How to Express Your Breast Milk

I was having trouble getting the milk to flow when I was breastfeeding my son, and I know a lot of mothers are having the same problem. Or there might be times when you are not able to personally feed your baby. This is where expressing your milk and storing it comes in. If properly stored, you can give the milk to your baby at a later time. Ive tried plenty of different ways, and some helped more than others. But I've wrote down what I've tried, and step by step how you do each one. Whether you want to express your milk and store it for later use, or you just wish to express it so you have more milk flow, these techniques will help you out.

Two ways to express your milk includes by hand and by pump. Using your hands seems to be the quick and easiest of the two, and also free. Where as using a pump is also easy, it demands more, and depending on the brand, can get pricey. But research, practice, and review and you'll find what fits you best.

Steps to expressing your milk by hand.

It's important to wash your hands thoroughly before you start. And you'll always want to start squeezing from the back of the breast and sliding your hands forward to the edge of the areola. Keep going and repeat this until you have emptied all the milk. You'll want to squeeze the milk into the container that your baby will be feeding from. Or if you are storing the milk, then use the appropriate liners and items that are needed to do this. Using the right tools for storing your breast milk is very important, especially for your baby.

1. Wash your hands thoroughly. Relaxing in a comfortable and warm spot will allow your milk to flow quicker. Warm your body, you can use a blanket to cover your shoulders, or sit near a heater, or even a warm washcloth covering your breast.

2. Start massaging your breasts. This helps to release the milk and helps you to relax, which increases the amount of milk you'll receive.

A few massaging techniques to get your breasts ready to be expressed:

A. Use two fingertips to make circles around your entire breast. Starting from the back and moving forward and toward the areola.

B. Soak a washcloth in warm water and squeeze out the excess water. Then you will press this on your breast and massage over it firmly. Being sure to cover your entire breast, going back to forward.

C. Grasp your breast with both hands, with your thumb on top and your fingers on bottom. Your hands should make a diamond shape around your breast. You'll want to squeeze slightly, starting at the back and sliding forward.

D. Start by putting one hand on top of your breast and one hand on bottom. Slide your hands forward, from the back and moving toward the nipple. Repeat this action, but move your hands to either sides of your breast. You'll want to do this repeatedly, covering all your breast and moving your hands from top and bottom then on both sides.

How to express your breast milk, step by step:

1. Grasp the outer edge of your areola with your thum on top of your breast and your fingers below.
2. Squeeze your fingers together and push away from the nipple.
3. Then change the direction and push toward the nipple
4. Move your hand a quarter turn and repeat, until you go around the entire breast.
5. Do this several times, rest, then do it all over again, until no more milk flows, or barely flowing.

Expressing your milk with a breast pump:

There are several kinds of pump and each one works differently. Before I bought my two pumps, I did a lot of reseach on each brand (which I suggest you do also). There are some expensive ones that look like they would do a lot of good, but they had alot of bad reviews. So be cautious. You could even ask other breast feeding mothers about what they used, and what was best for them. If they still have their pump, maybe you could use it and try it out to see how it fits you.

The pumps I have, and used often, is a Medela electric pump and an Avent hand pump. My favorite was the electric one, it has a suction hat best matches baby's sucking action, and took no effort. With the electric one, you just sit back, relax, watch some TV as it does all the work for you, all you have to do is hold it up. And the hand pump I purchased mainly so I have one to carry with me, in case I didn't bring enough stored milk while on errands or a short trip. Sometimes you'll find you are not able to hold baby and personally feed him. Example, maybe you're stuck in traffic, and need to make a quick bottle. You can pull out the hand pump, which can fit under your shirt, and pump the bottle full. If you have a nipple to fit the bottle on the pump (which most come with) then you are all set, ready to go. Both of these pumps have helped me out a lot.

Best way to express milk using the breast pump:

In order to get more milk flowing, you'll want to pump each breast several times.
Start by pumping one breast for 5 - 8 minutes and switch to the next breast and pump for the same amount of time.
Then back on the first breast for 3 - 5 minutes, and the same for the second.
And again on the first for 2 - 3 minutes, and the same on the second.
Continue switching back and forth about 3 minutes each, until the milk stops flowing or your breasts feel too tender.
Take breaks as needed, or just stop, and try to go a little longer next time.