Parenting Pointers: Legendairy Milk

Many mothers need help to facilitate breastfeeding, whether it's supplements to increase milk, or help with nutrition, or advice on the best ways to breastfeed.

I recently had a chance to interview Luna Feehan, Creator of Legendairy Milk, a line of supplements that offers natural support for healthy breast milk production.

Why was Legendairy Milk created?
Legendairy Milk was created as a result of my personal breastfeeding experience with my son. After 8 difficult weeks nursing when I was triple feeding 24/7, I decided to reach out for help from a local lactation consultant for an in-home visit. To help my breastfeeding she recommended I take Fenugreek, an herb often used by nursing moms to increase supply. I tried it for one week during which time my son became so gassy that he couldn’t sleep, and he was crying all the time.

It also has an adverse reaction, feeling lightheaded and dizzy while taking the herb. While this may not be the case for most women taking Fenugreek, I knew I had to find an alternative that would have the same results without this ingredient. What I found was that there were no products on the market that were Fengreek-free.

Like most new moms I turned to my family for support and discovered that many used black cumin seed while breastfeeding. I ordered black cumin seed as well as fennel and dill (for digestive support) from an organic herb supplier, then ground up the seeds and spread the powder in veggie capsules. I was floored by how well it worked for me.

When my friends heard about my breastfeeding solution, many urged me to create an Etsy shop. I was so excited by the success of my black seed combo – which is now known as Legendairy Milk Pump Princess -- that I began doing research on different herbs and plants used for breastfeeding moms in other cultures. I found goat's rue and milk thistle in Europe; moringa in Asia; torbangun in Indonesia; and ixbut in Guatemala and began sourcing these herbs. For the first year, I was solely on Etsy, and sales were a result of word of mouth recommendations from Facebook breastfeeding groups. (This was also an amazing opportunity to gain honest feedback on the blends and tweak them accordingly.)

The feedback I received that first year was like the ultimate informal focus group, and I'm so grateful to the moms who shared their experiences with me. Their invaluable input convinced me of two things: my products were effective and that there was a real consumer audience out there who needed Legendairy Milk products. It was just the boost I needed to expand beyond my small Etsy shop. Trusting in other moms has been the key to Legendairy Milk’s success!

What sets the company apart from other supplement companies?
All our products are Fenugreek-free and sugar- free with unique ingredients sourced from cultures all over the world.

Besides supplements, how else can nursing mothers optimize their breast milk supply and nutrition?

Frequent and effective breast emptying is the foundation for establishing breastmilk production. Nancy Mohrbacher’s work on the “Magic Number” is also so helpful in determining how to maintain your supply. Your “magic number” is the number of milk removals needed to maintain or increase your milk production, and it’s largely based on your breast storage capacity.