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Choosing the Right Breastfeeding Supplements

Choosing the Right Breastfeeding Supplements

Motherlove’s Guide to Choosing the Right Breastfeeding Supplements:

We think every month should be Breastfeeding Awareness Month so we've partnered with our friends at Motherlove to host a giveaway with some of our favorite Motherlove supplements! You can enter now through Sept 5th on our Instagram for a chance to win! Enter Now!

Motherlove has also provided us with the perfect Breastfeeding Supplement Guide to help support your milk supply! For each category, they have listed the supplement that would be a good fit and a general description of each of them. This way, new moms can simply choose one of the products listed to try!


OPTIMIZE & SUPPORT MILK SUPPLY

Do you need to optimize your breast milk supply for reasons such as building/increasing a freezer stash, returning to work, baby going through a growth spurt, you or baby recently had an illness, or you have been separated from your baby?

We recommend trying any of the supplements below:

More Milk Moringa: *NEW* Motherlove’s newest herbal supplement is specifically created to help support breast milk supply for mothers who have a fenugreek sensitivity or are looking to enhance their supply.

More Milk Plus: Motherlove’s most popular product, and best-selling breastfeeding supplement in the US. It contains fenugreek, blessed thistle, nettle, and fennel seed. Many moms find it helps with their supply within 24-48 hours.

Malunggay (Moringa): An herb high in iron, protein, vitamins, & minerals. Widely recommended for breastfeeding & pumping moms who want to support and optimize their milk supply or moms who are looking to increase their freezer stash.

 

DIDN'T SEE INCREASE IN BREAST SIZE DURING PREGNANCY

Did your breasts not grow a cup size during pregnancy, do you have PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) or insufficient glandular tissue (breast hypoplasia), or have you had breast surgery?

The two products below both contain the herb, Goat's Rue, which is helpful in building mammary tissue. If you didn't see an increase in breast size during pregnancy, we recommend trying 1of the products below:

More Milk Special Blend: Specially formulated at the request of lactation consultants, this supplement contains goat’s rue, an herb that helps to build mammary tissue, in addition to fenugreek, blessed thistle, nettle, and fennel. This product can help optimize breast milk supply for women who have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), have suspected or confirmed insufficient glandular tissue (breast hypoplasia), or have had previous breast surgeries.

Goat’s Rue: A galactagogue that helps support the development of mammary tissue. This is formulated for moms who did not see an increase in breast size during pregnancy, and/or delivered prematurely, mothers who have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), mothers who have had breast surgery, or adoptive mothers.

FENUGREEK-FREE OPTIONS

Looking for fenugreek-free breastfeeding supplement options due to sensitivity to the herb?

Fenugreek is an herb that has been recommended for generations by health professionals to support and optimize milk supply as it is effective and fast-acting. Many mamas have great success with fenugreek. However, if you are looking for a fenugreek alternative due to a thyroid condition or sensitive stomach, Motherlove makes 5 unique fenugreek-free breastfeeding supplements, which are listed below. We recommend selecting 1 supplement and seeing how it goes.

More Milk Moringa:*NEW* Motherlove’s newest herbal supplement is specifically created to help support breast milk supply for mothers who have a fenugreek sensitivity or are looking to enhance their supply.

Malunggay (Moringa): An herb high in iron, protein, vitamins, & minerals. Widely recommended for breastfeeding and pumping moms who want to optimize their milk supply or moms who are looking to increase their freezer stash.

More Milk: Combines 3 traditionally used and popular lactogenic herbs to help optimize milk supply: blessed thistle, nettle, and fennel. More Milk is available in a liquid tincture only.

Shatavari: An herb known for balancing the female hormonal system while optimizing milk supply. Moms have found Shatavari to be helpful if they delivered prematurely or if they have known hormonal imbalances.

Goat’s Rue: A popular galactagogue (an herb that boosts milk supply) that is thought to support the development of mammary tissue. This is formulated for moms who did not see an increase in breast size during pregnancy, and/or delivered prematurely, as well as mothers who have had breast surgery, or adoptive mothers.

More Milk Two: Formulated for moms who are breastfeeding and become pregnant again and wish to continue breastfeeding. This supplement contains herbs that are not contraindicated for use during pregnancy: raspberry leaf, nettle, and alfalfa.

