Pam, I just wanted to let you know how grateful I am for you and all you do! My little girl has lots of trouble sleeping and the non-alcohol Goodnight Tincture and Teething Tincture are our saviors! After she was born, I was doing really well emotionally but the last couple of months felt myself falling into depression and heightened anxiety. I do all the usual vitamins and supplements for it, and started taking my placenta (which I’d saved just in case!), but it wasn’t enough and I’ve been struggling so much. I decided to add Happy Day Tincture and Vitex, and within a week started feeling a significant shift. It’s not perfect yet but I feel some hope and like there’s definitely been a turn around. Thank you for all you do and the products you create with such care. So much love, N.R.
Fenugreek: A great herb for increasing milk production, but you need to know how to use it correctly!
Fenugreek Seed is one of the most well-known and effective herbs used to increase breastmilk production, BUT there are some things you need to know when using it.
1) It can cause gas in either mom or baby. I like to suggest other things first before using Fenugreek, especially when your baby is young or already has a gassy or touchy tummy (such as Nursing Tea or Nursing Tincture).
2) Fenugreek MUST be used with consistency, otherwise it could either not work for you, cause an up-and-down milk production, or for some women, even decrease their production altogether. Details about this can be seen in our article Fenugreek Info.
3) Because of the consistency issue, products containing Fenugreek as one of its many ingredients can have the same effect. It’s nearly impossible to regulate how many Fenugreek Seeds you may get in each dose – one might have 3 seeds, another 7, another 11, and another maybe just 1. Consistency is the key to success with this herb. An inconsistent in-take can result in inconsistent milk production.
4) Read your product labels. If Fenugreek is one of many ingredients, choose something else. The best way to use Fenugreek is all by itself, just Fenugreek in the product and nothing else. This way, it’s very easy to regulate and you will get much better results.
5) Another reason to read product labels – I’ve seen some Fenugreek products on the market that aren’t even made with the seed, but the plant material!! That’s not going to help you at all!
6) Freshness counts and makes a big difference in how well Fenugreek (or any herb) will work for you! See my blog about that.
We have detailed information about Fenugreek, how it works, more on why consistency is such a big issue, how to use it and how to wean down from it once you are done at:
- Nursing Tea/Nursing Tincture Info
- How to Increase Breastmilk Production: An Overview
- How to Increase Breastmilk Production: The Expanded and In-Depth Version (All Access Membership required. SIGN UP or LOGIN here.)