severed.

Dearest boys,

It has been almost three days since I nursed you last. It's late late Sunday night and the last time you asked for milk was early early Friday morning. I came into your room and scooped you up in my arms and hugged you tight. (Sometimes I wish someone as proportionally big would scoop me up in their arms and hug me tight. Then again sometimes I wish someone would love me as much as I love you, too, but that would be impossible.)

I brought you into our room and we snuggled under the covers. You looked into my eyes and pointed at my chest and signed "milk" and as you started to nurse we both settled into each other, like those wooden animals where the baby elephant fits perfectly inside the mama.

The first couple months of breastfeeding you were the hardest of my life; then again your first couple months were the hardest of my life period. I didn't know if we'd make it. I didn't know if I'd make it. Your birth was a wake-up call to how much I am not really in control of anything that happens in life. No matter how much I try to do what is best, no matter how hard I try to provide the best possible life I can give you, no matter how much I love you, none of that matters sometimes. Sometimes life is just hard, and it has nothing at all to do with you or with me. It just is.

I might not have been able to give you my full attention because there are two of you; I might not have been able to take back the birth trauma; I might not have been able to make you "normal"; I might not have been able to be the perfect mom; but I could give you my milk.

I made a promise to you that we would make it six months. Once we passed that six month mark, I don't even know what happened. It was suddenly easy. My life wasn't completely ruled by the breastpump anymore, the pressure and stress was lifted and we just were. You were just babies who wanted milk and I had these breasts dripping with liquid gold.

I think I fell in love with you while nursing you.

Now it's been almost nineteen months. Nineteen months. Your Nana told me she stopped nursing my sisters and me when we could walk over and ask for it. She always told the story as if once that moment was reached it was somehow wrong. If we asked for it...what? It was creepy? Inappropriate?  When you started asking for it, I felt the exact opposite. "Finally!" I thought to myself. "I finally know exactly what you want and need." Breastfeeding is the reason you started communicating with me. "Milk" is the first sign you started making with your hands. First it was pointing at my chest, then signing, then "guh" - the word you both chose to mean milk.

We did it backwards, I guess, keeping the morning nursing session as the last remaining time you nursed. We've done a lot of things backwards, I guess, but that's ok. I loved starting my day close to you, feeling your warm little body curled up in mine. Sometimes you'd play with my hair; sometimes you'd touch each one of the freckles on my chest with your index finger; sometimes you'd stick your finger in my mouth and wait for me to bite down gently and you'd laugh with my nipple still in your mouth.

Friday night I stayed at a friend's house. I took my time in the morning and when I got home you were already up and rearing, running around like the little white rabbit, scurrying like you were late for something & muttering incoherent words to yourself. When you saw me you stopped cold in your tracks and looked up at me like I was the Queen of the Universe and you were in love with me. You smiled with your whole being and I scooped you up in my arms and hugged you so tight I thought we might become just one person. We didn't, and I let you down and you grabbed my finger and led me into your room to show me some thing or some other thing, some game you were playing with your brother, some blanket you carry around everywhere with you, some music, some toy.

You didn't ask for milk and I didn't offer.

This morning you woke up early, crying because of your teeth. You're getting your last ones in and they seem to hurt a lot more than the others for some reason. I scooped you up and kissed your forehead and carried you into bed with your Papa and me. You snuggled up next to me and fell quickly asleep. Suddenly the sun was up and you were tugging on my arm to help you off the bed. You went and pulled a stack of books off the shelf and carried them over to read next to us while your Papa and I tried to catch a few more minutes of precious sleep.

When your brother woke, you both went over to the little table and chairs, seated yourselves and asked me for a banana. You split one and a cup of almond milk.

You didn't point at my chest. You didn't sign "milk". You didn't say "guh". I didn't offer.

When you went down for your nap I told your Papa how long it had been since we had nursed. I cried and he held me. I wanted to run to your room, wake you up, take off my shirt and curl up with you, nurse you for the rest of the afternoon. But I didn't. I just cried and cried and my breasts leaked milk through my shirt and I thought about what this all means.

