Hand expressing vs. pumping to substitute feed

[AK89]

Just wondering if anyone knows whether hand expressing would be good enough to substitute a feed when I'm out and about as opposed to lugging my pump about with me and using that!

 

[ameliare]

Depends on your supply and your body. Some women can pump and get loads, but express and get none, or the opposite. I have a oversupply so hand expressing works fine for me. I can express 5oz from each side (same as pumping). Hand expressing tends to bring my supply up.

 

[AK89]

I've never tried doing an actual session of hand expressing and measuring it but it does tend to come out pretty quick whn I do it. I've been hand expressing a little bit before my LO latches at night 'cause I've been a bit engorged and I've been worried about a potential foremilk / hindmilk imbalance and so wanted to make sure she wasn't just getting loads of foremilk during her night feeds, and I do seem to be able to get it going quite well with my hand. I sometimes do this to help things along when I'm using my electric pump too, so I think I'm definitely alright at doing it. But would I literally have to empty each boob like I would during a pumping session? Or would I get away with just emptying them a bit so they're not full d'you think?

 

[misspriss]

I did it at work a couple of times when my pump malfunctioned or I forgot a part. I got less than pumping but usually "enough". This only worked when I was EBF, after solids were introduced and nursing reduced, it didn't work as well.

Also, it is a pain. I hated it. It was a lot of work.