Expressing means removing milk from your breast so you can store it and feed it to your baby later.
You can express by hand or by pump. If you need to express milk during your first few days breastfeeding, it is best to express by hand.
Expressing milk for your newborn
In the early days of your baby's life, you may want to express milk if:
- you are separated from your baby
- your baby needs to be cared for in a paediatric (children's) hospital or special care baby unit
- you or your baby are too ill to breastfeed after birth
- your breasts feel very full (engorged)
- your baby is having difficulty attaching to the breast
- you or your partner are a member of the Travelling community and are waiting to get your baby's Beutler test result
- you have chosen to feed expressed breast milk to your baby
Expressing later on
Later on in your baby's life, you may also want to express your milk if:
- you want to give your milk to your baby’s carer
- you’re going back to work and will continue breastfeeding
- you’ve introduced other foods to your baby’s diet but will continue to give them breast milk
- you wish to donate excess milk to the breast milk bank - westerntust.net
Breast milk is an important part of your baby’s diet even if they have started to eat other foods.
Choosing the right time to express
Choosing the best time to express depends on why you are expressing milk.
If you are separated from your baby or unable to breastfeed, you may be on a scheduled pumping regime.
For occasional expressing for healthy babies, some mothers choose to express 1 breast while feeding their baby on the other.
You may also choose to express immediately after a feed or when you have a good supply. For example, early morning.
Some mothers just express whenever they have time to do so. Many workplaces have a facility to breastfeed or express milk during work hours.
Exclusive pumping
Some mothers may choose to feed their baby all the time with expressed milk. This is called exclusive pumping.
If you do exclusive pumping, try to give some fresh milk to your baby. This is because freezing your breast milk can reduce some of the nutrients in it.
Fresh breast milk is best, followed by refrigerated milk.
The sooner you give your baby milk after it is expressed:
- the fewer nutrients will be lost
- the closer it is to the milk they would get from direct breastfeeding
Managing your milk supply when expressing
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