Breastfeeding Questions.... - Tinley Park,IL

Fenugreek is an herb often recommended to increase milk supply, but in order for it to work, you must take enough to make your urine/sweat smell like maple syrup. If you took it before, but didn't notice a smell, you were probably not taking enough. Also the milk supply is driven by supply and demand as you probably know. Giving your baby solids may decrease his "demand" for milk and therefore you will begin to make less milk. If you're trying to increase your supply, I would suggest delaying the introduction of solids for a while, and just nurse, nurse, nurse whenever your baby wants. The behavior you described is very common in a 4 month old and is often not related to the milk supply/taste, etc. At 4 months, the baby is much more aware of his surroundings and is easily distractible. The popping off and on is due to the fact that there's just too many other interesting things out there to look at! Try nursing him in a quiet, darkened room for a few days. If the behavior is due to decreased supply or flow, the extra nursing and fenugreek should help as well. If you're still having problems with supply, I agree with other posters to seek help from La Leche League or Lactation consultant.
K. R, IBCLC

My oldest son used to do that and it was partly due to the fact that I was giving him expressed milk once in a while in a bottle and he became used to the faster flow and less sucking he would have to do. So at the breast he would suck, suddenly pull away and latch back on. It was quite frustrating which led to more expressed milk bottles, more difficulty latching , etc. vicious circle.

I suggest you contact your local La Leche League group, attend a meeting to askquestions from other moms and/or the group leader. Or simply call the leader on the phone. She may have some good free advice before dishing out alot of money on a lactation consultant.

Good luck!

yes the fenugreek has an odor. The child could be fussy because of the flow which is not as fast as the bottle, it could be teething, it could be your cycle is coming back and our supply slightly drops so they will nurse more to get it back up. Make sure your caffeine intake isnt too high and your water intake is. Relax while nursing and maybe massage the breasts to help them let down sooner. Good job for nursing this long!!!!Also make sure you do solids AFTER nursing so it doesnt affect your milk supply

Fenugreek always gave me a maple syrup-type smell. When I sweated, it smelled like it, but I never noticed it in my milk. It didn't seem to bother my son when he nursed, either. I would suggest contacting a lactation consultant as soon as possible, just to make sure everything is ok. I can recommend a couple if you don't have one.

T.
www.ReadandGrow.com

I am not on Fenugreek but I do think that sometimes my breasts, pads or bras smell different. Not bad...almost good in my opinion but defininately there is a smell there!! My son also pulls away sometimes but I find that if I then burp him, he'll latch back on. If he keeps pulling away after latching, he's usually full.

Possibly you have a clog or an infection. Maybe it's upsetting your son because it's taking longer for the milk to let down, or he has to suck harder at first. I'd call your lactation consultant or doctor. I had repeated clogs while breastfeeding my son and mastitis 3 times which was very painful. Good luck!

I know that the Fenugreek can cause a maple syrup like smell. I did experience that last time. Not sure if it effects taste though.