Herbs and Medicine and Breastfeeding

This post came from a presentation I did in the Breastfeeding Mamas group that meets at Carroll Pharmacy in Trussville earlier this week. Several people mentioned they wanted some notes, so I thought I would put my notes up on my blog. I have said it before I am not a lactation specialist, I am a pharmacist. So many things breastfeeding related that I talk about may be just from my experience or information gathered from the reading I do, but this stuff is actually my area of expertise...Medicine and supplements.
*This is not an extensive list, but hopefully includes most of the most common ones.

Helpful Herbs for Increasing Supply

Blessed Thistle: an herb that can stimulate secretion of saliva and gastric juices that can also help increase breast milk (Not to be used during pregnancy*).


Fenugreek: Maybe the most common herbs used to increase milk supply.Can cause maple syrup odor (Not to be used during pregnancy*).

I will mention that you do have to take a lot of Fenugreek. The usual recommended dosage is three capsules three times a day.

*I told the mamas in my group that I thought it was important to mention that some of these herbs should not be used during pregnancy. Just in case there is an eager mom-to-be out there that thinks she may want to get a jump start on her milk supply before the baby gets here. These can cause uterine contractions and can be dangerous to a pregnant mama.

Milk Thistle: Liver protecting seed (interesting fact: sometimes used for mushroom poisoning) and a recent study showed women who took it had a significant increase in milk vs. placebo
Maybe worth a try?

Goat’s Rue: Don't worry...this doesn't come from a goat. It's named this because its milk producing properties were first noted to increase milk in goats. Now days its used by farmers and nursing mothers to increase milk. As if you already didn't feel part of a dairy farm :)

Fennel Seed: Also used in goats and breastfeeding women. Can be used as a digestive aid that can help to soothe a colicky BF baby and ease postpartum discomfort. (Maybe double triple bang for your buck??)
Breastfeeding moms can take the fennel seed themselves and pass the benefit along to your baby. It is also considered safe to give fennel straight to the baby.

Red Raspberry Leaf: very nutritive herb that is high in minerals that are helpful for milk production and strength in postpartum and BF women.

Non-Herbals for Increasing Supply

Even though I don't think these drugs are used too much anymore, and they require a prescription from your OB-GYN, I wanted to include because you may hear about them when researching how to increase supply. There is a girl in our support group that has tried metoclopramide and it was recommended to another girl by a lactation consultant, so you definitely may hear about these.

Metoclopramide (Reglan): intended to treat a variety of stomach issues, but it has a side effect of increasing prolactin level= more milk. If you do any research on this drug you will read about some pretty rare, but scary side effects. Just like any drug, everyone will react differently. If it is something you are considering I would definitely talk with your doctor or pharmacist about the risk vs. benefits. For what its worth, I will say that as a pharmacists and a mom... if it was my last resort to be able to breastfeed my baby I would probably give it a try!

Drugs That Can Cause a Decrease in Supply

Estrogen birth control pills
**Pharmacist Service Announcement: Most of the time when you are breastfeeding and want to go back on a birth control pill, your OBGYN will put you on a progesterone only pill or "mini pill". These are less effective than the traditional "combination" birth control pill, and they need to be taken pretty close to the same time each day (like within a three hour window). Also, if you are using breastfeeding as a method of birth control, it becomes less effective the less you nurse, such as when you introduce solids or have to supplement with formula...

Pseudophedrine and other decongestants

Antihistamines
These last two on the list makes for a very inconvenient cold and flu season.
My recommendation to breastfeeding mamas (including myself) when you find yourself with a head cold that comes with a stuffy or runny nose is don't take anything (probably not what you wanted to hear). You can do saline nose spray or other sinus rinse products. I just don't think it is worth the risk.

What do I take?
I take Fenugreek 500mg three capsules three times a day and a lactation blend that includes everything listed in the helpful herbs section above. I can tell a difference when I don't take them, so I guess they are working :) I don't wanna take any chances, so I am going to keep with it! Can't hurt, right???

I'm Back!

I wrote this post on November 19th and never posted it. I thought I would post it before starting a new one :)

So, I was doing so good with my blog...until I moved into a new house, moved into a new pharmacy, and HAD A BABY! A lot has happened over the ~18 weeks since I last blogged, most importantly....

