Seasonal reminder for breastfeeding mamas!

[wombatclay]

Heyla all!

Every mama is different, and every person responds differently to herbs and oils, but....

Sage and peppermint are both know to decrease breastmilk supply. Normally you wouldn't encounter a lot of sage or peppermint "unawares", but the holiday season is approaching! Sage is a common ingredient in winter/seasonal dishes (think hearty soups, stuffing, veggie or meat based baked dishes) and as December approaches peppermint starts showing up everywhere (crushed altoids sprinkled on peppermint lattes, candy canes, peppermint oil in skin lotions and chapsticks). It's easy to get a "bigger than normal" dose of these supply reducing herbs and find yourself with a fussy non-stop-nursing babe or pumping problems that mean fewer bottles of EBM for when you're working. Add to this that supply often drops as the menstrual cycle resumes and 6mo pp is often when AF starts prepping for a comeback tour...

If you are a low supply mama or know you're sensitive to herbs please keep an eye on your diet and your supply during the next few months!

Ok... back to your regularly scheduled lives...

[Spring Sun]

Thanks!

[sunshynbaby]

Thanks, I didn't know that!

[Kutie.Pie]

Thank you so much for sharing! I LOVE peppermint, but I think I'll resist my temptations this winter. I don't have low supply, but I don't want to get that way either. =)

[Koalamom]

I knew about sage, but not about peppermint. I drink nettles infusions with peppermint added for flavor everyday. I drink several cups of it a day. I noticed that I have more milk than ever when I drink it. And my baby id gaing weight really well. I guess peppermint doesn't bother my supply.

[wombatclay]

Peppermint isn't as "effective" as sage (in terms of decreasing supply) and the now and then peppermint treat probably wont have any impact on supply. But it can add up since peppermint seems to be everywhere during the holidays!

For reference... women with oversupply who want to regulate milk production using peppermint are often told to eat entire boxes of altoids over the course of a day. So a candy cane or a peppermint coffee beverage probably wont do it! But if you have the peppermint coffee, and a few real peppermint candies, and use a bath oil and a body lotion and a chapstick all with peppermint eo, and use peppermint eo to scent your home, and then have some peppermint ice cream with crushed altoids, and so on...

Bluebird- nettle increases supply much better than peppermint decreases it. A lot of "milk maid" teas include peppermint since it makes the beverage tastier overall and you wont see much reduction from that small amount of mint.

Sage is actually "sneakier" since it doesn't have the same sort of obvious taste/scent profile. And it's much more effective at limiting supply. Of course, I can't hink of a single coffee shop that offers sage lattes, so that's a blessing!

ETA- totally forgot to point out that not all "peppermint" flavor/scent is actually peppermint. For example, some candy cane brands use an artificial flavoring instead of peppermint eo.

[Michigan Mama]

I had no idea, wombat. thanks for the heads-up!

[maddymama]

Thanks for the info....... I appreciate all of this information that I would never have known about if I wasn't a member of MDC.
~maddymama

[Coconut Chronicles]

Good to know!

[APToddlerMama]

And parsley!

[ombrooklyn]

I had no idea! I drink peppermint tea pretty much daily. I have not had any issues with low supply tho.