My breastmilk didn't come in fast enough with either of my babies, and I found myself worrying about low supply both times. I needed to do something about increasing breastmilk supply both times right away.
I did two things that increased my supply each time.
- Both times I used the following herbal supplements: Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle. I used the Natures Way brand and used the dosage recommended by my lactation consultant (which was more than is recommended on the bottle). I took 5 of the fenugreek capsules three times a day. And I took 3 of the blessed thistle capsules three times a day. I took them after meals.
These supplements made a huge difference. - I used my breastpump or nursed at least eight times a day during the time when I was increasing breastmilk supply. And I drank a a glass of water each time.
By doing these two things I was able to double my supply in just a week when I was exclusively pumping for my first son. This was when he was just about three weeks old. This was no small task, as it can be very challenging to just maintain supply when you are exclusively pumping.
So when I was worried about supply with my second son, I followed the same protocol. Now, it's harder to tell how much a baby is getting when he's directly nursing, but it soon became clear that he was getting plenty of food once I started following my tips again. And now that my second boy is six months old, I still do these two things when I feel like my supply needs a boost.
Is the Nature's way brand as good as Vitabase or Vitacost?
Posted by: Greg Howlett | February 04, 2008 at 05:21 PM