How To Express Breastmilk

Voiceover [and background music]

Expressing milk means squeezing milk out of your breast. You would do this if you were separated from your baby for any reason. If you find you need to express breast milk, express by hand if you can especially in the first few days.

Lactation consultant

Look I'm going to just show you how to hand express. It's a really, really good skill for you to know. You're just never quite sure when you maybe separated from one or other of your little people, um and use it at any point in time. You don't need any equipment, just clean hands.

I'm going to show you, I'll show you on my …

[Audio of baby sounds on and off throughout dialogue]

Lactation consultant

…on this little breast, this knitted breast and then we'll go through it together with you.

Mum

OK.

Lactation consultant

So the most important thing really is that you've washed your hands, you've got a clean bottle or something to express into and, um, that you can actually encourage your let down.

It's really important to encourage your let down before you actually express because you just can't get your milk away unless you've actually had a let down. That can, you can do by massaging your breast, by some heat but more importantly looking at your little people. When you can smell your babies or just actually see them, or if that's not possible, just nice music, feeling comfortable and if you've got any discomfort at all making sure that that's gone, like some people who've had, um, an unfortunate or a difficult delivery may feel a bit awkward on their sit-upon so having some pain relief before they express is really important.

So now if we show you how to do it, I'll show, demonstrate straight on my, on this breast, the knitted breast and then we'll, um,  I'll get you to do it. Is that OK?

Mum

Sounds good.

Lactation consultant

Right. So the most important thing, so we're going to encourage that, um, that let down by circulating, bringing your stroking your breast; bit of heat sometimes is helpful - perhaps after a shower is really helpful, and now sometimes you can even get a drip of milk coming away before you even start.

Now put our finger and thumb opposing one another, so in other words almost opposite …

Mum

[Muffled comment]

Lactation consultant

… not, not kind of like this. We want the nipple in the centre. It's almost like a line between the two opposing one another and you'll find a, a spot, probably about two centimetres from the base of your nipple but that actually varies from woman to woman. It's called the sweet spot and you'll feel it in your breast. It's a lovely soft area before all the glandular tissue which is behind here which is a bit firmer.

So you put your finger and thumb opposing one another. You push back into your breast, bring your finger and thumb together and just, it's a kind of a rolling action really, on the one spot …

Mum

OK

Lactation consultant

…and you rotate around your breast

all the way round, milking the different ducts, all the way through the breast, collecting the, obviously the milk, as it comes away. Have you got any questions before we try it?

Mum

No, I, I guess I'm a little surprised that you're pushing down rather than sort of drawing out ... like you're sort of, how I imagine it from ah,

[Muffled comments from lactation consultant, talking at the same time as Mum]

Mum

… from what you see from …

Lactation consultant

Yes, yes.

Mum

… cows

Lactation consultant

Yes, cows, yes … and I think it's because ... we don't want you pulling on the skin because if you keep doing that then in fact it becomes very irritating. The areola, the pink, the darker part of your breast, pink in this case, but the darker part, is actually the most sensitive part of your breast, and so therefore if it's going to hurt then you probably will not let down again. You know, you'll be stressed and the milk won't flow so you don't want to irritate that area. It's just pushing back and then bringing your finger and thumb together and you'll find that because of the tissue it will actually move slightly forward and you just keep going through …

Mum

OK

Lactation consultant

… and it ... you get into a rhythm. OK?

Mum

Yep

Lactation consultant

Are you quite comfortable to use that?

Mum

Yeah

Lactation consultant

To try that?

Mum

Yeah no certainly.

Lactation consultant

OK

Mum

Let me just put her down. Keep her close there. There you go.

Lactation consultant

So you washed your hands before you came in.

Mum

Yes I did.

Lactation consultant

It is important.

Mum

Yep. I've got a sterile bottle.

Lactation consultant

Yes and you've got your bottle.

Mum

Think we're set, so …

Lactation consultant

So we're going to massage, just do some nice, soft, gentle

Lactation consultant and Mum together

… massage around …

Lactation consultant

Yes

Mum

Yep

Lactation consultant

… and uh... we haven't got any heat but maybe you've just had a shower.

Mum

It's quite warm in here.

Lactation consultant and Mum together

Laughing

Mum

Yeah no problem.

Mum

… and so should that be enough to just sort of?

Lactation consultant

Yes, yes, yes I think so, um, you may even see some milk coming when you've had …when you're feeling

Lactation consultant and Mum together

…more comfortable …

Mum

Yep

Lactation consultant

Now if you think about that sweet spot …

Mum

So two centimetres on either side?

Lactation consultant

Yes, yes. Can you feel anything?

Mum

Well it's probably a little bit harder. I can feel it when I come in a wee bit.

Lactation consultant

Yes does that feel nice and soft in that area?

Mum

I'm the not two centimetre lady!

Lactation consultant and Mum together

Laughing

Lactation consultant

Perfect.

It's interesting because your breasts, you know as you get to sort of around about four weeks, your breasts soften because you ... when you first have your baby your breasts become very firm and full with lymph and blood to get them going, but by about four weeks they soften right down and some people think oh there's no milk left you know. But you know it'll show very much whether ... that you've got it.

Mum

So like that? So it's pushing down?

Lactation consultant

Your finger and thumb opposing one another?

Well done.

Mum

And then uh it's going to be … probably turn around that way.

Lactation consultant

Might be better, yes. Push back.

Yes.

Mum

Yeah?

Lactation consultant

Again that's great.

Just keep ... get into a nice rhythm. You put your finger and thumb …

Mum

Yep.

Lactation consultant

Back there.

Mum

And you said move round. Do I do that once it stops?

Lactation consultant

A good question. No keep on the same spot until, yes, you may chose just to move slightly back further with your finger and thumb.

Mum

There?

Lactation consultant

Yes. It looks about there, yes.

Mum

OK?

Lactation consultant

Yes.

That's excellent. Just keep going.

[Background music from her until the end of video]

Lactation consultant

Get into a rhythm, yes absolutely, until it's absolutely stopped.

Mum

Until the duct has done its thing?

Lactation consultant

Yes. OK. That's right. Well done.

You might find that you'll get a duct. Sometimes it just squirts and will catch me!

Lactation consultant and Mum

Laughing.

Mum

Hopefully not!