How to properly young mother express breast milk with her hands

Despite the fact that you can find a lot of information about breastfeeding, still the question of expressing milk remains open. Not so long ago, newborns were fed strictly according to the regime, every three hours. Now this practice is outdated, pediatricians advise to feed the child on demand.

In fact, feeding by the hour and hand pumping was highly developed in Soviet times, when there was very little time for maternity leave to care for the child. Young mothers were forced to go to work after the baby was three months old.

Many switched to artificial feeding, and those mothers who still wanted to breastfeed, expressed milk. In this article, you will learn all about how to properly express breast milk by hand.

Why express milk

In the modern world, leave to care for a baby has expanded considerably, mothers can safely breastfeed and grow a baby.

Only in some cases there is a need to express milk.

• in the first days after the birth of the baby;
• if blockages or inflammations in the chest develop;
• there is a Rh factor;
• if for any reason it is impossible to breastfeed;
• if there is not enough milk;
• if there is a lot of milk;
• after alcoholic beverages;
• after anesthesia;
• after fluorography.

After the baby is born, in the mother's breast, colostrum is first formed, which it feeds on for three to four days. Then milk gradually flows.

If there is too much milk, the child may not have time to empty the breast, and the milk accumulates in it. A woman feels discomfort, heaviness in the chest and other phenomena. In this case, it is necessary to express the milk, as there is a risk of mastitis.

Newborns are often not able to actively suck, even if they are brought by the hour to the mother for feeding. Therefore, to preserve lactation, mothers pump milk and bottle-fed babies until they learn to suck properly.

Sometimes it happens, the Rh factor of the baby does not coincide with the Rh factor of the mother. Then immediately feed the baby with breast milk is prohibited.

Doctors make sure that at least ten days have passed, only then it is possible to carry out feeding. Moms during this period will have to suffer and express milk. However, if a baby is given a blood transfusion, then breastfeeding is allowed on the same day.

With blockages or inflammation, which occur due to the fact that inexperienced mothers did not express the milk in time, it is difficult for the child to breastfeed and suck. The breasts start to hurt and one woman can no longer cope with decanting. In this case, she will have to ask for help from professionals who know how to properly carry out this process.

There are cases when there is no way to breastfeed. For example, when a child is sick, or if the child is born weak. It happens the other way, mom got sick and was forced to take a lot of drugs. Or she has strong nipple cracks or when she has to urgently go to work, or go somewhere.

Often, women who have just given birth seem to have little milk. This is especially true of primiparous. In vain they start to get nervous, and from this the milk can really disappear. In this case, you need the help of a doctor, a specialist in this area.

And those mothers who have too much milk should be remembered that stagnation can lead to undesirable consequences. At the first stage, the baby should be applied to the breast more often, but if he cannot actively suck, then of course you need to apply the hand squeezing technique.

In case of alcohol poisoning, anesthesia or fluorography, applying a baby to the chest is the height of levity. It is better to wait until the harmful effects end, only then feed the baby. In this case, you should pour out the expressed milk.

Breast preparation for pumping

To facilitate the process of expressing milk, women are advised before that, if possible, take a warm shower or bath, drink hot tea, make a light breast massage.

If a woman does not plan to feed the baby with milk, then the process of decanting can be done in front of the sink in the bathroom, while a towel should be put under the breast.

If it is not possible to take a shower, then you can put a heated terry towel on your chest, then you must wash it with your hands and soap.

How to express breast milk by hand

We give step by step instructions.

Step 1

Prepare the chest for pumping. To do this, one hand should support it from the bottom, and the other to massage in a circular motion from the ribs to the nipple.

Step 2

It is best to express while sitting, leaning slightly forward.

Step 3

The little finger of the hand, which is closer to the chest, which is decanted, it is better to put under the ribs, and the rest of the fingers need to hold it.

Step 4

The thumb should be put on three centimeters above the nipple and with the help of this finger and index finger, you can express the milk. Milk comes from the depths of the breast, so you should not press on the nipple.

Step 5

Then you need to squeeze and release your thumb and forefinger. This should be done rhythmically, perhaps the milk will not appear immediately, so you need to be patient.

Step 6

As soon as the milk appears, it should be collected in the dishes prepared in advance. This may be a baby bottle or other container. In advance it is necessary to rinse, rinse with boiling water, and it is better to sterilize.

Step 7

Pressing on the chest must be carefully, but with pressure. Fingers should as if slide on a breast, thus the woman should not feel pain.

