# insomnia and milk supply?



## readytobedone (Apr 6, 2007)

i heard somewhere that lack of sleep can cause decreased supply. i've been having insomnia lately so am worried about my supply. i'm taking fenugreek. i don't actually know if i'm having issues with supply or not...

fenugreek can't cause insomnia, can it? 'cause that'd be what's known as a vicious cycle









i also took ambien last night. i think that might sometimes cause supply issues? i'm really paranoid about the whole thing, but i have to sleep somehow or another and the natural rememdies (valerian, chamomile, yoga, deep breathing, warm bath w/aromatherapy, chiro) weren't helping.

the only thing i thought about trying that's natural and didn't try yet is acupuncture.


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## madhavi (Jul 2, 2006)

are you not sleeping b/c of your dc or just b/c? i'm no proffesional but i think if sleep deprivation reduced milk supply there would be a whole lot of babies in trouble! most moms are sleep deprived..including myself and my 2 dc's are both happy, healthy and chubby and breastfed. if you have other concerns you might want to talk to your doctor. i'm not sure about ambien or other drugs and how they would affect your milk. fenugreek helps milk supply, doesn't affect sleep as far as my experience. remember though, whatever goes in your body also affects your milk.


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## readytobedone (Apr 6, 2007)

no, DD is sleeping pretty well, for a baby







.

but i can't sleep. no clear reason why. ambien is considered okay for BF (not enough gets into the milk to harm DC), but it can affect supply, i think...

when i say insomnia, i mean it's severe, taking 4+ hours to fall asleep, difficulty falling back to sleep, and no ability to nap during the day. one night i never fell asleep at all. the next day i saw an MD and got the Rx.

i already have PPD, and i'm back to school now, too; i can't afford not to sleep at all.


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## Peony (Nov 27, 2003)

Extreme fatigue can affect milk supply, but it varies from person to person. I have insomnia like your's as well, and have never had it affect my supply, but everyone is different. I hope you get some sleep mama.


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## timneh_mom (Jun 13, 2005)

I've never read anything about Ambien causing low supply... and it is safe according to Hale. I am sleep deprived both due to DD not sleeping well/waking up every 2-3 hours to nurse AND chronic insomnia, and my milk supply has always been TOO much if anything else. It's so hard when you can't sleep and everyone else is sleeping! I hate that!


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## nznavo (Aug 9, 2004)

I had insomnia for the first 18mo or so of my son's life and my milk was always fine.

I did try acupuncture and I think it worked pretty well.


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