It's the first time that we've ever really been disconnected. First you were inside me, connected in every possible way. Then you were born, but still attached through the umbilical cord. In the beginning we were very close; you needed me for everything. To move you, to bathe and clothe you, to nourish you. Now you move faster than I can; you wash yourself and can almost dress yourself; now you help me cook dinner and feed yourself.

What am I now?

Part of me feels free. Part of me wants to blast Aretha Franklin and sing at the top of my lungs while jumping on the bed. Part of me feels guilty, that I'm not going to nurse you until you're 13 (joking, well, maybe). Part of me feels proud that we made it this far. Part of me feels empty, like I can feel the absence of you inside of me since you were born; nursing you I still felt somehow connected but now...

I'm not sure how I feel. I'm not sure how I am supposed to feel. All I know is I expected this to be so much more... something. This was such a non-event for you; no tears, no struggle, no nothing. This means you are no longer my little babies anymore; you are my boys. You are two independent little humans who wake up every day and do your own thing. I'm not sure what my place is exactly anymore, but I know enough to understand that this isn't about me. I'm not going to fight it. I'm just going to let you be.

You don't have to know it right now; you don't have to ever know it. I feel like I have been torn in two, deep deep inside; severed somehow, like when you were born.

I have a feeling this is what being a parent will always feel like. Mourning the passing of time; mourning the passing of moments that feel eternal; mourning the passing of the you I know better than I know myself to the you I have no understanding of.

I want you to know I love that new person I don't know very well yet just as much as the other one. More than I loved you yesterday; less than I will tomorrow.

The word for what has happened in French is sevrage. You have been sevré. Severed. It also translates as withdrawal, which is exactly how I feel. I feel shaky, anxious, nauseous, irritable. I have a massive headache and can't sleep. What if I am never pregnant again? What if I never nurse again? Ever? My breasts will hang limp and useless and empty. Devoid of purpose.

For now they are still leaking. Like a faucet, really. Every time I cry they start dripping which just makes the crying worse. My eyes will dry soon and so will my breasts. Then you'll start kindergarten and I'll feel severed all over again.

I just wish... well, Mike from Friends said it best, I think, so I'll leave you with his words, only slightly altered:

It can’t be any harder than this... I mean, if I had known the last time I saw you would be the last time, I... I would have stopped to memorize your face, the way you move, everything about you. If I had known the last time I nursed you would have been the last time... I never would have stopped.

Forever Yours,
Maman

teach me how to breastfeed.

Another amazing video to inspire you to breastfeed!

Happy National Breastfeeding Awareness Month!!

pictures of boobies.

In honor of National Breastfeeding Awareness Month, I teamed up with Naissance Photography to try to capture the beauty of breastfeeding. This amazing video is the result.

Happy National Breastfeeding Awareness Month, everyone! Get out there and use those boobies! (And capture it on film if you can!)

reasons breastfeeding rocks #4.

Reasons breastfeeding rocks #4: It reduces the risk of SIDS.

SIDS is scary and not entirely understood. For some reason, some babies in the first year go to sleep and just don't wake up. Horrific. Luckily there are a few things you can do to significantly reduce the risk or that happening:

• put your baby to sleep on their back; 
• don't smoke during pregnancy or around baby - or come on now, ever; 
• have baby sleep with their face uncovered, in a safe environment, in the same room or bed as the caregiver for the first six to twelve months; 
• and breastfeed baby if you can.)

Dr. Fern Hauck, MD, of the department of family medicine at the University of Virginia, examined 288 studies on SIDS and breastfeeding from 1966 to 2009. The research showed that for babies who received any amount of breastmilk for any amount of time the risk of SIDS was 60% lower. 60 freaking percent!!! For babies who were breastfed for at least two months, the likelihood of SIDS was 62% lower. For babies who were exclusively breastfed at two months, the incidence of SIDS was 73% lower.

Talk about an easy way to protect your baby!

The relationship between breastfeeding and reducing the risk of SIDS is also not entirely understood, but probably involves the decreased risk of infection in breastfed babies, the fact that breastfed babies and breastfeeding mamas are both more easily roused from sleep, and breastfeeding improving breathing and swallowing coordination, among other things.

