Fenugreek Experiences « Hellobee Boards

Fenugreek Experiences

By Killer b Oct 4, 2011

I tried taking fenugreek supplements to increase my supply, and it totally failed me. The capsules were 610mg, and I took 9 a day (3 pills, 3x/day). At first my supply dropped substantially. I went from pumping 6 oz to 1 oz between both breasts. Slowly it started getting better, but the side effects spread to Charlie. It made her so gassy and uncomfortable that I decided I'd rather have to supplement with formula that watch her be in pain all day every day. Plus, I hated smelling like maple syrup. It never increased my milk supply, unfortunately

So... did fenugreek work for you? Any other suggestions for increasing supply?

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11 comments

AQL1211
olive / 61 posts

Oct 5, 2011

I've heard that more mother's milk worked wonders for other moms out there. it didn't work for me, however that is probably because I would forget to take it sometimes and would try to make up for it by taking double dose. lol.

http://www.amazon.com/More-Milk-Plus-Alcohol-Free/dp/B000IT49NW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1317825086&sr=8-4

my supply decreased DRASTICALLY at 6 months, when i got my period. i've tried everything, but at 9 months my milk is all but gone... i still feed her 1-2 bottles a day though, which i heard is enough for the baby to get the benefits of breastmilk.
Rubies
hostess / eggplant / 11068 posts

Oct 5, 2011

I used fenugreek AND blessed thistle together (that's a LOT of pills to take per day!) and my milk was practically squirting out nonstop. I took it for about 10 days but then got the stomach flu and stopped. I haven't taken it since but am starting to think I should. Taking it with blessed thistle will make you stink but...It did work for me.

Try using it for another week with blessed thistle (or something else)...It should help!
LivsMama
pear / 1728 posts

Oct 5, 2011

I take 11 fenugreek a day, drink 3 cups of mothers milk tea, and take 3 More Milk Plus (by Motherlove) capsules daily. (they are liquid filled capsules.) I had a really hard time producing at first, and now Liv is EBF and I pump and freeze on top of her feeding every day. it took a few weeks to get up to speed so keep at it. If the fenugreek doesn't work, try the More Milk Plus. That has goats rue, blessed thistle, and some other stuff in it-works amazingly well. I also never had the maple syrup smell.
Killer b
cherry / 190 posts

Oct 5, 2011

I think I'll try some MMP, because being only 3 days off the fenugreek, Charlie is no longer gassy and crying like she was the week I took it. It really was awful, she was in so much pain, I could hear her little tummy rumbling with gas. Thanks so much for your suggestions! I'm making enough to get her through the day, but it would be nice to be able to store some should we want to go out or on vacation in a few months
T.H.O.U.
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts

Nov 7, 2011

Thanks for the tips. I am back to work next week and dreading a possible decrease in supply.
Mrs. Bee
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts

Nov 9, 2011

just an update -- i've definitely seen an increase in my supply since i added fenugreek, blessed thistle and mother's milk tea to my daily regimen. i was already taking more milk plus. not sure what's working, but hey it's working and i've been able to keep up with olive's demand!
Mrsbells
squash / 13199 posts

Nov 9, 2011

So if you dont take these supplements does that mean your supply will just drop ?
Lozza
pear / 1837 posts

Nov 9, 2011

We met with my lactation consultant yesterday to talk about supply issues, and she said she wants me on more milk plus supplements for a month, pumping as often as I can possibly manage, and BFing on demand whenever I'm with DS. She also recommends renting a hospital-grade pump to increase supply.
Mrs. Bee
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts

Nov 9, 2011

@mrsbells - you don't need to take supplements if you have a good supply. and i've found that my supply didn't drop once i increased it but stopped taking supplements.
anbanan15
grapefruit / 4681 posts

Nov 10, 2011

Kellymom.com has a good calculator and a bunch of information on fenugreek. Try taking fenugreek and blessed thistle. This worked much better for me, however I had to stop because I started having complications....

DS is allergic to peanuts/tree nuts and fenugreek is closely related to peanuts. I also had to stop because you are not supposed to take fenugreek when you have a thyroid condition (I did not know I had a thyroid condition when I started taking them). I started to get numb and tingling in the limbs and have bloody stools. Fenugreek can cause internal bleeding and low blood sugar so you shouldn't take if you are diabetic or have issues with your blood sugar. Good luck and just be careful!

PS. I didn't really have low supply or anything and after taking fenugreek my supply stayed the same. The only thing it really did for me was return that engorged feeling and maybe increase pumping a few oz, but adding a few pumping sessions (then removing) have also boosted my supply in the same way.
808love
pomelo / 5866 posts

Nov 12, 2011

Yes, just a few days helped get me back up to normal... but I also took with daily oatmeal and pumped two extra times per day.

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