Why express milk?
Once breastfeeding is well established, expressing milk is perfect for situations where you may not be able to breastfeed, or need to be away from your baby but want them to have the nutrients that breast milk provides. Another great reason to express is that it’s one of the ways your partner can bond with your baby, by getting involved in feeding.
It’s always a good idea to talk to your health care professional first if you are thinking about expressing breast milk.
Expressing milk by hand
Before expressing milk, soften your breasts with a warm flannel, or by taking a shower or massaging them. Then, once you’ve cleaned your hands and sterilised a wide rimmed bowl to collect your milk, you can start expressing.
- Support your breast with one hand then massage down from the top of your breast to the nipple. Work all round it including the underside.
- Now put gentle pressure on the area behind the areola (the dark skin around your nipples) with your thumb and forefinger.
- Squeeze them together and press backwards to release your milk. Be warned though, it can spray in lots of directions!
Expressing milk by electric pump
Using a pump can be quicker and less tiring than using your hands. Remember to soften your breasts with a warm shower or massage beforehand and make sure the pump is thoroughly sterilised before expressing. Depending on the pump you use, it should take 15 - 45 minutes and shouldn’t cause any pain.
Storing expressed milk
You can store milk in a bottle in your fridge or freezer. But once heated, any unused milk must be thrown away. Remember to date the milk you store –
Storing breast milk for home use
Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia NHMRC April 2003
Getting your baby used to bottles
Some breastfed babies can be reluctant to switch to bottles in the beginning. Try experimenting with the following:
- Different types of teat
- Warming the expressed breast milk only to body temperature
- Getting someone else to feed them for a while (it’s best to leave the room so your baby can’t see you or smell your breast milk)
- Holding your baby in a different position, such as propped up against your front and facing away from you.
It may take some time – and patience – before your baby gets into the swing of things. If you’ve tried everything and your baby is still not happy feeding from a bottle, speak again with your health care professional or give our clubNutricia advisory service a call for some one-to-one advice.
What equipment do I need?
There’s lots of choice when it comes to feeding equipment. Nipple-shaped or traditional teats? Fast or slow flow? Glass or plastic bottle? And what kind of sterilising equipment will you choose? It’s usually a matter of what suits you and your baby best, and this information should help you work that out. But if you have any more questions, do contact us.
Stocking up to get started
Before you start you’ll need to buy:
- 4-6 baby bottles of appropriate size
- 4-6 teats
- Sterilising equipment- this depends on the method you choose for sterilisation
- A bottle-cleaning brush
Baby bottles
Baby bottles come in a variety of sizes:
- Smaller bottles from 125 ml for newborns and young babies
- Larger bottles can hold up to 330 mls bottles for older babies
- Fully ventilated bottles are the best choice as they eliminate air vacuums
Sterilisers
Sterilising is vitally important because it kills the germs that cause tummy upsets and illness. Before you sterilise, you must wash the bottles and teats in warm soapy water and scrub with a bottle-cleaning brush (or put them through the dishwasher). Some people find glass bottles easier to clean than plastic, but they break more easily. There are several ways to sterilise your baby's feeding equipment:
- Boiling
- Cold water sterilising solution
- Steriliser Tabs
- Steam sterilising
- Microwave sterilising
Teats
Teats come in all sorts of shapes and sizes – and even materials! It’s best to start with slow flowing teats for newborns. Once they’re used to taking your breast milk from a bottle switch to a medium flow. Use fast-flow teats when you're confident your baby can suck at the right pace and won’t be overwhelmed at the speed of the milk flow. Choking, spluttering and milk leaking from your baby’s mouth are all signs that the flow may be too fast for them. If your baby is struggling with bottle feeding, try changing the type or make of teat.
- Newborns – one hole gives a slow flow to encourage strong sucking
- Older babies – more holes give a faster flow
Check the condition of the teats regularly. Teats will wear over time and may need replacing particularly if you baby has teeth and bites. Discard any teats with cracked collars.
Using the right teat
There are many different kinds of teat available, teats can be made of latex whilst others are made of silicon, which is more durable but less flexible. You also have a choice in terms of the shape of the teat and speed at which it will allow milk to flow through. There’s no hard and fast rule as to which you should choose, it’s a case of finding the one your baby is most comfortable with. In terms of flow, you’ll need a slower teat to start with.
If you bottlefeed your baby, make sure you use the same teats you plan to use at home. Speak with the nurses, midwives or health care professional at the hospital to help you decide which teat is best for your baby.
Other useful extras
As well as the obvious equipment there are a few other things that can make your life easier:
How do I sterilise bottles?
During their first year of life, your baby is at their most vulnerable to viruses, bacteria and infection. It’s impossible to make the world germ-free, but sterilisation is vital when it comes to protecting your baby and keeping them safe and healthy. I’m sure you’ll have plenty of questions about this so do call the team for more help.
Which method should I use?
There are a number of safe ways to sterilise your baby’s bottles.
- Steam: Electric steamers sterilise bottles in 8-12 minutes. They leave no unpleasant smell or taste, but are not suitable for all equipment (breast-pumps, for example). Make sure the openings of the bottles and teats are facing downwards in the steriliser. Follow manufacturers’ instructions carefully.
- Microwave: You can now buy bottles that you simply place in the microwave and heat for 90 seconds. Or you can buy a steriliser that fits in your microwave. Follow manufacturers’ instructions carefully.
- Boiling: To sterilise a bottle by boiling. Completely submerge all feeding equipment in boiling water for 5 minutes. Note that teats wear out more quickly if boiled. Be very careful when boiling bottles and check your equipment can be boiled. Use metal tongs to lift bottles out of the pan.
- Cold water: Using an approved sterilisation tablet (prepare the sterilising solution according to the manufacturer’s instruction) takes around 30 minutes and is highly effective; it can touch the skin and even be swallowed with no ill-effects. You can use a specially designed sterilisation unit or container; make sure the bottles and teats are fully submerged. The bottles can stay sterilised in the water for up to 24 hours.
Tips for sterilisation
- Use a sterilised bottle, cap and teat for every feed
- Before sterilising, wash bottles, rings and teats thoroughly with hot soapy water and a bottle brush to clean away any remaining milk deposits
- Once sterilised, any equipment not used straight away, should be left in the solution until they are required