So sit back and know your sweet babe is safe while you nourish them with those luscious boobs of yours! 

reasons breastfeeding rocks #3.

Reasons breastfeeding rocks #3: It saves you money.

Now if that isn't a reason to hop on board, I don't know what is.

Seriously.

Formula is expensive. The cheapest standard type of formula costs about $1000 for the first year for one baby. Is that not crazy?! If you need specialized formula due to allergies or preference or want to go organic, double that (at least).

Besides the few extra dollars it will cost for you to eat two servings of dinner every now and then in order to get the calories to produce enough, breastfeeding is absolutely free.

It also helps save money down the road, as the American Academy of Pediatrics states that breastfed babies have significantly lower incidence of illness than those who are formula-fed. This saves money two ways: fewer visits to the doctor to pay for (as well as fewer medicines and treatments to pay for) and fewer days staying home from work to take care of sick babies (meaning no loss of income).

So sit back and save money while you nourish your baby with those luscious boobs of yours! 

reasons breastfeeding rocks #2.

Reasons breastfeeding rocks #2: It gives you a rockin' bod.

Seriously.

Making milk is hard work. Think about it. You are producing all the nutrition your baby needs not just to survive but to thrive! Every time you go in for a check up and your baby has gained a few ounces, those ounces came directly from you. It's pretty phenomenal, really.

All those calories you are putting in to baby have to come from somewhere. Breastfeeding requires about 500 additional calories per day, meaning if you are using your boobs to feed your babe you can lose all that pregnancy weight faster without dieting or running marathons. In fact, you will probably need to eat even more than you did while you were pregnant - just think about how big your baby was in the womb versus how big they are now and remember that you are still the sole sustenance your baby gets - and you will still lose weight. No joke. Fan-freaking-tastic!

So sit back and lose weight effortlessly while you nourish your baby with those luscious boobs of yours!

reasons breastfeeding rocks #1.

Reasons breastfeeding rocks #1: Let down helps me let go.

Seriously.

Breastfeeding stimulates the release of the hormones oxytocin and prolactin, which promote relaxation, stress-release and a general sense of well-being. Oxytocin is the amazing hormone which induced your labor (or if it was artificially induced, synthetic pitocin is structurally modeled after oxytocin), and is also the hormone which helped your uterus contract back down to the size of your fist from the size of a watermelon right after birth.

This hormone release also promotes sleep if you are having difficulties, helps you fall back asleep more quickly during night time feedings, and helps you to sleep more deeply, meaning you feel more rested after a short amount of sleep than you would if you weren't breastfeeding. Amazing!

So sit back and relax while you nourish your baby with those luscious boobs of yours!

reasons why i love breastfeeding.

The chance to nourish your child literally by yourself doesn't happen often. The window of opportunity for knowing you are the sole provider for your baby is a small one, and time spent giving your baby life from the breast should be just as cherished and celebrated as the time you spent nurturing and growing your child in the womb. The fact that we can sustain life and provoke growth with just our breasts is miraculous.

Take a minute and really think about it. If you are exclusively breastfeeding your baby, they are alive exclusively thanks to you. You are the provider, the sustainer of life. You are physically building your baby, molecule by molecule, every time you nurse. You are God.

In the spirit of this National Breastfeeding Month, let's talk about the reasons breastfeeding is amazing. Let's help spread the word. Some places on this earth (and especially in this nation) it is frowned upon, seen as unnecessary, sexualized and misunderstood.

Let's change that, you and me. Let's make a list of all the reasons we love to nurse. Do this with me? Join the boobolution?

whip 'em out.

I whip mine out daily. Will you?

Come on, it's National Breastfeeding Month! Join the Boobolution with me!

a record number of boobies.

As you all probably already know, August is National Breastfeeding Awareness Month.  To kick start this whole month dedicated to celebrating boobies, August 1 - 7 pushes the party even more global with World Breastfeeding Week. Here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest seeing a mama with her boob popped out to feed a babe is not a particularly crazy sight, but in some parts of the world it is. There are a ton of reasons why breast is best, in whatever capacity you can offer. Even just a little boob is better than no boob; I'm pretty sure everyone in the world can agree.

