To hand express breast milk, follow these steps: Preparation:
- Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water or use hand sanitizer if water is unavailable.
- Use a clean, wide-mouthed container to collect the milk.
- Find a comfortable, warm, and quiet place to relax. Lean slightly forward to let gravity assist milk flow.
- Gently massage your breasts, including the area up to your armpits, to stimulate milk let-down.
Hand Expression Technique:
- Position your thumb above the nipple and your fingers below it, about 1 to 2 inches behind the nipple, forming a "C" shape around the breast.
- Press your thumb and fingers gently back toward your chest wall without sliding them along the skin.
- Compress the breast tissue by bringing your thumb and fingers together, then release without moving your hand.
- Repeat this press-compress-release rhythm steadily, mimicking a baby's suckling.
- When milk flow slows or stops in one area, move your fingers around the breast (like juicing different segments of an orange) and repeat the process.
- Switch to the other breast and repeat the steps.
- Continue alternating breasts until milk flow significantly slows or stops.
Additional Tips:
- Avoid squeezing the nipple directly to prevent soreness.
- It may take several minutes for milk to start flowing, especially in early days.
- Keeping a piece of clothing that smells like your baby nearby or thinking about your baby can help stimulate let-down.
- Hand expression should be comfortable; adjust your technique if you feel pain.
- Frequent short sessions can be more effective than infrequent long ones.
This method is useful for relieving engorgement, stimulating milk production, or collecting milk when a pump is unavailable
