how to express breast milk by hand
expressing milk by hand (manual expression) is one way to collect breast milk. but it takes a long time to empty a breast all the way. and it is rarely practical if you plan to return to work.
expressing a small amount of milk from both breasts can help relieve a breast that is engorged and make it easier to breastfeed.
to express milk manually:
- wash your hands with soap and warm water before you touch your breast.
- gently massage your breast with both hands, sliding your hands from the outer areas of your breast toward the nipple.
- with your hand below your breast, position your thumb on one side of the dark circle (areola) and your fingers on the other side. keep your thumb and fingers about a centimetre away from the areola.
- push your thumb and fingers in toward your chest wall. then gently squeeze the breast tissue. don't slide your fingers over your skin.
- repeatedly push in and squeeze until your milk begins to flow. collect the milk in a clean container.
- move your fingers slightly around the areola and repeat the massage to drain the entire breast.
- when the flow of milk slows, move to the other breast and repeat the steps above. switch between breasts until you have emptied both breasts.
current as of: july 10, 2023
author: healthwise staff
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