This month is meant to celebrate those determined mamas who have given their all to nourish their babies. (In no way is this meant to belittle mamas who give their babies formula, as Mama by the Bay so eloquently explains in her declaration of support!)

To celebrate my first year as a breastfeeding mama, we participated in The Big Latch On. The idea is to help rally in the troops, celebrate breastfeeding and feel connected to other mamas who share your passion for the breast. Across the globe, mamas get together at different locations and all latch their babes on for one minute at the exact same time!

In 2012, 8862 women came together to latch their babies on at the same time. It was a Big Latch On record at the time, but this year we broke that record! 14,536 of us all over the world came together on August 2nd and 3rd this year! How amazing!

 I realized at the event that there are not too many photos of me tandem feeding my boys. Breastfeeding them this long has been quite a challenge, and I am so proud of myself for all the hard work I've put in. It's a beautiful thing, a breastfeeding relationship, and I am so happy to have it documented here!

We hope you'll join us in more booby fun next year!!!

tip: freeze milk flat.

We have had a lot of milk donations over the past seven months and it has taught me quite a bit about milk storage. I still remember the first time I thawed a bag of milk that had been frozen flat. The amount of time and water required was reduced by at least ten times what we were used to, and at that time we were feeding our boys exclusively donor milk by bottle. Between the two of them, we spent a lot of time thawing milk, and this significantly cut down on bottle prep time.

Most milk when it gets thrown into the freezer ends up looking something like this:

This hard nugget of milk takes incredibly long to thaw and its odd shape makes it a pain to keep the freezer even remotely organized. I think it often gets frozen this way so the number of ounces is easily visible with the markings on the bag.

Instead, mark the number of ounces on the outside of the bag in permanent marker along with the date and place it flat in the freezer so when it is frozen it looks something like this:

Having the milk frozen this way increases the surface area, which means when you thaw it under warm water, more of the water can touch more of the milk, helping it thaw faster. Plus its slim shape means it is very easy to store the milk upright chronologically, making it easier to follow a first-in-first-out milk-using policy (use older milk first).

This is the one of the simplest changes possible, takes zero extra time, and can make your life significantly easier.

Happy pumping!

nursing strike.

All strikes are annoying to whatever persons, companies or parties being destabilized; nursing strikes are absolute hell.

A nursing strike is when baby abruptly starts refusing the breast. Babies very, very rarely wean themselves entirely from breastfeeding before 18-24 months. If your baby has stopped nursing all of a sudden, don't assume they are done with the breast. They are probably just on strike! It means something is wrong for your sweet babe and it is your job as their mama to figure out what that problem is and fix it. It is incredibly frustrating, but with a little patience and determination (ok, a freaking lot of patience and determination!) baby will come back to the breast.

Refusing the breast can be due to a whole host of factors such as :

• illness, especially if a stuffy nose makes it hard for baby to breathe,
• pain (from something like teething, an ear infection, reflux), 
• reaction to vaccines (which could also be localized pain or headaches), 
• hospitalization of mom or baby, 
• excessive stress to mama (you are having a hard time at work, your in-laws are in town, you got in a fight with your partner - baby can sense your mood!), 
• excessive stress to baby (over-stimulation from nursing in public, being held in an uncomfortable position, not knowing how to latch on properly),
• being scared (from a loud noise, interaction with a pet, mama yelling after being bitten, etc),
• a drastic change in a solid nursing schedule,
• a change in the flavor of your breastmilk (if you have eaten something that makes your milk taste unpleasant to baby or started taking some medications),
• a change in your lotion, perfume or soap that makes you smell different to baby,
• not enough milk (reduced supply or a letdown that is too slow after baby latches on)
• too much milk (engorgement or too heavy flow that results in baby coughing and sputtering)

It usually only lasts a few days, but can last up to a few weeks, or very rarely a few months.

It is very important not to force baby back to the breast!!! Baby is having a hard time; nursing is about comfort. They need to be comforted and coaxed back gently. The breast should always stay a safe place.

