Expressing and storing breast milk

There may be times when your baby can’t feed at the breast and you may need to express milk so you can then feed with a cup or bottle.

You can express by using your hand, hand-held pumps or electric pumps. This is a personal decision. It is important to clean your hands before you start expressing and have a sterile container ready to express the milk into.

How to express breast milk by hand

1. Wash your hands with soap and warm water.
2. Dry hands with a clean towel, paper towel or dryer.
3. Gently massage the breast. Start from the outer edge of the breast and stroke towards the nipple. Work your way around the full circle of your breast, including underneath your breast to make sure your whole breast is massaged.
4. Hold a clean plastic container under your breast to catch the expressed milk. If this is too difficult, put the container on your lap or a table. You may need a towel to catch any spills.
5. Place your thumb and finger opposite each other on the outer edge of your areola.
6. Gently press inwards towards the centre of your breast, squeezing your finger and thumb together.
7. Repeat with a continuous rolling movement. The fingers should not slide over or pinch the skin.
8. Once the milk flow has stopped, move the fingers around the nipple and press again.
9. Repeat the same steps on the other breast.
10. If more milk is needed, you can repeat on both breasts or wait and try again later.

If you are using a hand or electric pump, follow the instructions on the packaging. 

A flange is the funnel-shaped part of the breast pump that forms a vacuum seal when placed onto the breast and nipple. Be sure to use the right size flange for your nipple.

You may find the following video by Raising Children Network useful: Common Breastfeeding questions: enough milk, too much milk, expressing

How to store expressed breast milk safely

1. Wash hands with soap and water – hands must be well dried with a clean towel, paper towel or hand dryer.
2. Refrigerate or freeze milk after expressing. Store your milk in strong plastic bags, glass, or containers that are free from BPA.
3. Write the date on the container and use the oldest milk first.
4. You can feed your baby expressed breast milk with a spoon, bottle or cup.
5. Warm the breast milk by putting it in warm water.
6. If the breast milk is frozen, you can thaw or defrost it in cold or warm water. Don’t use a microwave oven to thaw or warm breast milk because it can destroy some of the milk’s benefits. It can also make hotspots in the milk.
7. Check the temperature of the breast milk before feeding it to your baby
8. Take apart all the containers and pump kit for breast milk. Wash them in hot soapy water and rinse or wash them in a dishwasher. They should always be completely air dried or dried with paper towels.

Tips for traveling with breast milk

Use the following tips to keep expressed breast milk safe when you are travelling out and about:

• Keep breast milk cool by carrying it in an insulated container, like an Esky or cooler bag with a freezer brick.
• If some milk has thawed or defrosted, it should be used within 4 hours – do not refreeze it again.
• Put the milk with a label in the fridge (or freezer if it's still frozen) as soon as you get home.