How to Get Milk From Your Breasts

Breast-feeding allows a mother and her baby to bond. However, there are instances in which a mother will need to express milk from her breasts without nursing her child. A mother may need to express milk in order to provide relief from breast engorgement, maintain her milk production or to store the milk for future use. In such situations, manual expression is a means of retrieving milk from the breasts.

Instructions

1

Wash your hands with the soap and water. Take the supplies and move to a relaxing area. Select a space where you will feel comfortable pumping.

2

Place the picture directly in your line of sight. Place the warm compresses on your breasts and relax for three to five minutes. Focus on the picture and think about your baby.

3

Place both hands around one breast. Gently massage the breasts by moving your hands down the breast and out towards the nipple. Take one hand and use the fingertips to massage around the breast in a circular motion.

4

Position the container beneath the nipple of the breast you are expressing. Take one hand and place the thumb on top of the breast, and one or two fingers below the breast. Position the fingers around the areola.

5

Push the fingers back against your breast and towards your chest cavity. Gently roll your thumb and fingers over the breast and towards the nipple; stop short of squeezing the nipple.

6

Rotate the fingers around the areola and repeat the process. Switch to the opposite breast every few minutes to allow the milk to gather in the milk ducts and to aid expression. Continue until you have drained the breasts.