Your body Express yourself
If you can’t nurse your baby – for whatever reason – expressing and feeding her bottled breastmilk is the next best thing. Here’s how to do it, writes Beth Cooper Howell
MOTHER’S BREASTMILK IS A
miraculous substance packed with vital nutrients and it’s your baby’s best immune booster during the first six months of life. However, if you’re ill or going back to work, the obvious solution is to express your milk. It is a great option for women who don’t want to stop breastfeeding too soon. Expressing milk is simply taking it from your breast without your baby suckling. It can be done in three ways: manual pump electric pump or by hand. Once expressed, it can be stored in the fridge or freezer and used later to bottlefeed your baby.
EXPRESSING BY HAND
Although a breast pump is a useful and effective tool, not every mother will need one. And expressing by hand is, of course, cheaper but will require mastering a basic technique. Expressing by hand requires a gentle, rhythmic pressing down on the breasts by applying pressure on the milk ducts behind the nipple. Don’t squeeze the nipple; it’s ineffective and will hurt. Follow this process... Thoroughly wash and dry your hands. Sterilise a container for your milk. Sit comfortably upright in a chair. First place your little finger below your breast and spread the others out to support it, making sure that your thumb is on top and about 3-4cm behind the base of your nipple. Your first finger and thumb should be opposite each other, forming a C shape around your breast. Make sure they’re close to the edge of the darker skin (areola) that surrounds your nipple. Now gently squeeze the thumb and first finger and hold for a count of three. Release, but retain your thumb and first finger in the same position. Repeat this process of squeeze and release until breastmilk emerges at your nipple. This could take you several minutes. Keep your thumb stationary during the process. If it slides you may damage the skin of your breast. If your fingers feel sore or tired, switch to the other hand or change breasts. Some moms find that after a while their milk sprays out. Should this happen, try using a funnel that you’ve placed inside your container. Just remember to sterilise it as well. Practice makes perfect and many moms can eventually express milk faster than it would take with a manual or electric pump.
PUMPING PROBLEMS
Some moms struggle with a manual pump and switch to a battery-operated model, which often doesn’t help either. In this situation it may be worthwhile considering getting an electric doublebreast pump. These powerful pumps have many suction and release cycles and can pump both breasts simultaneously. Start with the lowest setting and gradually increase to a comfortable level. It’s also advisable to drink lots of water because milk supply can slow from dehydration. Pump every three hours to maintain the supply and if you skip sessions, add a few more to get back on target. Contact as many past and present pumping moms as you can via social media or baby groups. Their comments will give you a good idea of what to expect and the direction in which to go.