When I decided to nurse my son, I was a little concerned that it would be difficult. I think all mothers have concerns about how breast feeding will go. Fortunately, I produced very well from day one. However, when I returned to work after 12 weeks, I started to have less time and missed some pumping sessions. It didn’t take long before my extreme milk production reduced to barely making enough to feed my baby enough for his giant sized appetite. After trying to increase pumping session length, increasing fluid intake, and adding pumping sessions, I saw a minimal increase. And then, my loving husband found the one thing that increased my milk production dramatically!

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Fenugreek & Blessed Thistle to the rescue!

Knowing I was desperate to want to continue to avoid formula supplementation and breastfeed exclusively until at least 6 months, my husband found this and suggested we run to Target that night to pick it up. It was the best decision ever! UpSpring Baby Milkflow Fenugreek & Blessed Thistle was a life saver.

The suggested usage is 2-3 packets a day. I only used one per day since I knew I didn’t have difficulty producing to begin with. I figured I could increase the intake if necessary. Within two days, I started to notice a bit of an increase.

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My milk production went through the roof!

By day five, I was back to being engorged like I was when Zach was just a few weeks old. I used the remainder of the box and stored all of the extra milk I was accumulating in the freezer, just in case. For a couple of months, my supply stayed up plenty without taking any more.

With the holiday’s and a trip we took, I started slipping again and it didn’t take long before I started losing my supply. I quickly ordered another box to avoid dropping too low and my supply went right back up.

I went through two boxes of these and used a few from a third box. When Zach was around 10 months old I was able to stop taking it altogether and I never finished the last box. Now, he’s a healthy, happy, 16 month old boy (33″ and 29 lbs at his last doctor visit) who hasn’t been sick once. Clearly, this did no damage to him, and it’s done wonders for those stressful moments when I just couldn’t keep up.

I should note that for one box I decided to try taking one every other day or every couple days. I still saw a great increase in my production. If you really struggled from the beginning, you may need more than I did. But if you are like me and life is just occasionally making you struggle with nursing, you’ll may also benefit from a smaller amount. Regardless, whoever you are and whatever your production levels, I am confident that this will help you! If you’re a new nursing mother struggling, consider this before you feel like you have no choice but to switch to formula. It may be the miracle you’re looking for!

A word of caution

While this is considered safe for nursing mothers, there are some who may have adverse reactions. For example, fenugreek seeds could cause an allergic reaction in mothers with peanut allergies. For a really great article that goes more in depth on fenugreek, check out this great, comprehensive post on KellyMom.com. You can also find out more about blessed thistle from this article on VeryWell.com.

As always, make sure to talk to your doctor before adding any herbs or medicines to your diet while pregnant or breastfeeding. For most women it will be completely safe, but you may have a particular situation that makes it unwise to take this supplement. You don’t want to risk your or your baby’s safety!

Have you tried any supplements to increase your milk production? 

What else have you had success with?

-To your Better Life-

Kira