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Expressing milk by hand is a useful talent for breastfeeding mothers to have. A great way to collect breastmilk for your baby is to hand express it. A mother's hands are the original breast pump and they are always on hand! It's a useful skill to have even if you prefer to use a more hi-tech breast pump. Manual expression can help establish, increase, or maintain milk supply. Mothers who do not need to pump their milk on a regular basis may find that occasional manual milk expression is perfect for them. A great technique for
treating plugged milk ducts is expressing milk by hand.
Manual Milk Expression Procedure and Technique
Before you begin, get your milk flowing by assisting the Milk Ejection Reflex. Start with a warm compress. Then, using a feather light touch, stroke your breast with your fingertips from the top of your chest down over the nipple. Massage your breast starting at the top of the chest, pressing firmly and moving fingers in a circular motion on one spot on the skin. The motion is similar to the one used in a breast examination. Lastly, lean forward and gently shake breasts allowing gravity to assist milk ejection.
Step 1 - Position your hand on your breast with your thumb and first 2 fingers about 1 1/2 inches behind the nipple. place your thumb pad above the nipple and your finger pads below the nipple.
Form the letter "C" with your hand. Avoid cupping the breast. Step 2 - PUSH straight back into the chest wall.Avoid spreading fingers apart. Step 3 - ROLL thumb and fingers forward.The rolling motion of thumb and fingers compresses and empties the milk ducts without injuring sensitive breast tissue. Step 4 - REPEAT the steps in a RHYTHM similar to a baby sucking... position, push, roll... position, push, roll... position, push, roll...Step 5 - ROTATE your hands position on the breast in order to adequately milk all of the milk ducts.The entire procedure of expressing milk should take about 20-30 minutes. Express each side 5-7 minutes Stroke - Massage - shake Express each side 3-5 minutes Stroke - Massage - shake Express each side 2-3 minutes
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