Expecting mommyz, are you already noticing that your breast milk is leaking? This is a common thing, especially if you’re nearing your delivery. Wondering if it’s safe to hand express breast milk? In this article, we dive into what hand expression means and how to safely extract, collect, and store your breast milk even while you’re still pregnant!

What Does Expressing Milk by Hand Mean?

Hand expressing breast milk, or also known as manual expression, is a breastfeeding technique that uses your own hands rather than the baby or a mechanical breast pump to extract milk out of your breasts. By way of squeezing the milk out, you can store and feed it to your baby for later use.

There are many reasons why different moms express breast milk in this manner. You might want to try hand expression if you:

Have previous experiences or predict breastfeeding problems
Feel uncomfortable with your engorged breasts
Baby has problems latching
Need to be away from your baby (for example, having to go back to work)
Want your family to help out in feeding your baby
Want to increase your breast milk supply

Whether you are pregnant or already breastfeeding, hand expressions are really beneficial. For one, it helps in encouraging the “let-down” reflex which stimulates your body to produce more breast milk. It also provides relief to your engorged breasts and helps in preventing sore nipples. In addition, it’s free and convenient! No more special tools and devices, and you can do it anytime and anywhere.

Is It Safe to Express Milk Before Giving Birth?

The Power of The First Milk aka Colostrum

You’ve probably heard of the term colostrum or the “first milk”. It’s the fluid produced by your breast at around the twentieth (20th) week of your pregnancy and during the first few days after the birth of your baby. Colostrum has a somehow thick and sticky consistency and can vary in appearance (dark yellow or clear, at times). Did you know that this liquid is one of the most important fluids your child needs right after they’re born? Here’s why:

It’s a type of milk that’s easily digestible which makes it the most perfect first food for your baby.
It consists of well-balanced nutrition for your newborn baby. There’s a higher amount of protein and immunoglobulins which helps in strengthening the baby’s immune system. Although little in volume, colostrum gives just the right of energy and nutrients your baby’s need.
It’s a good laxative for the baby as it aids in kickstarting your baby’s first bowel movements.

Since colostrum can be produced as early as when you are pregnant, some people choose to extract them during this time. Antenatal milk expression (AME) is a technique where the first milk or colostrum is being collected prior to childbirth.

Story Time

I was always so scared to try to do anything with my breasts while pregnant because I was told it could be bad for the baby, and it could even bring on labor early.

The truth is that could be the case for some women although it’s very unlikely, it’s just that doctors like to play it safe, so they can never take the chance to advise otherwise.

I myself did start with nipple stimulation and hand expressing when I was 38 weeks pregnant, I would do breast massage and hand expressions 3 times per day for about 10-15 minutes. After about 5 days I did start expressing small drops of colostrum, and two days after that I had my son. It was a huge benefit because I much more confident hand expressing, and I was able to latch Isaac right away and start feeding him much easier than I had done with Samuel my first son.

Because I already had a strong flow of colostrum, and I also felt that the hand expressing had helped to increase my colostrum supply.

What Can Hand Expressing During Pregnancy Help With?

Breast milk is superior to infant formula as it can help babies, particularly those with health requirements
Collecting your supply of breast milk before pregnancy can help in preventing the need for infant formula
Hand expressing promotes milk production and increases your supply after giving birth

Who Can Benefit from Antenatal Milk Expression (AME)?

In instances where breastfeeding difficulties are anticipated, expressing the colostrum by hand can be favorable for some moms. This can be a good technique to apply during pregnancy if you have:

A mother has gestational diabetes
Previous experience with low milk supply
Breast hypoplasia
Diagnosed with a polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
Had any breast augmentation surgeries
Have multiple sclerosis (MS)

It also proves to be beneficial for babies who are expected to have some troubles breastfeeding, such as the following:

Detected to have cleft lip and/or palate
Congenital conditions like down syndrome or heart problems
Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) diagnosis
Prematurely born babies

However, it is not recommended for women with a history of preterm labor or experiencing cervical incompetence to start hand expression during pregnancy. It’s best to discuss this method with your ob-gyn or lactation consultant for guidance.

How to Express Milk by Hand

Step 1: Preparation

It’s important to prioritize safety when it comes to expressing your milk by hand. These are the best preparation tips before starting hand expression:

Wash hands with antibacterial or antiseptic soap. Keep your fingernails short and clean to avoid scratches while expressing your milk.
Put a washcloth in warm water and place it on your breast for a few minutes, or take a warm shower. You can also use gel pads to warm your breast. This helps in softening the tissues in your breast and initiates the “let-down” reflex.
Start by doing soft massages on your breast. Put one hand below the breast and one above the nipple. Do soft circular motions so that you can stimulate milk flow.

Step 2: Expressing the milk

Hold a bottle or a cup underneath the nipple so that you can be ready to catch the milk
Have your thumb on top of the nipple and two fingers under and press gently. Avoid squeezing or yanking the nipple.
The first few pressures can start some milk flow, but take this as just as an initial sign to prepare to secrete some more milk
Make a “U” or “C” sign with your fingers along with your nipple and compress the breast similarly
Continue pressing until you get a few drops of breast milk.
Follow a press, compress, and release method

Step 3: After Expressing

Feed the expressed breast milk to your babies through a bottle or cup feeding
Store the breast milk in the right containers for later use

Are there other methods to express breast milk?

Other than direct breastfeeding and hand expression, there is also an option to use breast pumps. This can be mechanical (through hand pumps) or by using electric pumps. The best way to promote exclusively and continuous breast milk is by applying a combination of both hand expressing and expressing through a pump.

Take Away….

Did you know that you can start breastfeeding as early as your 20th week in pregnancy? Yes! So this means you can start expressing the first milk or colostrum at this early stage. Colostrum is such wonderful first food for your baby as it contains the essential nutrients your baby needs. This is especially important to be fed right after your baby is born so they get the protection, in the form of the antibodies and immunoglobulins, that they would need.

One of the best ways to collect breast milk even while you are pregnant is through hand expression. This is an easy, cost-effective, and very beneficial technique in extracting breast milk. It proves to be best especially for mothers with diabetes, breast tissue problems, PCOS, multiple sclerosis, and those with previous breastfeeding issues. Hand expressing can promote the continuous supply of breast milk and exclusive breastfeeding for your baby.

Expressing by hand is done through the right preparation, execution, and storage. Make sure that you clean your breast and hands before expressing. Do the pressing, compressing, and releasing method to extract the breast milk.