns 500 cal. a day! Now there's another reason to do it! LOL
My joke as I sit down to a meal is now I believe I need to eat an extra 3000 cal a day!
Seriously though I haven't tried to lose any weight yet and my DD is 7wks old and I only have 9lbs more to go. ( I gained 37lbs during the pregnancy)