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Hand Expression of Breastmilk

Hand expression of breast milk may be required to feed a LBW or sick newborn who cannot breastfeed. It also helps maintaining the production of breastmilk and relieve breast engorgement.

Nursing staff should teach and help mother in expression of breastmilk.

PROCEDURE​

  • Clean hands and container
  • Relax and stimulate lactation through gentle massage to nipple using circular motions of fingers and then by stimulating breast buds with thumbs and forefinger. It will take 1 - 5 minutes before lactation is started.
  • Sit comfortably with the upper body leaning forward, and hold the container near the breast
  • Tell mother to place her thumb above nipple and areola, and her first finger below. The rest of her fingers are supporting the breast.
  • Press fingers slightly inward towards the chest wall and then together on the lactiferous sinuses. Press and release, press and release.
  • If it hurts the technique is wrong.
  • Move fingers around the breast to make sure that milk is expressed from all segments of the breasts.
  • Express one breast for at least 5 minutes, normally it takes 20 - 30 minutes to hand express adequately.

STORAGE OF BREASTMILK​

  • Storage at room temperature: 6 hours.
  • Storage in refrigerator at 4°C: 24 hours.
  • Storage in deep freezer at -20°C: 3 months.

References​

  • Anne –Pia Hæggqvist, Breastfeeding of babies with special needs
  • Dept. of Pediatrics AIIMS/ WHO Essential Newborn Nursing for small hospitals 2009
  • Ashok Deorari – Practical procedures for the Newborn Nursery
  • Oslo University Hospital, NICU – Procedure handexpression of breastmilk

Document Information​

Current Version

Version: 2.0
Published: August 20, 2015
Contributors: Teaching Nurses from Norway and FBNCU Nursing Staff, JK Lone Hospital, SMS Medical College, Jaipur
Previous Versions: v1.0