HealthPartners - Preparing for childbirth

Hand Expression Removing breast milk without nursing your baby is called “expressing” milk. You can do this with your hand or using a breast pump. Hand expressing your milk makes it easier to:

BREASTFEEDING

SCAN + PLAY

• Confirm that you have milk • Get your baby to latch on quicker • Stimulate breasts to make more milk • Collect milk to spoon-feed a fussy baby • Relieve engorged breasts

HAND EXPRESSION STEPS

Wash your hands with soap and water.

Have a clean container (bowl or cup) ready to catch your milk.

Gently massage your breasts, stroking from the top toward the nipple.

Place your hand in a wide, C-shaped hold on the breast.

Press in and toward your chest wall.

Gently squeeze the breast to express milk, then relax. Don’t rub or move your fingers on your skin.

Rotate your fingers to another position on the breast and repeat.

Chapter 9: Breastfeeding 107