There are three main steps in resolving a nursing strike:

1. Feed your baby.
• There are a few options here for what to feed baby and how to feed baby. The best choice is always mother's milk freshly expressed, though this can be unrealistic. The next best choice is mother's milk in general. Then donated milk from another mama. Then formula. It doesn't matter what combination of these options baby gets, but make sure baby is getting food! Baby will come back to the breast more easily if they are happy and the problem has been solved, not if they are starved.
• Baby can be fed by bottle, by cup, by spoon, by a supplemental nursing system (SNS), a finger feeder or any combination of the above.
2. Keep your supply up.
• Pump or hand express your milk as often as you would feed your baby. Milk supply is all about demand. Stop the demand and you lose the supply. Lose the supply and baby has nothing to come back to.
3. Seduce your baby.
• Offer baby the breast often. If they refuse, that's ok. Don't push it. Just let baby know it's still there.
• Skin-to-skin as often as possible. This lets baby smell your scent and reminds baby how wonderful you are and how safe they feel with you.
• Wear your baby, preferably wearing little clothing so there is as much skin-to-skin as possible.
• Sleep near or with your baby, preferably with as much skin-to-skin as possible.
• Try a baby-mama honeymoon. Go back to the very beginning when you and baby were just getting to know each other. Spend all day in bed with baby, shirtless, constantly offering baby the breast. Take a bath with baby and let baby just hang out on your chest. You might find baby suckles a little, even if they're not really nursing. This is good! They are getting reacquainted with your breast! Let it happen!
• Try nursing when baby is very sleepy, such as at night, right before falling asleep or just after waking up. 
• Try nursing in a distraction-free environment and in a position where baby feels very stable such as laying down.
• Relax. Try mediation or breathing exercises, taking a walk (wearing baby!), doing some yoga, drinking a cup of chamomile tea, taking a bath. Reduce your stress and baby's stress level will come down, too. 
• Temporarily eliminate foods you might think are making baby upset (either stomach-wise or due to taste).
• Help tempt baby with a little milk. If you're using a nipple shield, fill the tip with milk before hand. Stimulate your breast so letdown happens before baby latches on, leaking milk onto baby's mouth. Cover the nipple with milk. Squeeze milk onto the breast through a syringe while getting baby to latch on. Use an SNS or finger feeder.
• If baby is teething, try rubbing baby's gums or letting them gnaw on a chew toy or something frozen just before nursing to ease the pain.

Contacting a lactation specialist is always a good idea whenever nursing problems come up. Try your local hospital or La Leche League for help finding a good reference.

Usually comfort nursing comes back first, either during sleep or sleepy moments; then just suckling; then occasional low-key nursing sessions; and then finally full-time resuming nursing as it was before the strike.

This is one of the hardest moments a mother can experience - literally being refused by your baby. Don't give up! Don't take it personally! Baby still loves you, I promise! When baby finally does come back to the breast, you will appreciate the connection you have with your little one so much more. 

flash.

mastitis.

Mastitis is a bitch. Excuse my French (although I think my husband being French gives me a get-out-of-jail-free card), but this is an infection you really really do not want to get. I was chatting with a fellow new mom a while ago about a recent mastitis scare and at the mere mention of the word she said the exact phrase I had said to my doctor a few months prior as I was being hospitalized for my second infection. She asked me to rate my pain on a scale of 1 to 10.

"Oh my god it hurts worse than childbirth!"

Unfortunately for a lot of women this is not an exaggeration. And unfortunately the infection is not completely understood, by doctors and lactation specialists alike. There are certain risk factors, there are certain things you can do to try to avoid infection or to try to rid yourself of the infection at the very first signs, but some people are just more prone to it. You can do everything by the books, follow all the rules and tips and still end up with a nasty case. For those cases, I'm sorry but this information won't be much help. Sometimes you just need a good dose of antibiotics or a stay in the hospital. 

Hopefully it won't come to that for you. After my second infection I vowed to learn everything I could about mastitis, what it is, who gets it and how to best prevent it. I have since had two scares, and following these suggestions (one or all or some combination) has helped me prevent full-blown mastitis requiring antibiotics both times. Hopefully this information can help you prevent it, too.

