Many women hand express milk to reduce engorgement, [1] X Research source improve let down, and save milk for later use. For some women, hand expression can be a more comfortable alternative to breast pumps. The process can be done anywhere, and without special tools or devices. It has also been shown to help the breasts produce more milk; some women's breasts express milk more easily through skin-to-skin contact than through the use of a plastic pump. [2] X Research source If you want to know how to hand express breast milk, see Step 1 to get started.
Steps
Part 1
Part 1 of 2:
Getting Started
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Wash your hands. Your hands should be washed before you attempt to hand express breast milk. If you washed your hands with cold water, let them warm up before touching your breasts. Cold hands can cause the process to take longer than warm hands. If it's your first time and you're feeling uncertain, you can also ask for help from a nurse, or even get some help from your partner.
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Put a cloth moistened with warm water over your breast for 2 minutes. This can help with the expression of milk. Though it's not necessary, it certainly won't hurt the process.Advertisement
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Give your breasts a massage. If you want to prime your breasts for hand expression further, you can give your breasts a gentle massage using your hands or a soft towel. Just gently knead and massage the skin around both nipples to help your breasts relax and get ready to produce milk.Advertisement
Part 2
Part 2 of 2:
Hand Expressing Your Breast Milk
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Sit up and lean forward. This position will make it easier for you to express your milk and to stay comfortable during the process. However, if you need to, you can still pump effectively if you're standing up.
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Position your fingers over the milk reservoirs on your breast. You should position your hands in a "C" above or below your nipple. Here's what you should do:
- Put your thumb above your nipple. It should rest approximately 1 inch (2.54 cm) above your nipple. [3] X Research source
- Place the first 2 fingers of your hand 1 inch (2.54 cm) below your nipple directly in line with your thumb.
- Adjust your finger placement for comfort and your breast size.
- Refrain from cupping your breast in this position.
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Apply pressure inward toward your chest wall. The pressure should be gentle and firm, but should not feel like you are squeezing the breast at all. Avoid tightening or stretching your skin over the areola, because this will make it more difficult to express the milk. Press your thumb and index finger directly back into the breast tissue, into the wall of the chest. Here are some other things to keep in mind:
- Remember to press back, not out, and to roll your fingers, not slide them.
- Roll your thumb and fingers forward so that you squeeze the milk out of the milk sinuses, which are found under the areola, under the nipple.
- Keep fingers together. Spreading your fingers out reduces the effectiveness of the process.
- Lift larger breasts before applying pressure.
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Express breast milk. Use a rolling motion away from your body with your thumb and fingers. Compress your breast with this rolling motion. As the saying goes, you should press, compress, and then relax. Once you get used to it, you should be able to fall into a rhythm, as if the baby were nursing, which will help you express your breast milk more easily.
- Every woman's breasts are different. It's up to you to find the best position that helps you express the most milk.
- You can also experiment with expressing your breast milk, massaging, expressing your milk, and massaging again.
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Collect the expressed breast milk in a container. If you're expressing just to make your breasts feel more comfortable, you can express the milk into a towel or just express it over a sink. Here are some things that you can do if you do want to save the milk for later use:
- Utilize milk bags to collect the expressed milk.
- Express the milk directly into bottles for later use.
- Use a funnel to direct the breast milk into your chosen container, if necessary.
- Use a container with a wider mouth, such as a coffee cup or a small jar. Once the cup is filled, transfer the milk into a storage container.
EXPERT TIPJulie Matheney is an International board certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and the Founder of The LA Lactation Lady, her lactation consulting business based in Los Angeles, California. She has over eight years of lactation consulting experience. She earned her MS in Speech-Language Pathology from Miami University and has earned a Certificate of Clinical Competence for Speech-Language Pathologists (CCC-SLP). She also earned her Certified Lactation Educator Counselor (CLEC) certificate from the University of California, San Diego.Julie Matheney, MS, CCC-SLP, CLEC, IBCLC
International Board Certified Lactation ConsultantExpert Warning: Before you hand express your breast milk, wash the container you plan to use with hot, soapy water. That way, you can ensure there isn't any bacteria that could contaminate the milk.
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Repeat the process on the other breast. Change positions slightly on each breast to completely express all milk. Moving back and forth between the breasts will stimulate even more expression of milk.Advertisement
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Tips
- Keep a towel nearby to wipe off any spills or drips. Hand expression of breast milk does not always direct milk in the place you expect it to go. Be prepared to wipe extra milk off of you or your clothes.Thanks
- Hand expression of breast milk sometimes takes a few tries to master. Try again if the first attempt does not create the results you expected.Thanks
- Use either hand to express breast milk. Some choose to use their right hands, if they are right-handed; while left-handed women tend to use their left hands. Use whichever hand is most effective.Thanks
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Warnings
- Do not pull on your nipple to express milk. The area around the nipple is where pressure should be applied to work milk out of the milk reservoirs.Thanks
- Do not squeeze your breast. Breasts can be tender when breast feeding. Squeezing them can cause pain.Thanks
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References
- ↑ https://kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mother/engorgement/
- ↑ https://www.laleche.org.uk/hand-expression-of-breastmilk/
- ↑ https://kellymom.com/bf/pumpingmoms/pumping/hand-expression/
- http://www.babies.sutterhealth.org/breastfeeding/bf_expressing_storing.html
- http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/HandExpression.html
- http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/feeding-eating/breastfeeding/faqs/hand-expressing-your-milk
About this article
Article Summary
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To express your own breast milk by hand, position your fingers over the milk reservoirs on your breast by making your hand into a “C” above or below your nipple. With your hand in this position, apply gentle pressure inward toward your chest. As you do this, roll your thumb and fingers forward so you squeeze the milk out of the milk sinus. Make sure to avoid stretching the skin over your areola as you massage. Using a rolling motion, you should press, compress, and relax to get into a rhythm to help express your breast milk more easily. If you’re expressing just to feel a little more comfortable, and not to nurse, express the milk into a towel or over the sink. To use the milk later, simply express it directly into a bottle. For more tips, like how to prepare your breast to be expressed, scroll down.
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Reader Success Stories
- "I had success years ago hand expressing breast milk while on break at work. Now helping my daughter learn how to hand express so she will have skills when she returns to work in 6 weeks. The breaststroke pump makes her sore. No need to carry around the pump. " ..." more
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"I had success years ago hand expressing breast milk while on break at work. Now helping my daughter learn how to hand express so she will have skills when she returns to work in 6 weeks. The breaststroke pump makes her sore. No need to carry around the pump. "
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"Thank you, I was curious to know how long breast milk will hold after pumping. My baby sometimes prefers to nurse on my breast, and it just made me think the milk in the bottle was no good. Turns out sometimes he just wants nurse directly from me."
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"Very helpful for a new mama just from the hospital whose breasts are swollen. This helped me extract milk within one hour and I had immediate relief. The hot compresses work great."
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"The step-by-step guidelines are very informative. I have used this info for myself and as well as for my friends who are in dire need of breast milk for their young ones."
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"This helped me to milk myself and is really useful for relieving my milk. "
