Hand expressing

8 replies

pupuce · 08/05/2002 09:28

Hi Mears, I wanted to report back... I have now started hand expressing (I always used a Medela pump before) and it worked well... got my usual 4 oz in a bit more than with an electrical pump (20 minutes)... I did have sore hands afterwards but I guess I need to practice !!!! I need to have 5 oz but just got "tired" after 4 !!!
Anyway thanks for the advice. Now I know that if I am stuck without my pump I can always hand express and I do plan to continue.

P.S. Starting my bf counsellor course today !!!

OP posts:

mears · 08/05/2002 09:46

Well done pupuce. Did you remember to keep switching sides as the milk flow slowed? I always found that I could get far more from the right one than the left. I also expressed inbetween feeds because I found it too slow after feeds. I believe you still have enough then to feed the baby when needed because you always let milk down to them. Remember also you don't have to get 5 oz. in one go. The beauty about hand expressing is that because you don't have to set up equipment you can try again a while later to get the extra ounce or so.
I must confess that when dd was older and on solids, on the occasions that I was running a bit behind with stored milk, if I was an ounce short of what she usually took when I was at work I topped the bottle up with boiled water. I knew she wouldn't starve and would be happy till I got home
Good luck with the B/F course.

Reager · 08/05/2002 22:06

This may seem like a silly question but how do you hand express?

SofiaAmes · 08/05/2002 23:10

I assume that pupuce means with a hand pump (as opposed to an electric one) rather than actually massaging her breasts with her hands (which can be done, but usually isn't too effective). I found that I had no problem expressing with a hand pump and like mears got more from the right breast than from the left one. I found that running the inner bit that sits on your breast under hot water beforehand (to make it warm) helped quite a bit. Within a few weeks I was able to get 6 - 8 oz at a sitting. But I was only doing it once or twice a week to have extra on hand if we went out, so the baby sitter would have breastmilk to feed my son. And I would generally do the expressing when we got in from the night out and my breasts were full from having missed the feed. I then put it in the freezer for the next outing.

Original poster

pupuce · 08/05/2002 23:31

No Mears and I are talking : HAND AND BREAST - no pump ! It is completely feasible - trust us

I will search tomorrow and post the info Mears had passed on.

OP posts:

bloss · 08/05/2002 23:45

Message withdrawn

bells2 · 09/05/2002 07:38

My Aussie sister-in-law hand expressed her very premature baby for 18 months without any problems.

jenny2998 · 12/05/2002 12:48

I hand-expressed for 10months as my ds had a cleft-lip and palate and was unable to breastfeed. After trying hand and electric pumps I found doing it by hand much easier and more 'productive.'

Sarahexplores · 10/07/2024 18:53

curious what did you use to collect milk when hand expressing

Flip