Expressing milk by hand

Using your hands to express your breast milk often takes a little while to master. Some women find that hand expressing their milk comes naturally; others find it an awkward and slow process. Many women find it is initially frustrating and tedious, but after being shown the proper technique and practising, they eventually get the knack. Being able to hand express is a useful skill to have. However, if you are finding hand expressing frustrating, tiring or unproductive, you may wish to try using a breast pump. A breast pump may also be a better option if you are needing to express for every feed, or you may choose to hand express at some times, and use a breast pump at others. 

The advantages of hand expressing are: 

• It costs nothing.
• It is convenient, no breast pumps to prepare, or sterilize.
• It can be done anywhere, any time.
• It can be used to express small amounts of milk to relieve overfull breasts (for comfort) or to gently rub milk onto sore nipples.
• It involves skin to skin contact, which stimulates a greater milk production and helps to trigger a let-down reflex.

6 EASY STEPS TO EXPRESS MILK FROM YOUR BREASTS BY HAND:

• Position your hand on your breast, with the thumb above and fingers underneath, about an inch to an inch-and-a-half behind the nipple. If your breast were a clock, your thumb would be at 12 o'clock and your fingers at 6 o'clock. Don't cup your breast in your hand. Instead, your thumb and fingers should be directly across the nipple from each other.

• Press your thumb and fingers directly back into the breast tissue, towards the wall of your chest. Don't move them further apart. Just press straight back into the breast.

• Roll your fingers and thumb forward to squeeze milk out of the milk sinuses, which are located under the areola behind the nipple. Don't slide the thumb or fingers along the skin--this will quickly make you sore.

• Repeat this sequence--position, press, roll--until the milk flow ceases. Then move your hand so that the thumb and fingers are positioned at 11 and 5 o'clock and do it again. Use both hands to work your way around one breast, then switch to the other side until you have emptied all of the milk sinuses. As soon as you see milk squirting from your nipple, you know you are compressing the underlying milk sinuses. (This position is also where baby's gums should be during efficient latch-on.)

• The trick to hand expression is discovering where to position your fingers. Experiment until you find the right spot. Having someone show you how is very helpful, too.

• Combining hand-expression with breast massage can be a very effective way to stimulate the milk-ejection reflex. Massage first, then express. Massage again, and repeat the hand- expressing routine.

"When I relaxed, I could pump more milk. A friend who's a dairy farmer told me that cows yield less milk when they're in a bad mood or if milked by a stranger."

HOW TO COLLECT THE MILK

• When you hand-express, milk sprays out in all directions.
• If you're expressing just to make your breasts more comfortable, you can lean over a sink or express into a towel.
• If you want to save the milk, you'll need something in which to collect it. Some mothers manage to aim the nipple directly into a baby bottle. Or, try a container with a wider mouth, like a coffee cup or a small jar. As the cup fills up, transfer the milk to a storage container.
• The Medela company makes a special funnel for hand-expression that collects the milk and channels it down into a standard baby bottle.

Baby Care Topics: Feeding your baby|What should my baby wear? | Bathing and Washing your Baby | Overcoming sleeping problems in your baby




Your Baby's First Year: Week by Week

You might also like

More Baby Care Topics

Hepatitis B Vaccine
MMR Vaccine
BCG Vaccine
Polio Vaccine
HIB Vaccine 
Typhoid Vaccine
Rota Virus Vaccine

Baby Care: Useful Tips
Ideal weight gain in a New Born Baby
How much sleep does your baby need?
Breast Feeding Techniques
Well Breast Feeding Signs
Bottle Feeding Advantages
How do I store my Breast Milk? 
Which day care center is more comfort?