Trying to increase milk, is Fenugreek OK?

[mzboop]

I was recently sick for over a week and even though I was feeling horrible, I tried to breastfeed every 8 hours. I am pumping and using bottles since my 4 month old refuses to latch. My milk production plummeted! Luckily, I had milk stored in the freezer, so he did not receive any less milk while I was sick. I tried to eat and keep drinking fluids but now I can only pump about 1/3 of the milk as before. This is my second child and I have never had this problem before with breastfeeding. I am reading that I can take Fenugreek but a friend of mine took it and said her baby's spit up was brown and it freaked her out.

I want to continue breastfeeding full time but I am supplementing with frozen milk that will be running out in about a week. I want a natural solution that will not cause any side effects to the baby. Since I am feeling better, I am drinking TONS of fluids and eating normally. Can anyone provide an nuggets of wisdom so I can continue to breastfeed please???

Thank you in advance for your help!
B

[whitnessforhim]

First I would suggest trying baby at the breast again. I exclusively pumped for my DD for the first 4mo. as well due to latch issues. It was around that time that my milk supply started to dwindle. I don't think I was responding to the pump any longer. I started offering my breast before bottle feeding her. It seemed that with age and the use of a wide nipple bottle (BreastFlow bottles) she eventually figured out how to latch. You might look into trying this again. Its never to late!

I did take fenugreek at one point to help with my supply issues. It worked ok for me but nothing noticeable. It did seem to give DD green poops though. I've heard for some women it works great.

I hope your supply bounces back!

[Amy_G_]

Fenugreek is one option.

The best thing to do is pump as if you were breastfeeding thru a growth spurt. meaning, to pump on one side, then the other, then back to the first side and repeat a bit. then pump more often as well. Be sure to drink to quench your thirst, but don't try to float your teeth with too much water. take prenatal vitamins, eat a big hearty meal to convince your system you are no longer dying or starving to death.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/pumping_decrease.html

Consider adding oatmeal to your diet in fairly large quantities. Oats are a traditional milk booster
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/oatmeal.html

Read up on getting baby back to the breast, because that will end any pumping problems. ;)
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/baby/back-to-breast.html

[hotlama]

Fenugreek works well for me but I hate the fact that I have to take it every day. Whenever I try to wean from it, my supply drops really low.

[kohlby]

Fenugreek worked wonders for me. I had a distractable nurser - I'd have to manually get let-down or she wouldn't nurse. Plus, I had to nurse her in a quiet room, lying down, while I did breast compressions. And I'd pump a sippy cup of breastmilk for her daily too. The fenugreek would get my supply up enough that I could retrain her. However, I had to use it for 2-3 days every month since she kept falling back into old habits.