Expressing and storing breast milk

It can be very useful to know how to express your breast milk, especially:

• If your baby is in special care
• If your breasts are engorged and it’s hard for your baby to latch on
• If you are returning to work and intend to continue breastfeeding

It takes practice to master the technique that suits you best, but you should find that with perseverance it gets easier. You can express by hand or use a breast pump. There are a number of models on the market: some are for manual use, others are driven by battery or mains electricity.

© NCT Publishing

Expressing milk by hand

For helpful information, see the babyworld video on how to express milk.

You will need:

• A breast pump, if you are using one
• A wide-rimmed container to collect the milk in
• Clean hands
• A warm cloth to put on your breasts to encourage the milk to flow

You should ensure that the equipment you use for expressing and storing is sterilised. You can store milk in the fridge or the freezer, but once it has been heated, you must throw any unused milk away. Make sure you date any milk that you store.

Guidelines for storage are:

Fridge: 24 hours

Freezer compartment of the fridge: one month

Freezer: three months

To defrost the milk, stand the container in hot water. Once thawed, it should be used as soon as possible.