How to express milk after giving birth

The main source of food for newborn babies is mother’s breast milk, but due to many reasons mother cannot feed directly. At this time, mother needs to squeeze out the milk. Many people don’t know how to do this. If you also don’t know how to squeeze milk after giving birth, then you can take some of the following methods.

The first step is for the mother to lean forward to collect the milk, which is less likely to flow down the breasts. If someone can help with the squeezing, the mother can also lie on her side and relax, and then squeeze the top breast.

The second step is to massage gently for a while. Not everyone needs a massage, you can just start squeezing. The purpose of massage is to stimulate the milk letdown reflex. Remember what we said before, only with the milk letdown reflex can milk be expressed effectively. You can use a comb to "gently brush the surface of the breast" to stimulate the milk ejection reflex. The breast-feeding sticks commonly used by many mothers actually just use the end with particles to gently brush the surface of the breast. The purpose is also to stimulate the milk ejection reflex. Be careful not to scrape the surface of the breast vigorously like scraping.

The third step is to place your index finger and thumb about three to four centimeters away from the nipple (do not use the areola as a reference). When squeezing, keep your two fingers fixed in the initial position and do not slide on the skin, otherwise it is easy to rub the breast epidermis.

The fourth step is to place your index finger and thumb about three to four centimeters away from the nipple, and press back toward the chest wall. Be careful not to stretch the areola, as this will cause discomfort. Then put your index finger and thumb together and press. During the whole process, the two fingers are fixed. The entire milking process is divided into three actions: press back, squeeze, and relax; press back, squeeze, and relax... and repeat this cycle until the purpose of milking is achieved.

What should I do if I can’t express breast milk?

If you cannot express milk, it means that the milk letdown reflex has not come. At this time, you should relax and continue to repeat these movements to stimulate your breasts. Soon you will find that with the same force, the milk is gradually increasing, which means that the milk letdown reflex has come. Pain means that the method is wrong. Don't squeeze too hard, as it will hurt your breasts and your hands will be sore. You should squeeze relaxedly with moderate force, and repeat with the same force. When the milk ejection reflex comes, the leaking milk will naturally and quickly gather into one drop, which can then be caught in the bottle. The milk letdown reflex is a unilateral breast stimulation and a bilateral breast reaction, so alternating between left and right sides to squeeze milk can make the milk letdown reflex come faster. At the same time, you can also change the direction of squeezing, and squeeze in the direction where there is more milk. Hand expressing is not something you can learn overnight. It requires repeated practice. Most mothers can get the hang of it quickly. If there is a problem with your breasts, do not blindly express milk by hand. You should seek professional help to solve the breast problem as soon as possible.