expressing milk!

What does expressing mean?


Expressing breastmilk is the act of squeezing milk from your breasts, either by hand or with a manual or electric pump. It is the only way, apart from breastfeeding itself, to release milk from your breasts. Once you extract the milk, you can store it in bottles or containers to feed to your baby at a later date. Some women say expressing milk makes them feel like a cow - so if you've had this thought, you're not alone.


Why should I express milk?

If you are going to be away from your baby (for either a few hours or a whole day), you may want to pump or manually express breast milk beforehand and store it. That way, your baby can still get the benefits of breastmilk even though someone else will be feeding him while you're gone. (Learn more about expressing milk at work.)

Expressing milk is also a great way to relieve engorged breasts - think of it as letting some air out of overfilled tyres - and increase your milk supply. It also helps prolong breastfeeding by keeping your milk supply up if you're temporarily unable to breastfeed because you're taking medication that can be harmful to your baby, for example, or if you're hospitalised for a short time and can't breastfeed throughout the day.


How do I express milk?


There are two ways. If you only need to express milk every once in a while, for comfort or a rare bottle-feed, you may be able to get by with expressing by hand. This is the cheapest way to do it because it requires no equipment, but it can be time-consuming and takes practice. Some women, however, find hand expressing more efficient than using a breast pump. Wash your hands before you start. Then, place your thumb 4-5cm away from your nipple and your fingers below so they form a "C" around the areola, and squeeze your finger and thumb together, pushing your hand back against the chest wall, continuing this process in a circular motion around your areola. If your finger and thumb are too close to the nipple, the "squeeze" will hurt and be ineffective. Use a sterile, wide-rimmed container to collect the milk.

Electric and manual breast pumps may be faster and more efficient. To use an electric pump, you put a suction cup over your breast, turn the machine on, and let it do the work of extracting milk into an attached container. Manual pumps also use a suction cup, but you extract the milk by using a squeeze mechanism or operating some other device rather than relying on a motor powered by electricity. On average it takes 15 to 45 minutes to pump both breasts. Good breast pumps try to mimic the sucking action of a baby, stimulating your let down reflex, and don't cause pain.

Knowing which breast pump is right for you depends on how often you plan to use one and how much time you can spare for expressing. If you work full-time and have to find time to pump during a busy day, you might want to choose an ultrafast hospital-grade electric pump, which are very expensive to buy, or can be hired. But if you only need to express the odd feed occasionally so your partner can feed the baby when you're out, a cheaper manual pump may be sufficient, and some women prefer them to electric pumps.

Source.. http://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/breastfeeding/pumpingexpressing/expressingbreastmilk/