Breast Milk Expressing breast milk Review

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Hand expression
The easiest time to learn hand expression is during a feeding. The let-down reflex has triggered the milk to flow in both breasts, making it possible to express milk from the side on which the baby is not nursing. Hand expression becomes easier with practice.Wash your hands.Prepare a container to collect the milk. A wide-mouth container or specially designed funnel works well. Wash the container in very hot, soapy water before use. It is not necessary to sterilize the container.If you are expressing milk without your baby close by, take a few minutes to gently massage your breasts down and out toward the nipple. If possible, apply warm, moist wash cloths to your breasts three to five minutes before expressing. Thinking about or looking at a picture of your baby helps stimulate a let-down reflex.

Steps for hand expressing Support your breast between your fingers and thumb, which are placed about 1 to 1-1/2 inches back from your nipple. You may have to adjust this position forward or back to get the best results.Push inward, straight back toward your chest wall to get behind the milk ducts.Next, roll your thumb and fingers toward your nipple. This motion is not a squeezing or sliding motion, but rather a rolling motion as if you are making thumb and finger prints. Do not squeeze your nipple, only the areola.Repeat this process, rotating your hand around your breast.Switching breasts every few minutes will improve your results. It allows your milk to come down and collect in the ducts of the breast you are not expressing.