Customer Reviews

Nature's Way Fenugreek Seed 610 mg, Capsules 180ea

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I had to get medical therapy to increase my milk supply for twins. Fenugreek was prescribed and it made a huge difference. Based on what the doctor told me you can try the following if you have twins or simply need to increase your milk supply:

* Fenugreek is very helpful, 2 capsules three times a day with meals, eventually working your way up to 4 capsules per meal. The body gets used to it after a while so the doctor suggested going off it for a couple of days and restarting.

* Nurse 8-12x a day, putting each baby to breast until they empty it (do not time it) - the baby is much more effective than the pump at drawing the milk out than even a hospital pump, and will help increase your supply. In effect, interrupting the feeding could be counterproductive.

* You can decrease the # of sessions if the amount pumped is more than 1000 ml/ 24 hrs (try pumping instead of nursing for one day to measure). You can also try weighing the baby to calculate intake, using a baby scale in grams (same as mls for calculating).

* Alternate sides for the babies, as one may have a stronger suck. It's possible one side will have a lot more milk than another. How you hold the baby also affects supply - if you're right handed that side will hold the baby more firmly and they may nurse longer and increase supply more on that side. All normal.

* After breastfeeding the baby, pump but only for 5 minutes or so to increase demand on your body and thus milk production. Frequency is much more important than duration. Pumping for 20 min has little effect according to the doctor (I know, "now I find out?!" that's what I said)

* If you have twins, read the book Mothering Multiples: Breastfeeding and Caring for Twins or More! (La Leche League International Book) by Karen Kerkhoff Gromada. I wish I had read this early on. It provides solid advice on breastfeeding multiples plus a whole lot more up to 2 yrs of age.

* Try to eat well and sleep at least 6 hrs. Your milk production is directly related to your health and stress levels.

* If you're able to breastfeed exclusively great but if you can't don't beat yourself up over it it's Ok to supplement (we used Enfacare as my babies were low weight, then Enfamil Premium for one and Alimentum for our other). You have a lot on your hands to worry about.

* Don't try to do all feedings alone, you'll go crazy. Have your hubby do the last feeding of the night 10 or 11 pm and the early morning one (6 or 7 am) - you do the ones in between. This way, you'll each get a solid chunk of sleep. The one who's not "on shift" stays in the quiet bedroom without a monitor but with a cell phone. We had an extra bed in the nursery so it would be easier to nurse the babies - if I needed help (two babies crying at the same time or you're too tired) I'd call my hubby on the cell phone, but this rarely happens if you stage feedings (always feed twin A first for example). My hubby comes in at 6 am or whenever and quietly feeds the babies before they wake up so I can sleep until 8 or so.

* I kept my energy and supply up with Ensure Plus - Vanilla and oatmeal.

* Google "manual expression Stanford University", the video shows how to increase your milk supply significantly using manual expression. It works better than any other method even if it feels unusual.

* If you do supplement and trying to increase breastfeeding, don't stop bottle feeding cold turkey (you may not have enough milk supply as supplementing may lower supply). Continue to supplement and give 1 oz or so BEFORE starting to nurse. The reason for this is that bottlefed babies are used to a faster flow and ready supply, with nursing it takes longer for the milk to let down. Giving the bottle-fed baby some formula before nursing will take the edge off his hunger and keep him from "chomping away at the bit" if you will - in other words it will calm him down and make the nursing experience more relaxing for mom & baby and allow baby to nurse longer.

* Try a brief warm shower or use warm compresses (try putting warm water in a diaper) before nursing to stimulate milk let down.

* Keep your eyes off the clock. Another reason to not interrupt or time breast feeding - the hind milk that lets down after the baby has been nursing a while is richer and higher in fat, more satisfying for the baby. If you stop after "X" minutes you may not get the hind milk.

* Continue nursing 8-12x a day - don't wait too long before feedings (4+ hrs), any sign of engorgement is letting your body know there's less demand and will reduce milk production. Nursing every 2-3 hours is better, allow a stretch of 4 hours early in your sleeping cycle to feel better rested (have your hubby feed baby late at night).

* Pump for a few minutes each time you nurse to simulate increased demand and boost milk production. Manual milk expression and fenugreek will also help and over time you'll need to supplement less as your milk production increases.

