My Experience with Lactation Boosters {Beer and Fenugreek}

Since Lily was born, I have had lactation supply problems thanks to an overzealous nurse practitioner who prescribed 6 ounces worth of formula supplements per day for Lily when she was 5 days old (because she had lost 10% of her birth weight, which is NORMAL at day 5).  I am a first-time mommy who has no prior experience to go on, so I trusted that the nurse was doing what was right for Lily.  The problem was that my milk had just come in 12 hours earlier, so I hadn't had a chance to really get her going with real milk instead of just colostrum.  So my breasts didn't know that they should have been producing 6 more ounces a day than they were.  So I wasn't producing what I should have. Great.

I did not want to use formula, yet it was thrust upon me by a "knowledgeable" authority.  I was devastated that I "wasn't producing enough" when in reality, my body wasn't even given the chance to adjust to Lily's needs, and it caused long term supply issues.  After 2 months of supplements, I had had it.  I wanted a breast fed baby, dammit, and I wanted formula out of my house.  I was about to go back to work, and I needed to get my supply up so I could pump while at work.

A friend of mine who is a labor and delivery nurse asked one of her lactation consultants for advice for me.  She said to try a beer a day.  BEER?! *angels singing*   I was totally down to try it!  And you know what?  IT WORKS!  After only a couple of days after starting my "beer therapy" I was able to quit formula supplements!  Joy!

Then came summer (yay!), and Lily's first yeast infection (boo!).  We battled the yeast for 3 weeks.  I figured beer was the culprit, so I stopped beer therapy (begin beer hiatus - bah humbug!).  After that, and after changing medications at the advice of the pediatrician, the yeast retreated.  Finally!!

But, guess what?  When I quit drinking beer, I started having trouble pumping enough for Lily's consumption during the day while I'm at work.  My stock in the freezer dwindled to nothing, and I am currently pumping day-to-day.  Supply problems suck.  Sigh.

I tried different sized breastshields for my pump, I tried hand expression, I tried drinking even MORE water than I normally drink.  No dice.

So yesterday, after much debate, research, and flip-flopping over what to try next, I tried Fenugreek.  I took 2 capsules after lunch with a full glass of water.  About 20 minutes later I started belching with the most god-awful flavor in my mouth and got a rager of a headache.  Then after dinner, my guts turned to liquid, and I spent 15 minutes in the bathroom.  Awesome.  So Fenugreek is off the menu.

Luckily, last night after my visit to the bathroom, I talked to my friend Melissa.  She had mentioned my yeast issue to her friend, who told her that beer wasn't my yeast culprit - babies just get yeast infections in the summer sometimes.  Say what?  No way!

"You mean, I can drink beer again?  Really?"  Beer hiatus OVER!

I'll be stopping for a 6-pack on my way home from work today.  I'll update if Lily gets another yeast infection.  But I seriously hope she doesn't.  I don't want to have to try any other herbals that may confine me and my sensitive tummy to the bathroom.

Moral of the story: ASK QUESTIONS if you do not agree with or understand what you are being told by a medical professional.  If your gut tells you that there's something not quite right with what you are hearing, don't ignore it!  Get a second and third opinion if necessary.  I wish I had called a lactation consultant BEFORE starting the supplements.  I truly believe that I would have had less (or no) problems with lactation supply. 


Moral #2:  Beer is awesome!!

P.S. Fenugreek works for a LOT of my mommy friends.  It just doesn't work for my body.  So don't discount it just because my tummy hates it.  I do suggest beer first though ;)

Cheers!


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