Will hand expressing breast milk cause my milk to stop flowing?

Women who are breastfeeding usually need to go to work. When their breasts become swollen, they need to squeeze out the milk by hand in time, otherwise it is easy to cause milk stasis and acute mastitis. In fact, the milk squeezed out by hand is the same as the milk sucked by the baby, and the nutritional content will not change. However, it is best not to store the squeezed breast milk for more than 4 hours. Will hand-squeezing breast milk reduce milk production?

Generally speaking, expressing milk by hand will not lead to milk withdrawal, so you can rest assured. However, it is best to let the baby suck by himself, as this will stimulate the breasts to secrete more milk. During the day when you are at work, if your breasts become swollen, you can express them. This will leave space for milk secretion and will not cause milk regurgitation.

In what cases will milk return?

1. Eating foods that cause milk withdrawal

Many people don’t know that some foods can cause milk dry up after eating. Common foods include: leeks, peppers, bamboo shoots, asparagus, chili peppers, bitter gourd, watermelon, garlic, malt, strong tea, etc. These categories are also the most common and frequently consumed foods in people's daily lives. Therefore, breastfeeding mothers must pay attention and never touch these foods. If it causes milk to dry up, you won’t be able to get it back even if you want to.

2. Emotional instability

Mothers who have given birth should all know that if they are angry, the amount of milk will decrease. Moreover, various body functions will change when a person is happy or irritable. If the mother is often emotionally unstable, it is very likely that milk will dry up. Therefore, during the breastfeeding period, family members, especially the husband, must spend more time with the wife and give her enough care and love.

3. Overwork

After having a baby, life is no longer as easy as before and I have to take care of everything by myself. However, during breastfeeding, if the mother needs to do everything by herself, the amount of milk will obviously decrease. Only when the mother has a good rest and her body functions are in the best condition can she produce milk more easily. Therefore, as a family member helping out, you must take on housework and other laborious tasks. After giving birth, a woman's body becomes extremely weak. If she does housework at this time, it will not only affect her health, but also the baby will not be able to absorb sufficient nutrition. Is this the result you want to see?

4. Lack of nutrition

We all know that during the confinement period, mothers should eat more eggs, drink more soup, etc. to promote the secretion of milk. And after the confinement period, do not ignore it. Nutrition still needs to be supplemented in time. If the nutrition is not enough, the mother’s milk may be insufficient. Therefore, women who are breastfeeding must pay more attention and never think that they don’t need to supplement nutrition after the confinement period. If you want your baby to be plump and white, you must first absorb sufficient nutrition.