* Don't do marathon pumping. As soon as you start feeling stressed or find yourself wondering how many ounces you've pumping, etc. you're overthinking things and this will affect your milk supply. Stop for a few minutes and go do something else. Then pump a little more. You can leave it out at room temperature while you do this - mark the time you started & date on tape w/ a Sharpie pen to be safe. If you wait 15-30 min or so, it counts as an additional pumping session (if you're trying to fit more in).

* Pumping is not always a good indicator of your real milk supply (some women may not be able to pump much but nurse well) - a baby scale is the most accurate measurement if you really want to know (don't stress this too much, just nurse until baby seems full).

* Feed on demand and expect cluster feeding (every 1-2 hrs) at the witching hour and just before a growth spurt.

* For me at least I always had to supplement with twins because I never had enough milk for two. I did see a huge increase in my milk supply from very little to being able to nurse one baby full time for a while. Fenugreek was a HUGE help.

Lastly, this tip from a sleep doctor - to handle sleep deprivation log how many hours total you slept at night (even if interrupted), find the midway point and add 12 hours. Try to take a 30-60 minute nap then, this is your natural down-time according to your inner clock and will be much better than trying to catch up on sleep on the weekends (example - slept 12am -6 am, midway point is 3 am add 12 hrs - try to nap @ 3 pm.) Keep a log of how long you sleep each time - always try to get at least 6 hrs.

With Fenugreek, enough sleep, a good diet and the tips above, your milk supply should increase.

My milk supply began to decrease significantly after I started back to work (my son was about six month's old at this time). I took -- and still take, 3 tablets of fenugreek and blessed thistle each per day at least twice a day. If I am not able to pump, I add another round of the herbs and let my son nurse more, to keep my milk supply going strong. This is a wonderful blessing to know that my milk supply can easily be reestablished, if stress, schedule or other factors inhibit our desire to feed the old fashion way! Five stars for fenugreek (and blessed thistle, too!) As a side note, the lactation nurses have told me, that these herbs do lower your blood sugar, so they should be taken with food. I say that from experience. All in all, it more than met my expectations.

I was taking Fenugreek along with Alfalfa and mothers milk tea for months to increase my supply and I the combo had. Then my baby became very gassy and making our lives miserable. I suspected everything from my food to the supplements. I tried cutting different foods then reintroducing them and no change. Finally I decidedvto read up in the supplements and found that in 20% of babies Fenugreek causes gas and/or fussiness.

So the next day I stopped taking it. Now 1 week has passed and not only has my baby's gassiness gone away I oddly feel that I have more milk.

I'm sure this works for some so can't say it's bad. Just be aware that this can happen.

My mom takes fenugreek seed daily to control her blood sugar level. It works well and she has been able to reduce her dosage of Glucophage.
The use of fenugreek for treating diabetes has been scientifically validated (you can read abstracts by doing a keyword search on www.pubmed.gov ).

My mom gets it from the Indian grocer where it is much cheaper, though loose and not encapsulated.

I had to decrease my baby's feedings when I had to return to work 8 weeks postpartum. Eventually, my hectic schedule and numerous illnesses made me stop. My son is now 3 months and I have been feeling incredibly guilty about stopping, so I'm attempting to relactate. I only had about 2 drops of milk from each side, but after almost a week of Fenugreek (9 pills a day), I'm noticing more droplets and an occasional squirt. I find that incredibly impressive. Without this, and my pump, I would have given up and felt guilty for the rest of my life.

Our baby was born in early October. My wife wanted to feed him the way nature intended and we were visited by a lactation nurse at the hospital. She advised us and said that if we ever had problems with obtaining enough milk, we might try Fenugreek, a supplement available at health-food stores. Of course, we forgot the peculiar name shortly thereafter. Well, my wife started to have difficulties a few weeks later in keeping up with the baby's growing needs. We mentioned the problem to a young couple who had a recent child. The woman said she had the same problem and told us to get Fenugreek. She said it had worked for her. There was that strange-sounding word again.

We purchased Nature's Way Fenugreek shortly thereafter. Strange stuff. It's an herbal supplement in capsule form, but the label doesn't say what it's for. I guess you just have to know. Evidently, it's one of those things that takes a certain amount of faith. Anyway, since we heard about it from two completely independent sources, my wife started taking it. Well, it wasn't a miracle. There was no immediate change. However, my wife gradually began to keep up with the baby's needs and has kept up ever since. Was it the Fenugreek? Perhaps. Maybe she was just adapting to the new baby. It's hard to tell. However, if anyone is having this problem, I'd say the Fenugreek is worth a try.