What is it?

In the simplest of terms, mastitis is an inflammation of the breast.

What causes it?

It is usually caused either by a blockage of milk flow or some kind of infection (most commonly Staphylococcus, or a Staph infection). In the case of infection, it was probably introduced to the breast from baby's mouth through a cracked or damaged nipple and you will probably need antibiotics. This sounds scary but is common; babies pick up a lot of things in hospitals. It probably isn't harming baby, but once it enters your breast it can do serious damage.

Blocked flow can be caused by a whole host of factors, namely:

• failing to completely drain the breast at each feeding (especially once the fatty hind-milk starts flowing), 
• feeding problems (such as a weak suck, a tongue tie, improper latch-on technique, or always using the same position to breastfeed which might only drain one part of the breast),
• restrictions (such as a too-tight bra or top, especially underwire bras; sleeping in a restrictive position or with baby laying on top of you; too-tight straps such as on a really long drive or flight or consistently wearing a baby carrier or diaper bag in the same position)
• damage (from injury, massaging too hard or previous infection/inflammation)

Who is at risk?
Theoretically everyone is at risk, even non-lactating women and sometimes even men (this is very very rare). We're going to focus on the lactation-related kind here. In this case, certain factors can increase your risk, such as:

•  the first few weeks of breastfeeding (most cases occur within the first three months, although it can occur any time during breastfeeding)
• engorgement or oversupply
• changes to breastfeeding schedules (such as going back to work, or increased supply after a tongue tie release, etc)
• being a mother of multiples,
• past history of mastitis,
• a hospital stay (for mom or baby, due to increased exposure to infections),
• too much stress or fatigue

What are the symptoms?
At the very first signs, there is a chance you can avoid a full-blown infection with some home remedies. The signs to look out for are:

• a tender area of the breast that starts to form a lump, 
• it may start out a little painful to the touch but the pain will usually quickly increase and become constant,
• it may be swollen and/or red,
• it may feel hot to the touch,
• it may be painful to breastfeed,
• you may start to feel feverish

Once the infection has progressed to include these symptoms, call your primary care physician immediately (if it is after hours, GO TO THE ER!!! The infection can worsen very quickly and can cause serious and irreversible damage to your breast!):

• fever over 101° F
• chills
• nausea or vomiting
• flu-like aching
• red streaking on the breast towards the nipple

What can I do at home to prevent it?
At the very very first signs of infection:

• Increase your fluid intake to at least a gallon and a half per day, focusing on clear liquids such as herbal teas, 100% fruit juices and Emergen-C or something similar.
• Take your vitamins & herbal supplements, but especially vitamin C, zinc and echinacea. 
• If you have access to herbal tinctures, take immunity boosting ones.
• Homeopathic Phytolacca Decandra 30c - dissolve five pellets under the tongue every two hours from the very first signs of infection until absolutely every symptom is gone.
• Eat as much raw garlic as you can handle.
• Remove as much stress as possible - ask friends & family to take care of food and chores and other children until you are better.
• If possible, bed rest in a dark room with nothing but you & baby. Sleep topless and nurse as often as baby will take the breast. 
• Nurse, nurse, nurse & pump, pump, pump! You are trying to unblock a blockage, and that can only be done by stimulating the milk ejection reflex. 
• Use heat to help with let down before nursing or pumping. Apply a wet hot compress, as hot as you can stand, and insulate with a dry towel to keep the heat in as long as possible. Soaking the affected breast in a hot bath works, too. (Some women find steeping either rosemary, dandelion or fenugreek seed and using the resulting infusion in their compress or as a soak.) Hot showers are very helpful, too, especially when combined with massage.
• Massage your breast continuously before and during nursing or pumping, stroking in the direction of the nipple and making sure to massage all areas of the breast (not just the infected and sore part, although you definitely should concentrate there).
• Use cool compresses as needed between nursing or pumping sessions for the pain.
• Make a warm castor oil compress to draw out the infection. Soak a piece of wool or felt in warmed castor oil and apply directly to the affected area. Cover with something cotton and keep it there for a half an hour to an hour. Wash off the castor oil residue when finished. Do this up to three times a day.
• Take Ibuprofen to help with pain and inflammation. 

