Breastfeeding mothers have to resort to pumping for a variety of reasons. And quite often the procedure is carried out by hand. How to express the mammary gland with your hands correctly and what nuances should be considered with this type of expression?
Pros
- The procedure can be carried out anywhere, as well as at any time convenient for the mother, since it does not require additional devices.
- Mom independently controls the pressure on her breasts.
- The method does not require additional financial expenses.
- The procedure is more pleasant for the breast than contact with a breast pump.
Minuses
- This pumping is quite long (it takes about 20-30 minutes), so mom needs to be patient.
- Not all women are able to express a large portion of milk with their hands.
- This method is considered non-sterile and many pediatricians do not recommend feeding a baby with hand-expressed milk.
Technics
Massaging your breasts before expressing will help you express your milk faster. Moreover, it is very beneficial for a nursing mom.
The hand expression technique is shown in the following figure.
Prepare a sterile container and wash your hands well, and get into a comfortable position. After that, place your hand on your chest so that your thumb is above the nipple on top of the areola, and the rest of your fingers are under the nipple. Press gently on your chest with your fingertips. The pressure should come from the base to the areola and then to the nipple.
Let your movements be sliding, and your fingers do not come off the skin of your chest. First, drops of milk will appear from the nipple, and then it will begin to flow out in trickles.
Many women find it convenient to press on the areola with the fingers of both hands. You should not apply too much effort and do not need to squeeze the glands too much. Also, do not pull on the nipples and press on them - this will not help to express more milk, but on the contrary, it can cause cracks.
Express milk from one gland for at least 5 minutes. When the milk has stopped coming out of the breast, move your fingers to another position or start expressing the second breast (you can return to the first one later).
What to do with lactostasis and stagnation?
Expressing with lactostasis is aimed at alleviating the condition of the mother. First, a woman should knead her breasts for about 15 minutes. Movements must be accurate and performed in a circle. Rub the chest with the tips of four fingers.
Breast massage is very beneficial for any breastfeeding mom, don't forget about it.
You can also take a shower (stand under warm water), drink warm tea, and massage your back in the thoracic spine.
Warm bottle method
Some mums benefit from the warm bottle method. For its application, take a glass bottle with a volume of one to three liters, the diameter of the neck of which is at least 4 centimeters. The glass is heated by immersing the bottle in hot water or pouring water inside, and then the neck of the container is cooled. The neck of the bottle is applied to the areola greased with petroleum jelly so that the nipple gets inside it. This will pull the nipple inward and let the milk flow into the bottle. When the milk flow becomes weak, the nipple should be removed from the bottle.
Watch the following video of the Union of Pediatricians of Russia, where a specialized mammologist demonstrates breastfeeding techniques and talks about important nuances.
Tips
- Like breastfeeding, pumping takes patience and practice. Mom quickly develops the necessary skills and can soon receive the amount of milk she needs from her breast.
- To facilitate hand expression, the mother needs to induce milk flow to her breasts before the procedure. To do this, you can apply a warm wet cloth to your breast, go to a warm shower, drink a warm drink 10 minutes before the procedure, massage your breasts, think about your baby.
- The easiest way to express milk from one breast is when your baby is sucking on the other, as the inflow occurs simultaneously in both breasts.
If you feel pain while expressing, then you are doing something wrong. When hands are struggling to express, it is best to see a specialist who can help with breastfeeding.
