Hand expression should not hurt.
Hand expression should not hurt. If it does, your technique may be too rough. It's important to avoid bruising or damaging the breast tissue, which could lead to a lowered milk output. Always wash your hands before hand expressing and have a clean wide-mouth container on hand to catch the milk.
Yes, if done incorrectly. Hand expressing is a skill and, like any skill, takes time to learn. If you're not careful, you can damage your breast tissue. This can lead to pain, bruising, and even mastitis.
Early stimulation of the breast is essential to building a strong milk supply. Studies have found that hand expression can be more effective at removing colostrum, boosting production, and increasing the duration of breastfeeding than pumping alone.
Mothers usually get more milk using hand expression alone or combined with pumping than using just a pump. It requires no special equipment and is always available, even in emergencies.
A study of 60 moms who experienced engorgement concluded that hand expression was more effective at relieving engorgement than using a manual breast pump (Source). Another study showed that mothers appreciated being taught hand expression techniques as a tool to manage engorgement (Source).
Totally emptying the breasts when manually expressing your milk – by hand expression – will usually take about 20 – 30 minutes. Figuring out how to hand express is a learned skill, but one that is very valuable as you navigate your breast milk feeding journey.
Breastfeeding or pumping challenges, OR scheduled feedings/pumping that have longer intervals than your breasts can comfortably hold - lead to removing less milk from the breast, and causing the milk to get “stuck”. This can lead to pain, inflammation and possibly plugged ducts/mastitis.
The longest break between expressing sessions should be no longer than five hours. This is very important in the first 2 weeks to build a good milk supply. Some mothers can reduce to 6 times per day when their milk volume reaches approximately 750ml per day.
Hand expression should not hurt.
If you have any questions or think you might be doing something wrong, make sure to check in with a lactation consultant or attend a lactation support group.
Pumping pain can happen for a host of reasons: dry skin, the collagen fibers in the nipples needing to stretch, flanges that are too big or too small, the suction on the pump. If you're continuously in pain when you pump, something's not right.
Many women experience sore, cracked, or even infected nipples while breastfeeding. While this can also happen with pumping, a poor latch of the baby and the intense suction of breastfeeding is more likely to cause nipple pain than pumping.
Will Pumping Make Engorgement Worse? Pumping shouldn't make engorgement worse—in fact, it might help alleviate engorgement. If your breast is engorged, it might become too firm for your baby to latch.
Plugged duct
❖ Occasionally a mom may express “strings” or grains of thickened milk or fatty-looking milk. ❖ After a plugged duct or mastitis has resolved, it is common for the area to remain reddened or have a bruised feeling for a week or so afterwards.
In general: Breastfeed or express more frequently if your breasts are uncomfortably full. Long gaps between feeds can also make a blocked duct more likely to come back. Although there are no studies about this, many women find it helpful to try to break up the blockage by using an electric toothbrush.
Mature human breast milk tastes “sweet and a little nutty, with an almost vanilla-like flavor.” Breast milk can taste saltier after having mastitis, during the last few months of pregnancy, or when milk consumption falls below a certain amount—a change in flavor that may affect your baby's desire to wean.
It's a way of taking milk from the breasts without baby needing to breastfeed directly (NHS Choices, 2014). You can do this using your hands, a manual pump or an electric breast pump. Using expressed milk can be handy for women for many different reasons. Some people may do it because they have babies who can't feed.
Gently press your thumb and fingers together, release your fingers and repeat in a rhythmic movement. It may take a few minutes so be patient! Gradually your breast milk (or colostrum) will start to slowly drip out. Keep going, try to build up a rhythm – you're doing really well!
Hand expression is a useful technique, and what's more it's convenient and free! It's a handy way to relieve engorged breasts. You can use it to stimulate milk production if you need to increase your supply, and to provide milk for your baby.
How often? If you need to establish milk production without breastfeeding your newborn baby, aim to express 8–12 times per 24 hours including at least once during the night to mimic a baby's natural breastfeeding pattern.
Expressing frequently (at least 8–10 times in 24- hours, including overnight) will help establish the milk supply. If your breasts become very full, hand express a little milk just before the feed to help your baby to latch on well.
In short, you should pump until milk isn't coming out any more. Or, if you're trying to boost your supply, pump a little while longer after the milk stops flowing.
Increase pumping frequency
Generally, moms should be pumping every 3 hours. Pumping more often can help stimulate breasts to produce more milk. Moms can try pumping both breasts for 15 minutes every two hours for 48-72 hours. Then moms can return to their normal pumping routine.