What do you think about Fenugreek?

[GG]

the big bonus is that fenugreek moves your body fat and converts it into milk, so i lots heaps of weight too!

still take it now for the weight loss bonues, and the reassurance that i will always have milk for iggy.

I always wondered how the heck the body was able to produce more milk using that herb.  Specifically, I wondered where it got the extra liquid for the milk!  Very interesting and very cool, indeed.

DS had a pedi appt yesterday.  I was so surprised that he had gained less than 2 lbs in 2 months (yet gained 2.5 inches in height & 1 inch around his head).  No wonder he seemed so hungry lately!  Honestly, that explains why he hates naptimes.  It's not that he wants to suckle to sleep... poor child is practically starving!

Anyway, I had to give him formula for the first time tonight!  :cry:  I just had no milk to offer and he was so hungry and frustrated!!  :cry:  :cry:  I felt mixed emotions as I gave him the bottle but I was mostly happy that he was satisfied after he was done, especially since I was the one crying this afternoon because I wasn't producing nearly enough milk for him.

In the meantime, I started drinking Mother's Milk herbal tea this afternoon (FYI... it smells like black licorice *ICK* but doesn't taste like it. I almost didn't drink it!).  I'm going to supplement with fenugreek starting tomorrow!! (for some reason, this concoction doesn't have fenugreek as an ingredient).  I saw a version in drops instead of pills at Whole Foods grocery store.

Like iggy's mom said, I just want to know that I will always have enough milk for my baby.   

Thank you for this post, ladies!  I'm less worried/skeptical about taking fenugreek now!!

[Caroline-Charlies Mummy]

Thanks for all your replies, ladies!

I've been taking it for a while, and it definitely seems to have worked. I still can't express, but I don't mind as long as I've got enough for his feeds.

Like GG said, it's great to have all your replies to make me feel more confident that I'm not going to harm him when I take it, so Thank You.

(BTW does it make anyone else hungrier or thirstier? I am ALWAYS hungry and/or thirsty, or is that just the bf?)

Caroline

[GG]

(BTW does it make anyone else hungrier or thirstier? I am ALWAYS hungry and/or thirsty, or is that just the bf?)

Do sweets count in terms of hunger?  Can I use fenugreek as my excuse for wanting to eat junk food?  ;-)

Btw... I don't get much when I express, either, but it's probably because this guy always seems to be eating.  I think 4 or 4.5 hours is the most that he goes without a feeding maybe once or twice a day.  He eats about 8-10x a day.  I think he's a snacker, but I'm trying really hard to break that.  He gets distracted too easily, even in the dark!!

[emmakate'smom]

I have been taking fenugreek for the last 2 months (lo is 5 mo) and I just take about 4-6 a day every day. If my supply seems low, then I take a couple more. I work full time, so I primarily have to pump. Recently, my lo had a growth spurt, and is now eating about 40-42 oz a day, I was having trouble keeping up, so I increased my fenugreek, and started pumping every 2 hours for a couple of days, and it made a world of difference! I even have extra milk now! it's awesome. And yes, I am always thirsty!!! And during this last growth spurt, I guess because I was producing so much extra, I was also very very hungry, and lost 2 pounds!!!

[annamum]

Just out of curiosity I decided to try it and I bought a Fenugreek tea. I had one cup of it until now but I already noticed a difference, I had a second let-down within a couple of minutes which hasn't happened in a long time. So yes, this stuff works.

[GG]

I've noticed that I sometimes get a dull ache in my underarms since taking this.  Has anyone else noticed it?  It only happens sometimes.

[annamum]

Does it happen while nursing? If not it could be something unrelated to Fenugreek. Sometimes we blame nursing for different things that are not necesarilly connected to it. But of course, you may be right.

[GG]

Sometimes it's while I'm nursing.  The reason I thought of fenugreek was because I've read that mammory glands are modified sweat glands and, of course, we have plenty of sweat glands in our arm pits, so I wondered if that herb affected other parts of the body.  After all, there's that maple syrup smell we get in our sweat if we're taking it.

*shrug* Just trying to make a connection.  (I was pre-med in college and I still think about stuff like that.)   :?

[annamum]

That sounds interesting, your theory might be valid. I will try to see if I can find anything on that...