Every nursing mother has her own reasons for wanting to express milk. The biggest advantage is that your baby can benefit from your milk when you’re not available.
However, in the first four to six weeks, you and your baby work together to establish your milk supply.
expressing breast milk means taking milk from your breast without your baby needing to suckle. You can do this by using your hands, an electric pump or a manual pump.
The trick is to press the milk ducts behind your nipple. If you squeeze just the nipple itself, you won’t get any milk, and it’ll probably hurt.
A manual pump so known as a hand pump, it is generally affordable, smaller, lighter and quieter than an electric pump. But it can be slower to use unless you get the hang of it.
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An electric pump is easier and quicker especially for mums that spend several hours away from their baby. Or mums with more than one baby.
Electric breast pumps express your milk quickly and require less effort to use than manual breast pumps.
The downside is that it is noisy, expensive, less portable, and can’t function without electricity.
Which breast milk express method would be suitable for me?
Some women find it easier to use a pump. Whether you use a manual or an electric pump will depend on what you’re comfortable with, how often you need to express and how much milk you need to produce.
Some electric pumps allow you to express both breasts at the same time. If the first method does not work with you, try the second or third till you find the one you are comfortable with.
Pumping breast milk shouldn’t be painful. If you feel discomfort while expressing, or notice blisters or chafing on your nipple or breast, try reducing the breast pump suction.
Also, make sure you’re using the right size breast shield (the funnel-shaped part that fits over your breast).
The breast shield tunnel should surround your nipple closely, but leave enough space for it to move back and forth freely without rubbing.
It shouldn’t chafe or pull too much of your areola (the dark area around the nipple), or the breast skin around it, into the tunnel as you pump.
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How to store breast milk
It should be stored in sterilized containers, such as plastic bags designed for breast milk storage or plastic feeding bottles with secure tops. Then place it in your fridge.
Remember to write the date on the bottle or bag before putting it in the fridge or freezer, so that you use up the oldest ones first.
According to BabyCenter, freshly expressed milk can be stored for:
Up to five days, in the main part of a fridge, at 4 degrees C or lower. It’s best to put the milk at the back of the fridge where it’s coldest.
Up to two weeks, in the freezer compartment of a fridge.
Up to six months in a freezer, at minus 18 degrees C or lower.
