Hand Expressing
Hand expressing breast milk is something I always thought of as a temporary thing to help with common breastfeeding problems. But I have recently met a lot of mums who actually use hand expressing to gently express whole feeds when they are away from their baby.
Most mums use their hands to express by placing their thumb and finger on either side of their areola (the dark skin on the breast which surrounds the nipple). They position them so that if they were to draw a line between their thumb and finger it would go through the middle of their nipple.
It helps me to think of my areola and nipple like toothpaste. If I were to squeeze only the nozzle of your toothpaste nothing would come out. I guess it's the same principle with your breast, squeezing and pulling out your nipple will probably give you pain rather than milk.
Because most breast milk is stored behind the areola, it can be helpful to push your thumb and finger back into the breast and roll them forwards and out towards the nipple…push and roll, push and roll. If this gets tiring and your hands get sore, swapping breasts or hands can help.
It's a good idea to wash your hands and the container that use will use to collect your breast milk before expressing and it helps to use a container with a wide opening (or you can use a funnel), and hasn't been used to store fatty foods. You may not need to sterilize the container as your breast milk has antibacterial agents in it, but washing it in warm soapy water is a good idea. Drying your hands and container with a paper towel rather than a cloth that may have been used to dry dishes or cooking surfaces can help minimise the spread of germs. Lots of mums also find it helpful to place a towel across your lap to catch any spills.
Be gentle with your breast and try to express in a rhythm that mimics your baby's sucking…they usually suck fast at first so "suck, suck, suck" and then once the milk flows they slow it down to a "suck, suck, gulp, suck, suck, gulp". Once the let—down has happened you may notice the milk spray out in a number of streams. If this slows down or stops then turning your hand slightly to drain milk from other areas of your areola can help.
Lots of mums find that with any type of expressing is that it can take time to have a let-down (milk flow). Although I have lots of tips to help with a let-down, just know that everyone is different and it can be perfectly normal for it to need time and practice.
It took me a couple of weeks full of attempts before I was able to collect anything -which I thought was—significant, but every drop counts…just like the journey of a 1000 miles starts with one single step, you will get there.
The great thing about hand expressing is that it's a skill you will be able use with most breastfeeding problems for example, to ease engorgement, sore or cracked nipples, even inverted nipples. Or simply use it to express full breast feeds without having to buy pumps or accessories to do it.
Please always remember to consult your health professional to find out information that is relevant to your specific situation.
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