Fenugreek breastfeeding: Mother's Milk Augmenter

Fenugreek breastfeeding is often used to increase milk supply in nursing mothers. Also known as trigonella foenum-graecum, fenugreek is a herb whose use to increase milk production is known since ancient, even biblical times. The herb contains phytoestrogens, which are plant chemicals similar to the female sex hormone estrogen. There is a key compound in it, diosgenin, and this has been shown experimentally to increase milk flow.

What is fenugreek?

Fenugreek is an erect annual herb found in southern Europe and Asia. One of the oldest cultivated medicinal plants, fenugreek is widely grown today in the Mediterranean countries, Argentina, France, India, North Africa, and the United States as a food, condiment, medicinal, dye, and forage plant. The fenugreek plant reaches a height of 0.3 to 0.8 meters and has trifoliate leaves. White flowers appear in early summer and develop into long, slender, yellow-brown pods containing the brown seeds of fenugreek commerce.

What is the way fenugreek increases milk supply

Fenugreek seeds contain hormone precursors that increase milk supply. Scientists do not know exactly how this happens, though. A belief is that it is possible because breasts are modified sweat glands, and fenugreek stimulates sweat production. Fenugreek has been believed to be found to increase a nursing mother's milk supply within 24 to 72 hours after first taking the herb. Once an adequate level of milk production is reached, it is possible to discontinue the fenugreek and maintain the milk supply with adequate breast stimulation.

How Should Fenugreek be Consumed

The methods of taking fenugreek vary. Many women today take fenugreek in a pill form where the ground seeds have been placed in capsules. The pills are marketed and found at most vitamin and nutrition stores and in many supermarkets and natural foods stores. Fenugreek can be taken in tea form, although tea is believed to be less potent than the pills and the tea comes with a bitter taste that can be hard to stomach. Dosages of less than 6 capsules/day (approx 3500 mg/day) produce no effect in many women. One way to determine if you're taking the correct dosage of fenugreek is to slowly increase the amount until your sweat and urine begin to smell like maple syrup. If you're having problems with any side effects, discontinue use.

Fenugreek is Not for Everyone

Not everyone can stomach fenugreek. The herb has caused aggravated asthma symptoms in some women and has lowered blood glucose levels in some women with diabetes, thus women with the following problems must do well to look for another means to increase their milk supply. However, on an average, fenugreek is considered safe for nursing moms when used in moderation and is on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's GRAS list (Generally Recognized As Safe) of safe foods. Fenugreek's potential side effects, besides the sweat and urine smelling like maple syrup (this is common and often a sign that you have reached the right dose), are loose stools in some women, which go away when fenugreek is discontinued. Hypoglycemia is caused in some mothers and uterine contractions in others; and it causes lowering of blood glucose levels, so diabetic mothers should use caution with fenugreek.

For those who Can, there are Many Ways to Enhance Flavor with It

Food can be made to taste better with fenugreek- it is used to flavor artificial maple syrup, used as a common food ingredient in curries and chutneys, and as traditional medicine in many parts of the world, including India, Greece, China, north Africa and the Middle East. It is also eaten as a salad and sprouted. No matter what the form of consumption, the nursing mother who feels no side effects can use fenugreek breastfeeding to ensure a steady supply of milk.

If the nursing mother can digest fenugreek, she should go for a variety of methods to make the herb palatable. The advantages can be seen in a bouncing baby that is getting all the milk it wants to drink, and more.