If this doesn't help in 24-48 hours (you will know if it hasn't worked and is getting dangerous, call your doctor or go to the ER!!! I am not exaggerating about going to the ER! If mastitis isn't treated in the early stages it can progress incredibly quickly. If the infection festers too long it can require lengthy hospital stays and may necessitate draining the breast. This is as awful as it sounds. It is literally sticking a needle into your boob and draining out the infection. With no anesthetic! Ouch and yuck!

Hopefully thanks to a few home tricks it won't ever come to that!

Happy nursing!

herb of the week: fenugreek.

*Any information found on this site is not intended to be taken as a replacement for medical advice. Before taking any herbal remedy for medicinal purposes, always consult with your physician, and any persons with conditions requiring medical attention should always consult a qualified practitioner or therapist.*

Trigonella foenum-graecum

(Common names: Fenugreek, Bird's Foot, Greek Clover, Greek Hay, Trigonella)

Original book source: Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm Thomé Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz 1885, Gera, Germany
Permission granted to use under GFDL by Kurt Stueber
Source: www.biolib.de

Fenugreek is an herb that has been used around the world for a very very long time. It has quite a history and is used all around the globe both as an herbal remedy and for culinary purposes.

In the West it is primarily the seeds that are known for medicinal uses, but in much of the East the leaves (fresh or dried), sprouts and greens are used in local cuisine.

As an herb, the seeds are used as an expectorant, demulcent, tonic, emmenagogue, emollient and vulnerary (read up on the actions of herbs), but Fenugreek is most well-known for its use as a galactagogue to help breast-feeding women increase their milk supply. It also has a reputation for stimulating development of the breasts, aiding in increasing sexual desire in women and calming symptoms of both PMS and menopause. 

Like other bitter herbs, it can help soothe the digestive tract and help with indigestion and ulcers, though decoctions and tinctures can be so bitter as to be unpalatable to some people. It can also be taken as a remedy for bronchitis as it is recommended to help clear the chest and lungs. As a gargle it helps soothe a sore throat.

Externally poultices can be applied to help heal wounds and reduce inflammation and is especially useful for sores, boils, eczema, fistulas and tumors.

The seedpods are collected in early to mid-fall.

To make a decoction to increase milk production:
Simmer 1.5 tsp of the seeds in 1 cup water for 10 minutes.
Drink 3 times a day.
To make it less bitter, add 1 tsp Aniseed or add a bit of lemon juice.

An infusion (just steeping it in boiled water) is not bitter at all and actually tastes a lot like maple syrup (in fact it is often used to flavor imitation maple syrups) but it doesn't have the same potency medicinally as a decoction (where the seed is boiled/simmered in water). To make an infusion for a sore throat or to ease digestion:
Add boiling water to 1 tsp of the seeds and let infuse 5 minutes.
Drink freely.

If taking as a tincture, take 1-2 ml of the tincture three times daily.

If taking in capsule form for milk production, take 1500mg three times daily. Most women have found once their supply has gone up, they can reduce or stop taking the herb and still maintain their elevated supply as long as they continue to stimulate production through nursing or pumping.

To use externally as a poultice, crush the seeds and add a enough water or apple cider vinegar to make a paste. Apply this paste to the affected area (you can first apply a little oil to the area if desired to make it easier to remove the poultice later) and cover it with a hot cloth (heat enhances the action of the herbs).

The only side effects are possible loose stools (usually with very high doses, and which go away when stopped being taken) and sweat or urine smelling like maple syrup (and possibly baby's sweat and urine smelling like maple syrup).

DO NOT USE THIS HERB in medicinal quantities (culinary use is still fine) if:
- You are pregnant.
(As an emmenagogue it stimulates the uterus and in high doses could potentially cause uterine contractions. That being said, it can be used to help stimulate contractions while in labor.)
-You are hypoglycemic.
(Studies have shown Fenugreek lowers blood glucose, so monitor your use closely if you are being treated for hypoglycemia.)

spilt milk.

decency.