After giving birth to three petite little girls, my husband and I decided that for our next birth, we would go "natural" before and hopefully after the birth. Well, I gave birth to a very healthy baby boy, weighing 8 pounds! The birth was an easy feat without drugs, but afterwards was another story! I had always taken my Vicodin after the birth of my girls (I was not breastfeeding), but this time I was nursing and did not want to take a narcotic. My doula and midwife suggested I check out herbs available to me, and so I contacted Herb Lore. They took much time to suggest a wonderful remedy for me - Postpartum Sitz Bath Herbs. But instead of taking a sitz bath with them, I followed the instructions for making a "tea" of the herbs and using sanitary pads to soak up some of the brew. I then froze the pads and wore them throughout the day and night. (Complete instructions are on the product label.) It was a WONDERFUL relief. I took no narcotics and unlike medication, I could use the pads as much as needed. I wish I had known about this technique after I had my girls! Timmy was my biggest baby, most pleasant birth, and easiest recovery (thanks to Herb Lore's herbs!!!). J.Y.
Fenugreek: A great herb for increasing milk production, but you need to know how to use it correctly!
Fenugreek Seed is one of the most well-known and effective herbs used to increase breastmilk production, BUT there are some things you need to know when using it.
1) It can cause gas in either mom or baby. I like to suggest other things first before using Fenugreek, especially when your baby is young or already has a gassy or touchy tummy (such as Nursing Tea or Nursing Tincture).
2) Fenugreek MUST be used with consistency, otherwise it could either not work for you, cause an up-and-down milk production, or for some women, even decrease their production altogether. Details about this can be seen in our article Fenugreek Info.
3) Because of the consistency issue, products containing Fenugreek as one of its many ingredients can have the same effect. It’s nearly impossible to regulate how many Fenugreek Seeds you may get in each dose – one might have 3 seeds, another 7, another 11, and another maybe just 1. Consistency is the key to success with this herb. An inconsistent in-take can result in inconsistent milk production.
4) Read your product labels. If Fenugreek is one of many ingredients, choose something else. The best way to use Fenugreek is all by itself, just Fenugreek in the product and nothing else. This way, it’s very easy to regulate and you will get much better results.
5) Another reason to read product labels – I’ve seen some Fenugreek products on the market that aren’t even made with the seed, but the plant material!! That’s not going to help you at all!
6) Freshness counts and makes a big difference in how well Fenugreek (or any herb) will work for you! See my blog about that.
We have detailed information about Fenugreek, how it works, more on why consistency is such a big issue, how to use it and how to wean down from it once you are done at:
- Nursing Tea/Nursing Tincture Info
- How to Increase Breastmilk Production: An Overview
- How to Increase Breastmilk Production: The Expanded and In-Depth Version (All Access Membership required. SIGN UP or LOGIN here.)