https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 09 May 2026 11:42:01 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/epers-i-need-you-to-help-ease-my-mind#post-1425530 Fri, 14 Feb 2014 19:06:28 +0000 mizjl 1425530@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pmerr: This is the one I got: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Brewers-Yeast-Twinlab-Inc-Powder/dp/B000EPUPSS/" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Brewers-Yeast-Twinlab-Inc-Powder/dp/B000EPUPSS/</a></p> <p>I think out of all the supplements I've taken (including mother's milk tea), this is what's made a difference. I'd get an extra ounce or so for my next pump when I have it during the day. It doesn't taste the best but when I drink it with chocolate milk and protein powder, I barely notice it. I hope it works for you! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/epers-i-need-you-to-help-ease-my-mind#post-1425466 Fri, 14 Feb 2014 18:29:11 +0000 mrs. wagon 1425466@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I EPed for a year! No problems! Was afraid to wean for clogs and mastitis but it went incredibly smoothly. I've heard you can find brewers yeast at Gnc and health food or vitamin and supplement stores. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/epers-i-need-you-to-help-ease-my-mind#post-1425069 Fri, 14 Feb 2014 15:29:29 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 1425069@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I pumped for 11 months. Supply was not a problem, but because our weird situation, I only had to work for 6 weeks of that time. In a teacher and it would have been very hard for me to pump for a year with my job. I also always had to pump for a long time (30 mins) whereas my coworker pumps for 10. Big difference!</p> <p>If you are determined and have a good work situation, of course your can do it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/epers-i-need-you-to-help-ease-my-mind#post-1424451 Fri, 14 Feb 2014 12:33:32 +0000 pmerr 1424451@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Bluebonnet: Yeah, at Wegmans I checked there too. I walked the aisle like 5 times and didn't see it. I should have asked but was in a hurry and didn't need it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/epers-i-need-you-to-help-ease-my-mind#post-1424259 Fri, 14 Feb 2014 11:39:37 +0000 Bluebonnet 1424259@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pmerr: I was expecting to find Brewer's Yeast in the baking aisle (with yeast for baking breads). Its actually in the vitamins and nutritional supplements aisle at my grocery store. Also stores like GNC carry Brewer's Yeast. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/epers-i-need-you-to-help-ease-my-mind#post-1424173 Fri, 14 Feb 2014 11:20:46 +0000 pmerr 1424173@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mizjl: Yes. I have gotten my period since about 2-3 mo pp, so it's dropped it a couple times, but having it twice in 20 days has really sucked. It's always gotten better, and I think it's slowly getting better. What brand of brewers yeast did you get from Amazon? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/epers-i-need-you-to-help-ease-my-mind#post-1424100 Fri, 14 Feb 2014 11:02:00 +0000 mizjl 1424100@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pmerr: Oh wow, 5mo! You've already accomplished so much so great job! Same tips if you want to maintain supply, and I'm sure you know by now that it gets easier as you go along.</p> <p>Another thing about your period - I don't know if you noticed any changes, but for some, the week before period tanks the supply. Hormones and all that. I read that taking a calcium + magnesium supplement helps alleviate the problem, although I don't know because I haven't gotten mine yet. But your supply should rebound a couple of days after you get your period.</p> <p>If it helps, I got my brewer's yeast on Amazon. The jar is huge and I can't see myself finishing it anytime soon! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/epers-i-need-you-to-help-ease-my-mind#post-1423546 Fri, 14 Feb 2014 08:13:54 +0000 sunshineandsushi 1423546@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Some great tips already mentioned here. It is definitely possible to EP for a year. I EP'd for a year for my twins. It did take me a little time at the beginning to get my supply up, but once I did, it was easy breezy as long as I stuck to my schedule. </p> <p>Any local health food store would carry brewers yeast, that's where I found mine locally. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/epers-i-need-you-to-help-ease-my-mind#post-1423521 Fri, 14 Feb 2014 08:00:42 +0000 pmerr 1423521@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks!</p> <p>@Mrs. Lion: No Whole Foods near me. I checked Wegmans online and they said they have it, but I couldn't find it. I haven't asked yet. </p> <p>@mizjl: Thanks for those tips! I'm 5mo pp so a little ways in! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/epers-i-need-you-to-help-ease-my-mind#post-1421854 Thu, 13 Feb 2014 18:54:38 +0000 Mrs. Lion 1421854@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It is totally possible! I made it until 9 months, and then had to stop for my own health issues...but had that not been going on I could have made it the rest of the year I think. And, if it doesn't work or you have to supplement, it is OKAY! Your baby will be fine either way :) The suggestions above are really great ones, so I won't repeat. The lactation cookie recipe I wrote about is a good one and is worth making :) Hang in there momma! It is a LOT of work, but it is so good for your little one! &lt;3</p> <p>ETA: Do you have a Whole Foods near you? You can find brewers yeast in the protein powder section. It comes in a plastic jar. If you can get the kind that is less bitter, do so! