MommaMatch

Every winter, my answering service gets flooded with calls from concerned mothers who can't understand why all of sudden in these holiday months, there milk supply has seemed to drastically fallen. In some cases it is the lack of sleep, the stress from festivities, or the increase of the flu and cold season putting a damper on that milk supply. For we well know that decongestants and anti-histamines will drastically lower your milk supply and even dry it up. However often, the drop in milk production has everything to do with the holiday treats you may be consuming. Peppermint, menthol, parsley and sage are four of the biggest herbal culprits when it comes to putting a damper on milk. In fact I often recommend peppermint tea or ingesting peppermint Altoids when beginning the steps of weaning your baby. Never fear, if you have been ingesting these things and have noticed a decrease in your milk, the good news is that it is easy to bring it back to full production. This however should be done under the care of a trained Lactation Consultant. Below is a wonderful resource taken from Kellymom.com of herbs that can and or will lower your milk production:

Using large amounts of the following herbs and other natural remedies should be avoided while nursing because they have been known to decrease milk supply. The amounts of these herbs normally used in
cooking are unlikely to be of concern; it's mainly the larger amounts that might be used therapeutically that could pose a problem. However, some moms have noticed a decrease in supply after eating things
like dressing with lots of sage, sage tea (often recommended when moms are weaning), lots of strong peppermint candies or menthol cough drops, or other foods/teas with large amounts of the particular herb. These herbs are sometimes used by nursing mothers to treat oversupply, or when weaning.

Black Walnut Chickweed Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum) Lemon Balm Oregano Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) Peppermint (Mentha piperita)/Menthol

Periwinkle Herb (Vinca minor) Sage (Salvia officinalis) Sorrel (Rumex acetosa) Spearmint Thyme Yarrow

This is the season of candy canes, peppermint lattes, menthol cough drops, and sage filled stuffing! So you may want to double check before taking second helpings of any of these lovely tasty treats now and through out the year!

Copyright 2011 Danielle Gauss - JustBreastFeeding.com. All Rights Reserved.