What is the correct way to milk?

After ten months of pregnancy, some mothers begin to enter the breastfeeding period. At this time, sometimes due to other factors such as life or work, mothers cannot breastfeed well, so they need to express milk and put the milk in the bottle. However, milking requires certain methods, otherwise the nutrients in the squeezed milk will be lost. Let’s talk about some correct methods of milking below.

Hot bottle milking

For some mothers with severe breast swelling and pain, it is difficult to express milk by hand due to tight nipples. In this case, a hot bottle can be used for milk expression. The principle of this method is similar to cupping in traditional Chinese medicine, but it is less used at present. Take a large-mouthed bottle with a capacity of 1 liter, fill the bottle with boiling water, and pour out the boiling water after a few minutes. Then, wrap the bottle you picked up with a towel and cool the bottle mouth in cold water. Put the bottle mouth on the nipple to prevent air leakage. Negative pressure gradually forms in the bottle, the nipple is sucked into the bottle, and the milk is slowly sucked into the bottle. When the milk stops flowing, gently press the skin around the bottle and the bottle can be removed.

Manual milking

1. Wash your hands, place your thumb on the upper side of the areola, and use the other four fingers to hold the breast in a "C" shape.

2. Gently press toward the sides of the chest, then squeeze the breasts with your thumb and index finger (the fingers cannot slide on the skin), relax - squeeze - relax, forming a steady rhythm.

3. Place the expressed milk in a sterilized bowl. Pay attention to your posture and sit at a table or lean against a workbench so you don't have to bend over because the bowl is too low.

Some taboos should also be noted when expressing milk. Because the baby's organs are not yet fully developed and their immunity is relatively low, mothers need to pay attention to hygiene at these times, wash their hands when expressing milk, and try to keep each milking process as short as possible within half an hour to keep the milk fresh. The milk must also be preserved after milking.