Avoid Using these Motions While Hand Expressing Breast Milk
- Don’t squeeze the breast. Instead hold the breasts gently while using the downward motion used to express breast milk. This will avoid bruising on your breasts.
- Don’t pull on the breast or nipple. Doing so many cause unseen damage to your breast tissue.
- Avoid sliding your hand on your breasts, this can cause your skin to burn similar to a rug burn.
Tips for Expressing Breast Milk
- Relax.
- Find a comfortable chair.
- Allow yourself at least 20-30 minutes.
- Hold a picture of your baby to help trigger milk let down.
Catching Expressed Breast Milk
If you planning on using the breast milk that you are expressing, you should use a sterile bowl or container. The best container for this method is a wide mouthed container. Once you have finished expressing the breast milk, transfer the milk into a sealed bottle or storage bags designed to store breast milk.
When Should I Hand Express?
Hand expression is great for mother’s who exclusively breastfeed and don’t need to express breast milk on a regular basis. If you have to pump multiple times a day or for an extended amount of time, you might want to invest in a breast pump. Hand expression is great for:
- Relieving occasional engorgement
- Drawing out flat or inverted nipples
- To unclog a milk duct
- Relieve symptoms of mastitis
Video Demonstration of the Marmet Hand Expression Technique
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Have you ever had to manually express breast milk?
