Expressing and storing breast milk
If you are returning to work or will be away from your baby during breast feeds, expressing your milk means you can continue to give them all the benefits of breast milk even if you are absent. It can also enable your partner or other family members to give you a hand in feeding your baby. If you need to express breast milk or prefer to have some breast milk stored for emergencies then there are several techniques you can use to help encourage your 'let-down' while expressing.
Expressing breast milk can be done either by hand, with a manual pump or with an electric pump. All of these techniques will work but the amount of milk expressed may vary due to a number of factors. These factors can include:
- How much milk is available,
- How easily a let-down reflex goes (with babies removing milk from the breast, there can be multiple let-downs in one feed), and
- Correct use of technique.
Many women report difficulties using pumps and it can be difficult for some women to express off a sufficient quantity of milk. This is not necessarily reflective of an insufficient supply (and most times isn't at all), but rather as a result of the inherent difficulties of the techniques used and because many women's let down reflex is impaired during expressing.
Hand expressing
Hand expressing can be a very fast, safe, cheap and effective way to express milk. Some mothers may also find their let-down reflex is more effective with hand expressing compared with a breast pump. This is because some experts feel your fingers may be better to mimic the action of a breast feeding baby than some commercial pumps.
Our team of experts can support and reassure you with hand expressing so call us on 1800 438 500.
Breast pumps
Breast pumps can be either manual or electric and you can usually rent or purchase them. Manual pumps are non-electric and the pumping action is done by hand. Electric pumps will facilitate this action and may run either on battery or from a power point (or both). The breast ideally is massaged or stimulated to start the milk flow before applying the pump; this may reduce the amount of time pumping before milk flow starts (which can be several minutes of discomfort for some women). There are also electric hospital grade pumps available for women who may need to be expressing a lot or for an extended period of time. These can be rented usually from a hospital, pharmacy or some private lactation consultants. There are a lot of pumps on the market that may not be suitable for you or work very well. If a breast pump is not effective or fitted properly then breast milk supply can be reduced and may also damage the nipples.
More information about breast pumps can be found through your Health Care Professional or a lactation consultant. You can also call our team of experts for more help.
Triggering your let-down reflex
Your let-down reflex is a conditioned reflex that ejects milk from your alveoli (where milk is stored after being secreted from the milk producing cell) to the sinuses of the breast and the nipple. It also stimulates the pituitary gland to increase the secretion of prolactin and oxytocin which help to produce milk.
Your let-down reflex needs to release in order for milk to move to the nipple and be removed. Here are a few tips in helping to facilitate this conditioned reflex:
- The most important thing to do is relax. It may help to express in a quiet or dimly lit place that is warm, relaxing and away from distractions. Breathing deeply and slowly during expressing can help maintain relaxation.
- Expressing in the same place you usually sit to feed, tuning your thoughts to your baby, or expressing either with your baby present or looking at their photo may help.
- Some mothers may need to drink water or do relaxing things like listening to music first. Sometimes a warm flannel on the breast or a shower can help trigger a let-down reflex.
- Gently massage your breasts by stroking down towards the nipple and roll your nipple between your fingers. This is not to express milk but to help try trigger your let-down.
When to express breast milk
It is important to remove breast milk regularly and frequently from the breasts to maintain supply. The amount of expressing required will depend on the baby's age, frequency of feeding and the volume needed to maintain growth.
While milk production is establishing in the first 6 weeks of an infant's life, regular removal of milk from the breast is recommended. Because breast fed babies will typically feed between 8-11 times in a 24 hour period in the first 6 weeks, it is advised to mimic this pattern when establishing milk supply. Usually the frequency of milk removal needed will lessen as a breast fed baby gets bigger and begins to space their feeds.
As a baby grows or if a baby is mixed feeding the number of times needed to express may be less. It is better to express after or around an hour after a breast feed so more milk will be produced for the next feed, or close to when you would normally be breast feeding if you are absent. The amounts you express are dependent on numerous factors which include: type and fit of equipment used, your individual storage capacity, frequency of feeding, when you express, and how many let-downs occur while expressing. Talk with your health care professional to ensure you are expressing properly as expressing improperly can affect your milk supply or contact our team of experts for more information and support.
Storage of expressed breast milk
Ensure hand hygiene before expressing breast milk. Once milk is expressed it can be stored in an appropriate container with an air tight lid. The container should have the date and time of collection and the oldest stored milk should always be used first. Milk that is fresh or refrigerated is preferable to frozen because it retains more beneficial properties. Store milk in small portion sizes of between 100-300mL to avoid wastage.
Containers and feeding equipment need to be washed in hot soapy water and then rinsed prior to being sterilized Follow the manufacturers' instructions on sterilizing and cleaning equipment carefully.
Reference:
Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia NHMRC April 2003
Frozen breast milk can be thawed by placing in the refrigerator or placing in a container with warm water until thawed. Expressed breast milk should not be placed in a microwave oven because this can destroy some of the immunological properties of the milk alongside causing uneven displacement of heat and the risk of scalding.
If you have any questions about expressing your milk our team are here to help; give them a call on 1800 438 500 or email us.