Gary Peterson

I wanted to switch my baby to formula, but it gave her gastrointestinal problems. I then decided to switch back to breastfeeding. I had only stopped for about a week, but my milk supply had significantly decreased. I was producing about 2 oz every 3 hours. (My baby has a cleft palate so I exclusively pump. Because of this I am aware of exactly how much milk I am producing.) I ordered the Fenugreek (which arrived surprisingly fast)and started taking it immediately. The bottle suggests taking 1-2 pills 3x a day with food. I started off with that dosage while increasing my pumping sessions. I did not notice a huge difference at first. I read on other message boards that most women take 3 pills 3x a day. I increased my dosage. After about a week of Fenugreek at the higher dosage plus an increase in pumpings, I noticed a huge difference. I would get approx 6oz every 3 hours. My first pump in the morning around 5am I normally get about 10oz! My freezer is now full of milk and my supply has stayed consistent. I now pump for 20 min every 4-5 hours, with an 8 hour break at night. My milk supply has not diminished and I am confident it is the Fenugreek.

I have not had any negative reactions or experienced any maple smell that some women have mentioned. I have not experienced any side of that can be attributed to Fenugreek. The only downside is that since I take 9 pills a day the bottle doesn't seem to last very long. However, Fenugreek is super cheap so buying more isn't really an issue for me.

I hate to give a bad review since I have no idea if it actually works to improve milk production (which is why I purchased it). I just feel the need to share that I took one dose and experienced a fairly severe allergic reaction. It was 2am and I went online and discovered that fenugreek is in the same plant family as peanuts (and chickpeas). This is not marked anywhere on the label, on Amazon's page, or on Nature's Way's website.

I've been using Fenugreek for about 2 weeks now. I LOVE IT! It works great. I bought Fenugreek because I'm a working mom who pumps 2-3 times a day at work. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to keep up with my babies needs because my first 2 weeks back at work the baby ate more at daycare than I could pump. Within a few days of taking the Fenugreek I was pumping more than he was eating. I no longer have fears that I'll have to supplement with formula.

In preparation for going back to work, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to keep my breastmilk supply up to keep up with my baby. I tried Motherlove More Milk Two Alcohol Free because Motherlove was recommended for increasing breastmilk supply in a pamphlet I got from my lactation consultant. It didn't work for me. So then I tried More Milk Plus Alcohol Free. That also didn't work for me. Finally after talking to a couple of people, they recommended Fenugreek, which I had read about before, but wanted to give Motherlove's More Milk product line a try because of all the great reviews I read. I ordered Motherlove's Fenugreek, and finally my breastmilk supply started to go up.

Before Motherlove's Fenugreek, I was pumping every 2.5 to 3 hours on average and getting about 3 ounces total (1 to 1.5 oz on left side and 1.5 to 2 oz on right side). By the time I finished a 4 oz bottle of Motherlove's Fenugreek, I was still pumping every 2.5 to 3 hours but getting 4 to 5 oz total (up to 2 oz on left side and 2 to 3 oz on right side).

I was worried about keeping up with my baby, but now my baby can't keep up with me. After using Fenugreek for about a month, I'll have about 2 dozen 4 oz bottles of unfrozen milk in the fridge on any given day and I now have almost 80 frozen 5oz bottles in the freezer, and running out of room to store any more!

Note: Although your supply increases, it does eventually plateau. After finishing the Motherlove's Fenugreek, I switched to Nature's Way Fenugreek capsules because they're a fraction of the price, and you can take them with meals. Motherlove recommends you avoid water 20 minutes before and after taking their product. The Nature's Way capsules is maintaining my supply that Motherlove's started.

In fact, now that I'm back to work, after my last pump in the morning, it will be 6 to 8 hours before I get to pump again at lunch at work, then another 4 to 5 hours after that before I get to pump again when I return home. I then pump every 3 to 5 hours from the time I get home to the last time before work in the morning. Even though I'm pumping less often than before (before it was after each feeding every 2.5 to 3 hours in a 24 hour span), I'm still pumping a very minimum of 5 oz total. For those the times I have to go longer between pumps (more than 6 hours) I will pump up to a maximum of 11 to 12 oz total depending on how long I had to go between pumps.