Fenugreek for supply issues
I have 2/3 of a bottle of fenugreek supplements in my bathroom closet leftover from when Sam was a baby and my milk was slow to come in. In retrospect, I had no idea of what I was doing and just took the 1 to 2 recommended dosage on the bottle instead of the 6 or more recommended on kellymom. I’ve seen several questions about fenugreek on the baby message board I frequent and saw this interesting post by a woman from India.
I’m from India, and we use fenugreek as a standard ingredient in our diet. I’ve seen a lot of questions and some strange opinions and information about fenugreek supplements on this board, so I thought I’d write a post about what I know.
FYI, I had a pretty low supply of breast milk (my SS did not latch on AT ALL for 2 weeks, which pretty much killed my initial supply), but I have managed to correct by taking fenugreek seeds.
Fenugreek is very easily available in ethnic food stores that sell Indian or Pakistani foods. The native name for fenugreek is “METHI” (pronounced MAY-thi), so that may be what it says on the pack of seeds or box of dried leaves. It costs about $3 for more than a month’s supply of seeds in upstate NY.
I soak one tsp of fenugreek seeds in abut 2 tbsps of water for a few hours, and then swallow the whole thing with a full glass of water (it’s important to swallow the water the seeds have been soaking in also). I do this three times a day. Every time I swallow one batch of seeds, I soak the next batch to be swallowed later.
Fenugreek leaves are also pretty good, but not as effective as the seeds. Both fresh and dried leaves have produced similar results for me, I don’t think there is a difference. Fresh leaves don’t need to be cooked (though it’s fine if you do cook them), but the dried ones definitely do. Fenugreek leaves are a great flavoring agent - very aromatic, a “good” sort of bitter taste - and can be added to pretty much anything. Use about one tablespoon of dried leaves or three tablespoons of minced fresh leaves per serving, or you can use more for a stronger flavor. Add it to salads, pasta, rice, ground beef, veggies… it’s very versatile.
There is no way to take an overdose of fenugreek, unless you truly gorge on it, I suppose, eating 3-4 cups of seeds in a day, or perhaps eating 2-3 quarts of fresh leaves in a day. I cannot stress this enough: THERE IS NO WAY YOU CAN TAKE AN OVERDOSE. I’ve seen my milk supply increase when I take 4 or 5 teaspoons a day instead of 3. I would not advise you to take TOO much, because constant engorgement might cause mastitis, and that’s more trouble than the extra milk is worth. But if you weren’t nursing, there would be no danger in eating lots of fenugreek, a lot more than what’s in your typical supplement.
Side effects vary depending on people. In India, swallowing a teaspoon of the unsoaked seeds with a glass of buttermilk is a traditional remedy for diarrhoea… most people are careful not to eat more than 1-2 cups of fenugreek seeds in a day (we use it in curries) because it causes constipation. But I’ve seen fenugreek supplement bottles warn that the supplements may CAUSE diarrhoea. I myself seem to be pretty immune to both diarrhoea and constipation, so I don’t have any ill effects at all from the fenugreek. I guess how you react to fenugreek depends on your individual body chemistry and the rest of your diet.
Fenugreek is immensely beneficial to your body and for your baby, too. It’s a “cooling” food, so if you’ve noticed yours or your LO’s head or body always feeling warm (not like a fever, but generally radiating heat even while perspiring etc) your body will be “cooled down” by the fenugreek. It’s summer now, and almost all of us are susceptable to getting overheated, so believe me, fenugreek can help!
In fact, if it’s a particularly hot day and you’ve spent too much time out in the sun, try applying about a cup of soaked, ground fenugreek seeds to your head. It’s incredibly cooling, you’ll notice it immediately. Simply rinse it off with water after 3-4 hours, or when it dries, whichever is later. Fenugreek is a great hair conditioner, too, you’ll notice your hair feeling very soft after this treatment. WARNING: DO NOT DO THIS FOR YOUR LO. Babies get *so* cooled down by the fenugreek-on-the-head treatment that they get nasal congestion and colds from it. If you must, use only a tablespoon instead of a whole cup, and wash it off after an hour instead of waiting for it to dry.
Hope this helps!
I thought this information was fascinating and answered a lot of questions. It’s also good to know that fenugreek doesn’t have to be cost prohibitive. One more note: I haven’t researched any of this information, I am just cutting and pasting with permission of the author. So if you’re having supply issues do your research and talk to a lactation consultant or doctor before taking any supplements.
Massachusetts moms, please act now!
Breastfeeding in public isn’t against the law but a Murfreesboro woman says it nearly got her arrested.
When it comes to milk production I am a champ to the point of embarrassment. Yesterday all of my nursing pads were in the wash. I was at home alone so I figured I’d just hang out and if I leaked a little it was no big deal. I was wrong. Within 20 minutes my entire belly was soaked and I had huge wet circles on my shirt reaching from my breast to my waist. 
The next huge difference is that Ben sleeps by himself in a crib. He naps for hours without being in a swing, car seat, sling or stroller. It astounds me that I can have a child who actually sleeps in such conditions. I know that it won’t last forever. Habits change and all babies have sleep regressions, but right now I’m enjoying this while it lasts. 
Sam doesn’t hate Ben. He demands to hold him and brings him toys and says, ‘it’s okay Ben’ when he cries, but then out of nowhere he’ll just hit him or try to squish him or kick him. He also demands to nurse when Ben nurses, and I don’t know what to do except let him. He doesn’t even want to nurse. He just latches on, looks confused and gets off.
When my MIL left I went inside. I still felt cold so I put on a sweatshirt and looked at the thermometer. It was 70 degrees in the house. Not a good sign. I took my temperature and sure enough I had a low fever. I didn’t put the two things together- sore armpits and a fever- until Bob reminded me that I could have an infection. Sure enough, my left breast was fire engine red and hot to the touch and I started feeling flu-ish. 
Ben’s first doctor’s appointment was this morning. Bob took the day off from work to go with us. When the nurse weighed him we were astonished to see that he’s lost weight after being discharged from the hospital. His discharge weight was 7 lbs 8 oz. His weight a week later was 7 lbs even. But he’d grown a full inch. He nursed for a while after being weighed and measured before the doctor came in. 
The inevitable has happened. Sam’s jealousy has kicked in full force and he wants to be on my lap when Ben is and he wants to do what Ben does. If Ben’s in the bouncy chair Sam wants to be in the bouncy chair. If Ben’s in the wrap attached to my chest, Sam wants to be in the wrap attached to me. Twice today Sam asked to nurse because Ben was nursing. Both times I let him and thankfully once he got close he shied away. The second time he tried to latch on and may have suckled for a second, but he seemed confused and stopped pretty quickly. I am still engorged and it still hurts. 
By Friday evening my milk had officially come in. My breasts had reached epic, porn star proportions and Bob kept asking to look at them again. Ben STILL wasn’t eating enough and the engorgement was painful. My right breast, which has always been slightly bigger than the left, was clearly overachieving in the milk department and started to become hot and red. I panicked, thinking I was getting mastitis already, but after Ben nursed on that side for a good five minutes the redness faded and all was well. 
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