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/epers-i-need-you-to-help-ease-my-mind#post-1421831 Thu, 13 Feb 2014 18:42:48 +0000 Charm54 1421831@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Definitely possible! Everyone told me I wouldn't be able to keep up a supply with EPing, and I did! LO is 5mo and up until last week I was producing enough to give her 75%BM. </p> <p>Then I got a terrible case of the flu, missed a few pump sessions, became extremely dehydrated... And my supply tanked. I'm sure I could get it back up but I'm so close my goal of 6mo and have a large enough freezer stash that I think I'm ready to quit. I have mixed emotions though..I'm happy and sad at the same time to be free of the pump! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/epers-i-need-you-to-help-ease-my-mind#post-1421797 Thu, 13 Feb 2014 18:28:46 +0000 mizjl 1421797@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It is absolutely possible to EP for a year, even longer! My daughter is 7mo and I've been EP practically since the beginning. I did the requisite pump-every-three-hours until I was 14wpp (although I never did a middle of the night pump) - that's six pumps/day when I'm awake and my supply kept going up even up to 50+oz/day. I got to drop pumps with no loss in ounces at 5 and 4 pumps/day.</p> <p>Even now at three pumps/day, I'm still getting over 40oz consistently. There are a lot of things you can try to help maintain your supply:</p> <p>- You didn't mention how far along you are but you should pump as much as you can for the first 12 weeks, at least every three hours. Some say you should do it around the clock but sleep was really important to me and my supply still increased.</p> <p>- Try to get as much rest as possible. Hah! :) Relax while you're pumping, too. It's difficult to get a letdown when you're stressed out.</p> <p>- HYDRATE. Hydrate. Hydrate! I heard Gatorade helps too. You can try mother's milk tea as well.</p> <p>- I took fenugreek and blessed thistle pills together, although I'm not sure how much it helped me personally and I stopped eventually after a couple of bottles. I read that fenugreek can make some babies gassy so use with caution. You should take enough pills to smell like maple syrup.</p> <p>- About brewer's yeast: you don't necessarily need the cookies, although they're so good. I put brewer's yeast in my chocolate milk with protein powder. Same goes for the ingredients that help with milk supply ... you can put ground flax in your food, as well as eat oatmeal (not instant) or rolled oats.</p> <p>- If you really have trouble with low supply, you can try power pumping. I never did it myself since I'm an oversupplier, but doing it signals demand on your body. Pump for ten minutes, rest another ten, repeat for an hour. A few times a week should be fine, some do it every day in place of a regular pump.</p> <p>- Pump until you're empty! It's common that you'd need longer than 20 minutes. I have to pump for 30 minutes then hand express to get more milk out. Also keep doing compressions and massages to get the milk out more efficiently.</p> <p>- Lubricate your flanges with olive oil or coconut oil. I actually put Earth Mama nipple butter on my nipples before pumping to reduce friction. It's more tolerable that way.</p> <p>- I don't like to push products but the magic combination of Pumpin' Pals flanges and Simple Wishes hands-free bra has kept me pumping for seven months and counting. Seriously, both of these are worth it.</p> <p>Sorry this got so long but I really hope you keep at it! If I wasn't so impatient, I could probably keep pumping for a year (I still might), but I have a huge frozen milk stash in two 7 cu ft deep freezers already (well, one's full, the second almost). I probably have about 4000 oz in there so there's not much motivation to keep going, although the idea of giving a bit of fresh until a year isn't bad. Just keep going, be consistent, and don't listen to anyone who tells you it can't be done! Most of all, NEVER QUIT ON A BAD DAY.</p> <p>GOOD LUCK!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/epers-i-need-you-to-help-ease-my-mind#post-1421725 Thu, 13 Feb 2014 18:02:43 +0000 Emsmems 1421725@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not me, but a good friend of mine exclusively pumped for both her LO's, first one she pumped for a year, and she's still going strong at 6 months with her second LO. She didn't even have a nice, expensive pump or anything. So I will say it's very possible! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/epers-i-need-you-to-help-ease-my-mind#post-1421613 Thu, 13 Feb 2014 17:25:42 +0000 pmerr 1421613@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I know that every body and person is different, but please help reassure me that it is possible to EP for a year. One person who did it at work told me she did it due to her son having a cleft pallet. I was talking to the school nurse about having issues recently (I had to change my pumping schedule and I've gotten AF twice in 2 weeks) and she was talking about how I wouldn't be able to EP for a year. I also had someone from WIC tell me the same thing, (but she was very judgy when I was telling her about it and how she was still nursing 18 mo later). </p> <p>I'm hoping that once AF is finally gone it will help and I'm hoping to make some of those cookies once I can find the brewers yeast. My one flat nipple isn't making thigs easier though, since it doesn't really like to fit in any of the shields. </p> <p>Ughh. </p>