Upping supply ?

thebobloblaw · March 2014

So I know this has been talked about quite a bit, but now that I'm desperate I'm not sure what direction to go.

My supply is starting to go down, and LO is starting the 3 mo growth spurt and is suddenly eating almost double what she did before. I'm back at work and afraid there is no way I am going to be able to keep up with pumping as much as she needs. On top of everything I think birth control and starting AF/spotting isn't helping.

My question is for those of you who have tried supplements, what has worked the best or would you recommend I start with - fenugreek or mothers milk tea? I'm also going to be eating oatmeal, but just want to be as proactive as I can right away. Or maybe I am just overthinking everything... Gahhh. TIA.

Eggerkr · March 2014

I tried all the supplements and fenugreek seemed to work but I couldn't stand the smell. Once it's in your system it starts to come out your pores. Every time I would sweat just a little I could smell it. I even had someone make a comment once. I still get the night sweats and it was just all around gross. I mentioned my supply issue to my md and she has me taking the perscription drug Reglan. One of its side affects is lactation. I took 2- 10 day twice a day doses to boost and now I take a pill once a day to maintain. I usually get 5-6 oz per pumping now and I pump twice a day and nurse at night and in the morning. We supplement with formula too since it still seems to be not enough. For the most part he's only drinking breast milk. Talk to your md and see if you can try the reglan, it's been working great for me. FYI though, you can only take it for so long though because there is a terrets(?) like side affect of limbs and appendages moving on their own the longer you take the drug. My dr said this is pretty minimal though considering the dosage is super low.

BootsOrHearts · March 2014

Fenugreek alone did not help me but when I added blessed thistle it did. You have to take 3 pills of each 3 times a day. Search for jack Newman breastfeeding, dude is the BF expert doctor. Can't post link as I'm on mobile.

tattooedtragedy · March 2014

Drink lots of water, eat steel cut oats and hummus, look at supplements like PP suggested and possibly brewer's yeast. Check at kellymom.com and nurse and/or pump as often as possible every two hours will signal a boost to supply is needed

chemily8 · March 2014

Homemade lactation cookies.

lp0 · March 2014

Thanks for posting this thread. I noticed that my supply is dwindling (I never had this issue with DS and BF him for a year).

I increased my water intake and with that alone I noticed a difference. I think I'm going to try the cookies. Can someone post the recipe again?

rach10782 · March 2014

With my first I had supply issues and I started 9 capsules of fenugreek and 6 capsules of blessed thistle a day when he was 2.5 months. It definitely helped and I was able to EBF for 15 months. I agree with a PP who mentioned water intake is also crucial.

Eggerkr · March 2014

MarBee1214 said:

Eggerkr said:

I tried all the supplements and fenugreek seemed to work but I couldn't stand the smell. Once it's in your system it starts to come out your pores. Every time I would sweat just a little I could smell it. I even had someone make a comment once. I still get the night sweats and it was just all around gross. I mentioned my supply issue to my md and she has me taking the perscription drug Reglan. One of its side affects is lactation. I took 2- 10 day twice a day doses to boost and now I take a pill once a day to maintain. I usually get 5-6 oz per pumping now and I pump twice a day and nurse at night and in the morning. We supplement with formula too since it still seems to be not enough. For the most part he's only drinking breast milk. Talk to your md and see if you can try the reglan, it's been working great for me. FYI though, you can only take it for so long though because there is a terrets(?) like side affect of limbs and appendages moving on their own the longer you take the drug. My dr said this is pretty minimal though considering the dosage is super low.

FYI though you have to be careful if you're starting it and have never taken it before. I got these sypmtoms (called Extra-pyramidal symptoms) within 5 hours of starting reglan while I was pregnant. If you don't catch side effects soon enough they can become permanent. Restless legs is another side effect to watch out for.

Yikes! That's scary, my md and the pharmacist both warned me about it. I guess it's a pretty minimal occur acne but can happen. I'm sorry it's happened to you

.

thebobloblaw · March 2014

Thanks everyone! I'm definitely going to try the cookies since I'm not a huge oatmeal eater. I've got to force myself to drink more water also, this has been the hardest for me!

sweetsyrup · March 2014

I'm taking 4 fenugreek capsules with each meal and have seen my supply go up. I pump twice at work and finally got 10 oz total for the day. Much better then the 4 I was getting without the fenugreek!

Want a personalized experience?

Upping supply ?

Re: Upping supply ?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards