What did you take and did it work?
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I took the Fenugreek and it did work slightly for me, but if I stopped taking them my supply definately went back down. And I smelled like maple syrup.
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I tried fenugreek, and it worked a little, but it made LO so gassy that I had to stop. So I'm now taking More Milk Plus, which still has some fenugreek in it, but it doesn't seem to bother her stomach. It depends on the day to determine if it's really helping. Yesterday, I was able to pump 14 oz at work (which was a really good day), but today is starting out really slow and I don't know if I'll even get 12 oz. (DD needs 16 oz each day at daycare)
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More Milk Plus, Fenugreek, and Mothers Milk tea. Also a dark beer a night (guinness or a dark IPA.) Definitely worked wonders!
I also ate oatmeal every single morning
ETA - I didnt smell like maple syrup (and I was up to 12 a day) and they didnt seem to bother Liv. But every baby's reaction is different
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I took Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle. I think it worked but part of me thinks it was just a placebo effect because I recently stopped taking them and my supply is the same. I eat a lot of oatmeal and drink tons of water!
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@LivsMama: I keep forgetting about the dark beer. My husband brewed some and I need an excuse to drink it
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@autumnlove: it depends on how long you took it. Once you take them for a certain amount of time, your body gets used to making that much and will continue even after you stop. I asked my LC about this bc mine did the same thing.
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@BabyBoecksMom: Thanks for posting! I couldn't remember which one you said was gassy. Which brand of MMP do you take?
I take Mother's Milk Tea and I *think* it helps.
I'm going to bite the bullet and buy More Milk Plus now and start eating oatmeal every morning! -
I am taking fenugreek, more milk special blend, and added some new things to my diet (like almond milk, sesame seeds, etc) I don't know if it worked. I have a ridiculously low supply. When I pump I get about one oz. Obviously I have to supplement with formula
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I had the most success taking Motherlove's MMP. Fenugreek alone was useless for me.
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@LivsMama: Oooh, that makes sense! I took them for months!
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i took more milk plus with charlie and it worked wonders.
with olive i had to work harder. i took more milk plus, fenugreek, and mother's milk tea. my supply was never as high as it was with charlie, but i make more than enough for olive right now at 8.5 months.
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@regberadaisy: I took the MotherLove's brand
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ITVRD2/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00
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@LivsMama: I need an excuse to have a beer at night! Do you think it helped increase your supply overall, or was it more of an immediate boost? Either way, I'm having a big dark IPA tonight after my LO goes to bed!
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@pointybird: I noticed a big difference in my pumping output after drinking a beer, so the effect was more immediate. Like, Id have one at night, then the next day my supply would increase noticeably. I wouldnt have that boost after a skipped night. It took maybe a week or two to kick in, but once it did, it stayed. And I looove me an IPA! My favorite is Lagunitas Little Sumpthin Sumpthin Ale. That was also one of the more effective ones for me lol
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@LivsMama: All right, I'm on a mission now! I live in New England and I know I've seen Lagunitas in a few places, but definitely not the IPA. Maybe I can special order it. I'll just tell my husband it's for the baby!
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I drink lots of water and eat oatmeal and my supply has always been pretty good even when I go a day without pumping of nursing.
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@pointybird: YES! The Sumpin Sumpin Ale is my favorite. They also have another IPA (most, if not all of their brews are IPA) called Maximus thats great, but a little more bitter. They have another called Wilco Tango Foxtrot (get it? WTF? lol) thats good, but even more bitter than the Maximus. And there is one that I forgot the name of thats just WAY too bitter. But even if you only see their standard IPA, grab it. So good. Almost tastes a tiny bit like berries. Yum
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I took Fenugreek alone but didn't get an increase or maple syrup smell at the maximum dose. I tried Mother's Milk Tea but also didn't see an increase. I tried Motherlove's More Milk Plus but stopped taking it because it was the tincture and I hated the taste, also didn't see an increase. DH brews his own beer but I'm not much of a beer drinker so that didn't really work for me either. I ended up supplementing with formula during the day but only nursing at night; apparently my issue was somewhat related to poor output while pumping and not necessarily not making enough milk.
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@LivsMama: ok, dumb question, but when you drank a beer at night, how long would you wait before pumping?
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@BabyBoecksMom: Not a dumb question at all =o) ID usually have the beer around 7 or 8pm. 9 at the latest. And pump around 11, or sometimes not until the next morning. It wouldnt work fast enough for the 11pm pump, but increased the next morning's supply.
My LC (shes an IBCLC) told me that the whole pump and dump thing is wasting milk. It doesnt rid the milk of alcohol any faster. Basically, alcohol cycles through milk at the rate it cycles through your body. So you can have a beer and immediately after, the alcohol levels in your milk are one reading. Wait an hour and the levels are much lower. I wouldnt drink and nurse simultaneously, or even within an hour. But she said if I give it an hour (for one beer) i should be good.
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@Magilnyc: hey, when I started pumping at the beginning my output was ridiculous. Driplets and 1 oz if lucky! It could be because I was a newbie pumper or that my LO was drinking all of my low milk supply and there wasn't much left to pump.
I've found also that it just takes my letdown a while to happen. Sometimes 10-15 minutes! Having to pump at work now I'm a lot more patient to wait for the letdown and can usually pump 4-5oz from both breasts each time now. GL!
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@regberadaisy: wow! I'm jealous of your supply!
I usually only get 2 or 3 oz out of my left side and 3 or 4 from my right. (and that's pumping only one side each session)
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I took tons of fenugreek and shatavari. I also drank full pots of mothers milk tea each day. It did absolutely nothing for me. Nothing did...
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@regberadaisy: did your supply go from "driplets" to what you get now after starting mothers milk?
I only get 1oz on the side she doesn't feed off of. I'll get less than an ounce total if she feeds off both breasts before I pump.
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@BabyBoecksMom: oh no no, I meant 4-5ozs TOTAL from both sides. Not each! I wish! I notice the uneven supply too from breasts! The weird part is they alternate....
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I went back to work at 6 weeks, and my period started the same week. My supply completely died. I was lucky if I could pump .5oz from both breasts. I took fenugreek during that time, and didn't see a difference at all, but added More Milk Plus about a week ago, and have seen a great improvement. I am pumping about 4 oz total now, which was where I was at before. Not great, but like I said, it is at least back to normal.
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@mediagirl: If it helps, I have noticed an increase in mine. I was only able to get an oz or two out of each side, and now I'm able to almost double that since I've been taking the More Milk Plus. Also, if I don't drink TONS of water each day, I notice my supply will decrease. So as long as I take More Milk Plus and drink water until I float, I have enough to cover the following day.
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@mediagirl: HMMM....you know I wonder! I started actively drinking the tea when I was getting close to going back to work. And only actively pumped when I was at work. So I can't be 100% sure if it's because of the tea or because I wasn't nursing.
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