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September 2015 Moms
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Fenugreek

Knottie23963119Knottie23963119 member
in September 2015 Moms
Tell me your fenugreek story. How much did you take? Did it work? Reactions? Side effects? Anything! 

I took my second capsule tonight. I know it may take a bit for it to work, but how long? I need to bump up my supply. I can't keep up with lo and now we've added formula into the mix to keep him full. I only pump due to issues in the beginning and I'm lucky to get 18 oz a day. And lo usually needs at least 12-14 oz more than that in a day.  Any advice is welcome. 
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Re: Fenugreek

  • kanga915kanga915 member
    Second capsule? You're supposed to take 2-3 several times a day if I remember correctly. It totally wrecked my stomach so I stopped taking it. I thought I was having a gallstone. You might smell like maple syrup (I didn't but I hear it's very common). Also try: Blessed thistle, oatmeal, Brewers yeast capsules, ground flax seed. However, if you can nurse, that's the best way to improve your supply. Also Google "power pumping."
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  • tlc11934tlc11934 member
    The capsules didn't work for me but mother's milk tea helped.
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  • ambernhellandambernhelland member
    Mine were also 2-3 pills several times a day.
    They gave me horrible diarrhea and gas like you wouldn't believe, and I reeked like maple syrup. I was willing to put up with that if it meant feeding baby, but then she started getting gassy from it and would scream half the night so I quit taking them. Honestly I didn't really notice a difference in my supply (I EP), but everyone reacts to things differently. Power pumping worked for me, if I notice my supply dip a little bit I'll take some extra time to pump on the weekend when my hubby is home. I also have these little breast pads filled with squishy beads that you can pop in the microwave and they help stimulate your ducts when pumping. Drown yourself with water! And keep taking prenatals, if I forget them I notice a dip.
    Good luck!
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  • ItsmeR30ItsmeR30 member
    edited January 2016
    I took 2 capsules 3x a day when I was nursing before I got sick. I also smelled like maple syrup/spices and it made my stomach hurt so bad!

    @kanga915 I ended up in the hospital with acute pancreatits and my gallbladder removed! So the pain I was feeling WAS that pain lol (it's really not funny because that was the worst pain of my life. I'm just "lol'ing" because of the irony of you saying that lol)

    edit to add- power pumping was definitely what boosted my supply. That I think helped more then the fenugreek 
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  • vibarra27vibarra27 member
    edited January 2016
    I took 2 capsules 3 times a day. Supply went up in 2 weeks. No problems here. & also power pumped for those 2 weeks. 
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  • Yiggle09Yiggle09 member
    I smelled like maple syrup, even my clothes smelled. My supply dropped alot and little one had gas to where he was screaming so I stopped using it. Its not for people who have hypothyroidism and pre pregnancy I was just below being officially hypothyroid and this was something I found out after trying to take it.
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  • mpache06mpache06 member
    Your only suppose to take 2-3 capsules a day. That's what the container says and what my obgyn told me to take. I haven't noticed a difference in taking them although I do still take them anyways. I have noticed mothers milk tea helps though. I drink 2-3 teas per day. I have no side effects with either.
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  • bcamasosabcamasosa member
    I took 2 capsules of fenugreek and 2 capsules of blessed thistle three times a day, oatmeal with flax seed for breakfast and powerpumped. I did this for only 3 days and each pump session was back up by 1.5-2oz. I also changed my pump's membranes. so not sure which one of those were really effective.
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  • barrelocarolbarrelocarol member
    ^^This!

    i took Blessed Thistle with fenugreek to avoid the nasty side effects. I still totally smell like maple syrup, but I'm kind of liking it...weird. 

    I:
    powerpumped 
    ate a TON more 
    drank an extra liter of water 
    took fenugreek/blessed thistle
    made sure to keep pump parts clean

    And I found this to work wonders for me. 
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  • Knottie23963119Knottie23963119 member
    I only take one a day due to the fact I only eat one big meal in the day and the container says to take with a meal. I don't eat very much and never have. I bought some oatmeal to eat to hopefully help. I also have mothers milk so I'll try that. Power pumping did nothing for me when I tried it in the beginning. I can't nurse. LO won't even try anymore. He's over it. So instead we use latch bottles
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  • kanga915kanga915 member
    Knottie23963119 said:
    I only take one a day due to the fact I only eat one big meal in the day and the container says to take with a meal. I don't eat very much and never have. I bought some oatmeal to eat to hopefully help. I also have mothers milk so I'll try that. Power pumping did nothing for me when I tried it in the beginning. I can't nurse. LO won't even try anymore. He's over it. So instead we use latch bottles
    Your lack of calories is probably contributing to your lack of supply. And one capsule a day isn't going to make a noticeable difference so you might as well skip it. 
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  • PinkPrincessPiperPinkPrincessPiper member
    I take 3-4 capsules 3x a day. Lots of water & just a balanced diet (I still eat like I'm pregnant, no shame)! It has worked wonders for my supply. 

    Also, I find that the 610mg pills work way better than the 500mg dose. 
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  • GrowingapepperGrowingapepper member
    My bottle says to take 1 capsule 3 times daily. I never experienced any negative side effects. I did have a very slight maple syrup scent but it was mostly my armpits when I sweat. I also started eating lactation cookies at the same time. I did get about a 2 oz increase in my pumping sessions.
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  • TabulaRasa25TabulaRasa25 member
    I don't take it encapsulated, but drink tea with fenugreek, fennel, and some other lactation-stimulating ingredients.  The hydration seems to contribute as much as the supplementation. 

    My output still goes up and down, and seems to depend more on how rested, stressed, and hydrated I am. 

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  • Knottie23963119Knottie23963119 member
    Today I noticed a 2 oz increase in the morning and in my afternoon pump. So I'm going to take that as a good thing and a result of the fenugreek. I haven't done anything differently. And no I'm not going to eat more. I eat until I'm full and I'm not going to eat past that point. 
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  • jenboston22jenboston22 member
    I take 4 3x a day. The bottle said 2-3 3x a day, but this didn't work for me. I think it has helped my supply + eating old fashioned oats (I tried instant oats first, but that didn't seem to do much).

    I tried lactation cookies and they worked great, but I have a poor digestive system (Crohn's disease), and I had strong disease symptoms from them. But these may work well for those with normal digestive systems.
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  • kanga915kanga915 member
    Knottie23963119 said:
    Today I noticed a 2 oz increase in the morning and in my afternoon pump. So I'm going to take that as a good thing and a result of the fenugreek. I haven't done anything differently. And no I'm not going to eat more. I eat until I'm full and I'm not going to eat past that point. 
    Ok well you asked for advice. You didn't like mine. Like it or not, one meal a day is not enough calories to support breastfeeding. 
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  • RaisingJulianRaisingJulian member
    I took 2 capsules with every meal. I didn't get any side effects & it worked wonders on my supply 
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