Breastfeeding support with herbal medicine

New mums often find the postpartum period to be an extremely challenging time. After the birth comes the adjusting to lack of sleep and learning how to breastfeed. Some breastfeeding mamas can also experience issues with milk supply or mastitis leading to anxiety and stress.

While breastfeeding provides optimal nutrition along with immune support and a host of lifelong health benefits for a child and the mother, many women can experience insufficient milk supply.

Mastitis is a condition where there is inflammation of the mammary gland in the breast typically due to bacterial infection via a damaged nipple or teat. A clogged milk duct that doesn't let milk fully drain from the breast or breaks in the skin of the nipple can lead to infection. Issues like mastitis and clogged or plugged milk ducts can pop up when least expected - and least wanted - especially during times of stress and depressed immunity. It’s often accompanied by fever, chills, aches, breast pain and tenderness and difficulty with breastfeeding.

Professional lactation support should be the cornerstone in support for new mothers in navigating the challenges of breastfeeding, however, the addition of herbal medicine can also be of great benefit at this time to promote adequate milk supply and assist with clearing clogged and infected ducts or even to reduce an oversupply of milk.

There are many medicinal herbs that support new mums that are safe for use in breastfeeding. Galactagogues is the class of herbs used to increase milk supply. Nervine and anxiolytic herbs that promote relaxation have also shown to have benefit when combined with galactagogues. Mastitis support comes from lymphatic and immuno-modulating classes of herbs. These medicinal herb have a long-standing traditional use that is still being recognised today.

Our medical herbalist, Linda Krick provides herbal medicines for lactation, mastitis and oversupply of milk for breastfeeding mums.

Call Linda today to discuss your breastfeeding needs 0412 208 982 and order your supportive tonic.