This girl princess came into our lives on September 19th and 12:17pm at a whopping 9lbs and 13 oz! I can't believe how fast time has gone by and that she will be two months old tomorrow!! When I think back, I can't believe everything I have been through and accomplished since becoming a mommy... Attempted (unsuccessful) version, c-section, breastfeeding, milk not coming in, baby that wasn't gaining enough weight, colic/stomach issues, hip dysplasia, hip brace, and now going back to work!! As crazy as its been, this has been the most amazing experience of my life!
I want to say that I am writing this blog for a couple of reasons, first as a way to be able to look back and remember these times in my life and the other main reason is I hope by sharing my experiences as a Mommy and a pharmacist, I am able to help other people in their own journeys.
So I want to go back to when I was about 34 weeks pregnant, I go in for a regular doctors appointment and the doctor is feeling my belly. (Let me also mention that this is the first appointment I go to by myself!)  I point to a spot (at the VERY top of my stomach) and ask her if that is a "booty". I wasn't convinced that was what it was, I knew if it was in fact a "booty" it was the hardest booty I had ever felt, but I was hopeful that I was just a dumb FTM  (first time mom) and I really didn't have a head at the top of my uterus at 34 weeks pregnant. The doctor looked at my concerned and told me she thought it may be a head, and sent me straight to ultrasound. Of  course I was upset... called Justin and he told me he was on his way to meet me at the doctor. So, Justin comes in to the ultrasound room and it is confirmed that we in fact have a breech baby :(. We go back to see the doctor and she tells us that we have two options.
1. Go ahead and schedule the c-section
2. Attempt an external version (This is where the doctor tries to manually turn the baby from the outside. A "procedure" that I would be admitted to the hospital and monitored for, just in case the baby didn't tolerate it or they put me into labor).
Immediately I knew I wanted to try the version, I DID NOT want a c-section and I was going to do everything I could to avoid that. So, I scheduled the version and started watching YouTube videos on how they do them and actually watched some women have them attempted.
So, fast forward 2.5 weeks later to 36.5 weeks pregnant and I was going in to be admitted to attempt my own version. Well long story short...two doctors tried to move Ella Mae in a 180 degree turn by pushing on the outside of my stomach. If your curious as to what this looks like check out the aforementioned YouTube videos. All I can say as my experience did not look like the YouTube videos. Those women must have been drugged or something :) IT HURT REALLY BAD! Am I glad I did it...yes! Would I do it again...probably (maybe not knowing she was so big)...
Anyway, after the attempted version I stayed in the hospital most of the day being monitored for contractions... I had some, but nothing regular so they let me go home and we scheduled the c-section for 39 weeks...
TO BE CONTINUED :)

Final Countdown

For the past few weeks, whenever I think about what we have to accomplish and look forward to over the next few months I find myself thinking of the song from Rocky..."The Final Countdown." If you have no idea what I am talking about, see below.

 

SIDE NOTE: My husband, Justin, is a huge Rocky fan, so hopefully, he is proud of me for this reference :)

 

Anyway, according to my handy-dandy little app, we have exactly 11 weeks and 5 days until September 25th!

 

 When I think about all that is going to be happening in these next 11 weeks and 5 days, I start to get a little nervous and wonder exactly how it is all going to happen... Poor Justin, his "Honey-Do" lists seems to be growing a little exponentially by the day.

 

Here is a little look into what will be happening in the Reynolds family as we countdown to the biggest life event in our little family's history!

 

 First of all, we are off to Atlanta next weekend to market to shop for the pharmacy. I know, I know, a weekend of shopping doesn't sound like a lot, but picture this.... a "mall" that seems 100x bigger than the Galleria x 3 buildings. This = lots of walking which I am sure will be even harder with the 20 extra pounds I find myself carrying around these days :) I am really looking forward to it, but it actually is a lot of work!

 

In two weeks from today, on July 19th, we are scheduled to close on our first/DREAM house!! Hopefully this will all go smoothly... Guess we will wait and see. Here is a quick look at our house. I am sure there will be much more to come on the house as we get moved in!

So as you can imagine, with moving into a new house and having a baby all within a few weeks of each other, funding is not great to furnish this new house... queue the "honey-do" list...

 

Justin's lists of projects is growing by the day and I can't wait to see the finished products! Here are a few things he has been working on.

