Galactagogues
Quick Page Links
- What are galactagogues?
- When is a Galactagogue Necessary?
- Safe Galactagogue Herbs Include
- Galactagogue Foods
- A Lactation Cookie Recipe
- Galactogue Drugs
- A simulated pregnancy/birth with hormones.
What are Galactagogues?
There are lactation herbs and medications that are used to increase lactation or stimulate milk production in a lactating mother, or in a mother who wants to induce lactation.
When is a Galactagogue Necessary?
If you think you might have a low breast milk supply, first read our pages:
It is essential that you ONLY use galactagogues if you are pumping / nursing regularly to remove the extra milk, that the galactagogue will create. It is best to try additional milk removal via pumping and hand expression to increase supply before trying galactagogues.
- It is needed when a mother has an insufficient milk supply and is using Galactagogues and pumping to produce more breast milk.
-
Used if a mother is working and breastfeeding, and trying to keep her milk supply sufficient. A mother who returns to work may need the milk expressed for her baby.
-
Inducing lactation: Used when a woman adopts and wants to induce lactation for breastfeeding.
-
The baby is premature and is incapable of breastfeeding at the moment. The mother will need to pump and take Galactagogues until the baby is strong enough to breastfeed.
A lactation supplement is most effective in combination with cue feeding and pumping sessions. Power pumping / Cluster pumping is a great way to increase supply.
Safe Galactagogue Herbs Include
- Fenugreek. Increasing breast milk supply with fenugreek
- Blessed thistle. Three capsules three times per day. Blessed thistle may cause some digestive changes.
- Alfalfa. Alflafa is mild and can be taken with another galactogue. Alfalfa may also cause some digestive changes.
- Brewers yeast as a galactagogue. Has very few side-effects, but should not be used if the mother has a recurrent yeast problem or yeast infection. Brewers yeast is rich in Vitamin B, amino acids, minerals, and iron. Dosage: 3-5 capsules daily.
- Fennel can be consumed in small amounts.
- Anise. Not only will it increase milk production, but it will also decrease colic in the baby, via the mother's breast milk.
- Goats rue. Used to make a tea (1tsp dried leaves, infused in 1 cup of boiling water for 20 minutes taken twice daily). Goats rue can increase breast milk production and improve the milk flow (let-down). Side-effects include sweating, increased urination and sometimes a drop in blood sugar levels.
- Hops (Humulus lupulus). Best used fresh for increasing milk supply. Helps regulate hormonal productions, which helps increase milk supply.
- Mothers milk tea.
- Milk thistle (not the same as blessed thistle).
- Marshmallow (althaea) root. This Galactogue should be used with the other breast milk herbs, to improve their effectiveness.
- Red raspberry leaf.
- Nettle leaf or capsules. Take two tablets three times a day. This is another mild galactogue and will be more effective taken with other herbal galactagogues.
- Shatavari.
- Flax.
- Soapwort.
- Burdock.
- Chaste Berry.
Recipe:
2 parts fennel.
1 part nettle.
1 part blessed thistle.
1 part fenugreek.
½ part Hops.
Grind the seeds before adding the boiling water to them – seep for 15-20 minutes.
Combining two or three of those mentioned above natural herbal galactagogue will work better than only using one.
Galactagogue Foods
Lactogenic foods
|
|
A Lactation Cookie Recipe
Get our healthy lactation cookie recipe here.
Increase Breast Milk Supply with Galactogue Drugs
Metoclopramide (Maxolon, Pramin, Maxeran)
Domperidone for breastfeeding (Motilium)
|
Chlorpromazine
Oxytocin
Sulpiride
|
Simulating Pregnancy Hormones for Induced Lactation
Some mothers have found that they can produce more milk if they use a combination of hormones and galactagogues. The hormones that are given simulate pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding, which tricks the body in believing that it needs to produce milk. You can find more information on this at asklenore.info.