EXPRESSING AND STORING breast milk What is expressed breast milk? If your baby was born prematurely or has EXPRESSING MILK BY HAND It is your milk that has been collected in a other special medical needs, their • Wash your hands container by using a pump or your hand. pediatrician may advise to delay the start of • Place one hand at the edge of the areola of Your milk can vary in color and consistency breastfeeding. You can express your milk so one breast, with your thumb above and according to the time of day it is expressed that it can be fed to your baby until your fingers below the areola and the as well as the age of your baby. The amount breastfeeding is possible. nipple in the center (see Figure 13). Your you are able to express in one session will If your baby is having difficulty latching on fingers and thumb should not be moved on also vary, depending on when your baby was due to flat or inverted nipples, an electric the skin, as this leads to pinching of the last fed, how old they are, how much breast pump may help to correct that. Some nipple. Pull back toward your chest, press practice you’ve had at expressing, and how mothers need the extra breast stimulation your thumb and fingers together to squeeze much milk you are producing. If your baby is that pumping provides in order to maintain the breast, and then roll them forward a newborn, it is normal to get only small their milk supply due to an infant’s weak or toward your nipple. Hold your thumb and amounts of colostrum. Although small in ineffective suck. This can happen with a fingers in this squeezing position as long as amount, colostrum is very important for sleepy full-term infant or a premature infant. milk is coming out. Then let go. Do the your baby’s health and should be saved same thing again. Continue to use this and fed to your baby. How do you express your milk? “milking” action in a rhythm. Your baby is usually more effective at Your situation may dictate which method of • Move your hand around the areola removing milk from your breasts than any expression you use. For example, if you need to reach all parts of each breast. Alternate method of expression. to be away from your baby full-time at work between breasts, or school, or if your baby is unable to continuing until enough milk has When would you need to express your breastfeed, it is recommended that you rent been expressed. breast milk? There are many an electric pump. Select one with a double • Remember that hand expression is like any circumstances when you might need to pumping kit so you can pump both breasts at other manual skill: it takes practice before express your breast milk. Any situation the same time for most effective milk you become good at it that requires you to be away from your baby removal and cut the time to complete a for more than a few hours or for a few pumping session in half. If you need to be feedings may require you to express some separated from your baby only occasionally, milk. a hand pump or hand expression may suit your needs. The amount you are able to In the first few days, as your milk supply express in one session will increases, you may become engorged (see also vary Figure 13. Expressing milk by hand. “Engorgement,” page 30) and expressing some breast milk will allow your baby to latch on more effectively. 36 37