Step 8

As soon as the milk becomes less, the mother should change position and squeeze out the other breast.

Step 9

You can also help yourself, pushing the entire chest towards the chest. This will result in the following scheme of decanting. Push - decant - release.

Step 10

There are breast pumps for decanting, but not always they help to effectively empty the breast.

How to determine that you pump milk properly

In fact, not properly expressing milk, you can hurt yourself. Therefore, in order not to make such mistakes, mothers should adhere to the following rules:

• when pumping, there should be no discomfort. If they do appear, then the pumping technique is wrong;
• you can not sit for a long time in an inclined position, your back gets tired because of the load on the muscles, the maximum time is half an hour;
• you can not press on the nipple, it can lead to cracks, besides it is useless, since there is no milk in the nipple;
• you can not roughly handle the breast, rub, press on it, all these actions can lead to injuries and the development of mastitis;
• you can not express much milk, this can lead to the fact that milk will be produced too much;
• you can not refuse to express milk, even if the first attempts were unsuccessful.

It is known that, as much as a child eats milk, so much will go back to the chest, so improper expression can lead to stagnation and inflammation of the breast.

Marmet technique

This technique of expressing breast milk includes the following steps.

• The fingers are placed between the areola and the skin of the chest;
• Fingers press in the direction of the chest, that is, you need to grope filled with milk bags, which felt tuberosity;
• Then you need to roll the fingers from the chest to the nipple without pressing on the chest;
• It should be remembered that the movements should be smooth, the fingers should not fidget on the skin of the chest, they should stand in one place;
• If the fingers will fidget, there may be a rubbing on the skin;
• Press on the chest rhythmically until milk appears;
• Decant until milk is less;
• Switch to the other chest.

In the body of a woman there is a reflex that is responsible for lactation. It is called oxytocin. The calmer the mother, the more oxytocin is produced. When pumping it is necessary to remember that short but frequent expressions produce lactation better than rare and long-lasting ones.

Errors in pumping: it is important not to allow!

Errors in pumping can lead to many serious consequences and complications.

1. First, mistakes can lead to milk stagnation, which in turn leads to inflammation;
2. With strong pressure on the chest, mastitis may occur;
3. Due to the constant compression and friction of the nipples, cracks may occur;
4. All this can lead to the fact that milk will stop flowing, or at best stop for a while.

Hands straining takes a lot of time and effort, many doctors recommend using a breast pump, but if you use it incorrectly, the consequences will be even more severe than if you improperly stretch your hands.

It is important not to panic, not be nervous, all this can lead to the fact that oxytocin will stop producing and there will be very little milk.

What to do with milk stagnation

Milk stasis or lactostasis is formed when milk does not move in any part of the breast. As a result, a milk plug is formed, which leads to edema of the breast, pain and redness of the breast, and often women suffer from fever.

The reasons for the stagnation of milk may be different. Improper feeding, long breaks between feedings, as well as improper breast pumping. How to deal with this phenomenon.

1. It is necessary to apply the baby more often to the breast, only the child can well draw out the milk and clean the ducts;
2. If there is no temperature, you can attach a hot towel to the blockage or take a shower;
3. Gently massage the place where the stagnation is groped;
4. Use your hands to squeeze the milk by pressing and massaging the plugged area;
5. Apply a cold compress briefly to reduce swelling.

After decanting, it is advisable to give the breast to the baby, which can suck the remaining stagnation well.

Among the popular recipes are popular cakes made of honey and flour, as well as putting cabbage leaves on a sick chest.

What to do with expressed milk

Today it is proved that the expressed milk, if properly stored, does not deteriorate, but remains as useful. It is necessary to decant milk in a sterilized container. In the refrigerator, milk can stand without any damage for up to five days. Keep better in a glass container that fits tightly.

It is also known that mother's milk, located in a cool place (not in the refrigerator) for six to ten hours, prevents the formation of bacteria, therefore it is suitable for use.

And you can store milk in the freezer for six months. Dishes in which to store the milk in the freezer should be sterilized and dried. Some manufacturers produce special bags for breast milk.

But in no case can not use disposable bags or plastic bottles for freezing. Moms should remember that they can never process breast milk before freezing, especially not to boil it!

Having gained this knowledge, women will be able to grow up healthy and cheerful babies.

Additional information on the proper pumping is in the following video.

Watch the video: Self-Massage for Nursing Mothers and New Moms from Louisville Massage Therapist Heather Wibbels, LMT (May 2024).