 

 

This is some furniture that was Justin's grandmother's that is being redone for Ella Mae's room... This will double as dresser/ changing table.

 

Cradle that was mine when I was a baby. It has been repainted...

 

Pinterest inspired old-door redo! (One of the first Pinterest projects we have done that doesn't look like it belongs on one of those "Pinterest Gone Wrong" websites). Justin found this in his grandmother's attic.

 

 

Crib (it was brown) is getting a paint job too!

 



 







You can probably tell that I am loving life right now! I LOVE my job and I have so much to look forward to over the next few months!

 

Oh and one more big HUGE thing that will be happening in the next few months... Trussville Pharmacy is moving locations!

You may recognize it... It is the old PNC bank across from the Methodist Church in Trussville! We are so excited to have more space, a great location, a drive-thru, and perfect spot for the Trussville Christmas and Homecoming parades!! We have some work to do turning a bank into a pharmacy, but we hope to open sometime in the Fall of 2013!

 

So, as you can see, we have a lot of exciting things happening, and I should have plenty to keep you updated on. So stay tuned.... there is sure to be much excitement happening in the months!!









 

As for Me....

I often get the question... "Why did you decide to become a pharmacist, anyway?" I have decided to use this post to attempt to answer that question the best I know how... 

I guess you need to know that my dad opened up Carroll Pharmacy when I was in the first grade. So needless to say, I have literally grown up in the pharmacy. Much of my time as a child was spent hanging out around the pharmacy looking for ways to occupy my time. Many may think that growing up in a pharmacy would make one want to run the opposite direction, and for some it does. My brother is a telecommunication/ film major at Alabama right now, pretty much as far away from pharmacy as you can get, but as for me I guess I just decided to stick around.

I grew up watching my dad serve the community through the pharmacy. Even as a little girl I could tell that he was helping people. I started working at the pharmacy officially when I was 15, and as a teenager, I could definitely begin to see what being a pharmacists was all about. I decided to go to pharmacy school my sophomore year at Alabama, even then, I still don't think I fully realized what I was getting in to.

Trussville Total Care Pharmacy opened in 2010, and I have spent the past four years during pharmacy school going between the stores working as a intern. I think it was during this time that I started to understand what being a pharmacist really meant to me.

Today, in both of the pharmacies we have these paintings hanging...

I think those paintings hanging up in the pharmacy really display why I decided to go to pharmacy school and work in my family's pharmacy. When I go to work everyday I not only feel like I am "helping people" and serving my community, but I feel like I have the perfect mission field to serve the Lord. Plus, I know I work for a company that has the same values and priorities as I do. I can't imagine myself doing anything else. When I talk to teenagers about what career that they may choose, I always tell them to make sure they pick a field where they feel called to serve God and His people. I'm far from where I want to be in my serving, and if I'm honest I know that there are some days when I am at work and I leave my godly attitude and heart at home, but I do know that everyday I try my best to serve  my patients and my Lord through what I do. My prayer for my career as a pharmacist is that I can make people's day a little better when they come see me at the pharmacy and that I always allow the love of Christ to shine through me. Like I said, I am not where I want to be yet, and I hope that I continually want more out of myself as I grow as a pharmacists and in my relationship with God.

Finally a Pharmacist!

So, Wednesday was my first day to work as an actual licensed pharmacist! It was a big day for me as I headed off to meet with the board of pharmacy to pick up these little pieces of paper...

June 19, 2013- My first Day!

Since this is my first post and I am new to this "blogging" thing I guess you deserve a little information on why I decided to start this blog anyway. I actually thought of this a few months ago as a way to keep up with this crazy exciting time in my life. It has now evolved into a way for me help share what is going on personally and professionally as I venture into being a "real-life" pharmacist and mommy.

So, as for the pharmacists part, you may know that I graduated in May from Samford's pharmacy school. In the past month, I have taken my state and national pharmacy boards and finally ended all that yesterday by meeting with the board of pharmacy and getting my license. And the Mommy part is coming in September as my husband, Justin, and I welcome our first baby, Ella Mae Reynolds into the world.

April 26, 2013- Finding out we are having a baby GIRL!

As you can see, I have had a lot going on in the past few months, and I feel like the crazy/ exciting times are just beginning. Hope you can enjoy going through these times will me, and maybe even learn something along the way as I figure all this out :)