PERIOD RETURNED

Are you experiencing a low milk supply during your period or did your supply never come back after your period returned?

Shatavari: An herb known for balancing the female hormonal system while optimizing milk supply. Native to India, this rejuvenating Ayurvedic herb helps to support the female hormonal system.

DELIVERED PREMATURELY

Have you delivered your baby prior to 37 weeks gestation?

Motherlove has received a lot of positive feedback about using the products below if you delivered prematurely. We recommend trying 1 supplement and seeing how it goes. 

Goat’s Rue: A popular galactagogue (an herb to help optimize milk supply) that is thought to support the development of mammary tissue. Many lactation consultants recommend this herb for mothers who deliver prematurely in order to help the development of mammary tissue.

More Milk Special Blend: Specially formulated at the request of lactation consultants, this supplement contains goat’s rue, an herb that helps to build mammary tissue, in addition to fenugreek, blessed thistle, nettle, and fennel.

Shatavari: An herb known for balancing the female hormonal system while optimizing milk supply. Moms have found Shatavari to be helpful if they delivered prematurely or if they have known hormonal imbalances. This is a very popular option for the return of your period, too!

ADOPTIVE FEEDING OR RELACTATING

Are you are trying to induce lactation for an adopted baby or you are trying to bring back a previous milk supply?

Many moms find it helpful to use a product containing Goat's Rue if they feeding an adoptive baby or wanting to relactate. We recommend 1 of the following products below:

More Milk Special Blend: The popular herbs fenugreek, blessed thistle, nettle, and fennel combine with goat's rue to create this effective blend and help build mammary tissue.

Goat’s Rue: A galactagogue that helps support the development of mammary tissue. This is formulated for moms who did not see an increase in breast size during pregnancy, and/or delivered prematurely, mothers who have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), mothers who have had breast surgery, or adoptive mothers.

PREGNANT AND BREASTFEEDING

Are you are breastfeeding and became pregnant again and wish to continue breastfeeding?

More Milk Two: Formulated for moms who are breastfeeding and become pregnant again and wish to continue breastfeeding. This supplement contains herbs that are not contraindicated for use during pregnancy: raspberry leaf, nettle, and alfalfa. 

MORNING SICKNESS

Are you currently dealing with the unwanted pregnancy side effect of morning sickness?

Morning Sickness Blend: Soothe morning sickness with our newest herbal blend.

Can you take more than one supplement at once? 

While none of the supplements are specifically designed to be taken at the same time, many of them can be taken together, if needed or desired.

“Typically, if a mom is needing to take a supplement to enhance her supply, we often recommend that she start by taking one product that fits her needs. However, sometimes moms want to try more than one supplement or were recommended to try a couple together.”, according to our friends at Motherlove. 

Below are a few popular combinations:

More Milk Moringa + Goat’s Rue 

More Milk Moringa + Shatavari

More Milk Plus + Malunggay/Moringa

More Milk Plus + Goat’s Rue

More Milk Plus + Shatavari

More Milk Special Blend Malunggay/Moringa

More Milk Special Blend + Shatavari

Goat’s Rue + Shatavari

Goat’s Rue + Malunggay/moringa 

Malunggay/moringa + Shatavari

They do tend to shy away from recommending combinations in which the mom is doubling up on certain herbs such as goat’s rue or fenugreek. As an example, taking More Milk Special Blend and Goat’s Rue, simply for the fact that More Milk Special Blend already contains goat’s rue and when taken in larger doses, goat’s rue can actually lower blood sugar. 

It is the same concept as fenugreek. Taking More Milk Plus and Fenugreek, would not be recommended because in larger doses, fenugreek can cause gastric upset in the mother or baby.

That isn’t to say that either of these  combinations haven’t been successful for other moms, but it is helpful to know the possible side effects.

Ultimately, it is best not to combine two supplements with the same herbal base (see previous examples of goat's rue and fenugreek). With that said, there are different combinations that mothers can try to get support from herbal supplements. Each mother is different, and each breastfeeding journey is not the same, so it stands to reason that not every combination will work for every mother who tries it.

These are only some of the more common combinations out there. If you have found success with a combination of products, we’d love to hear about it!