Expressing ..

[meowmeow]

hi..

i just read in my babybook that its possible to express breastmilk without pump.. i.e just with hand. Is it that practical ? Anyone out there really had a success with this? Because I plan to BF bubba.. but like the idea to get my OH involved with this .. atleast once in 2 weeks or so get OH feed bub ..! (My busy OH!!!).. I dont want to invest into a pump because I want to bond reallly really close with bubba and have set a dream milestone for 2 and half year!! (if things go well!!)

So, manual expression of milk is a possibility?? Your thoughts please!

 

[Lani]

I'm sure some people are really good at it, but I wasn't. By hand, I'd be lucky to get two or three drops! And I had ALOT of milk. With my manual breast pump I'd get anywhere between 50ml and 300ml. A good tip for successful expressing is to do it at the same time every day. Then your body thinks it's just another feed (in the middle of the night is good too if u can be bothered!) I had s freezer full of milk this way.

 

[Sevenladybugs]

Not practical! You can get a tiny bit, but it's much easier to use a manual pump if you don't want to spend a lot. I only used expressed milk a few times when I had to go somewhere unexpectedly without baby, and my grandmother's memorial service. I just pumped and froze it in case every few weeks or so I'd add another little baggie of milk. I don't think it will get in the way of long term BF I BF my kids for 2 yrs +/- 6 months and pumping the occasional bottle never got in they way of bonding with them.

 

[littleblonde]

it just hurt me and took ages for a tiny amount. I used a manual. Like above try same time each day. Night time better as we produce more. They advise not to bottle feed expressed milk for the 1st 6 weeks as it can cause confusion as bottle feedin is less work for baby than breast feeding. But oh can bond in other ways. Like burping baby or bathin baby. Then after 6 weeks try expressed milk. You can start to build up a supply before then. And be nice for you to get a little break. You could ask this in bf section. More of them may of hand expressed x

 

[AP]

Expressing with a pump is hard enough with a baby around, i imagine hand expressing would be even harder, more time consuming.

 

[theresarhuebb]

my mw said to do hand pump while in the bath have a cup handy or what ever it is your using. as the warmth helps the milk flow. also to place a warm flannel on your boob before your hand pump.
also although your partner may want to help you not really supposed to use a pump or bottles till your milk flow and baby have been established. normally around 6-8 wks. good luck! x

 

[Kiddo]

I found hand expressing good for when my boobs were engorged and my pump wouldn't latch on properly but as soon as I'd got the enough out then I'd use the pump for the rest as it was much quicker, more effective and less tiring on the hands. I would struggle to get a full feed from hand expressing.