Birth to five

Expressing milk means encouraging your breast milk to flow so you can store it and feed it to your baby at a later time.

You may wish to express milk if you have to be away from your baby. This could be because your baby is ill or premature, or because you’re going back to work.

You may want to express milk if your breasts feel uncomfortably full or if your baby isn’t sucking well but you still want to give them breast milk.

You can express milk by hand or with a breast pump. Different pumps suit different women, so ask for advice or see if you can try one before you buy it. Always make sure a pump is clean and has been sterilised before you use it.

Expressing by hand

You may find it easier to express milk by hand than to use a pump, especially in the first few days. It also means you won't have to buy or borrow a pump.

The following suggestions may help: 

• Before you start wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water and gently massage your breast.
• Cup your breast and feel back from the end of the nipple to where the texture of your breast feels different.
• Squeeze gently using your thumb and the rest of your fingers in a C shape. This shouldn’t hurt.
• Release the pressure then repeat, building up a rhythm. Don't slide your fingers over the skin. At first only drops will appear, but keep going as this will help to build up your milk supply. With practice and a little time milk may flow freely.
• When no more drops come out move your fingers round to try a different section of your breast, and repeat.
• When the flow slows down, swap to the other breast. Keep changing breasts until the milk is dripping very slowly or stops altogether.
• If the milk doesn’t flow, try moving your fingers slightly towards the nipple or further away, or give the breast a gentle massage.

Expressing milk if your baby is premature or ill

It's important to try to express your milk as soon as possible after your baby is born. To ensure that you produce plenty of milk you'll need to express at least six times in 24 hours, including during the night.

Ask the hospital staff about having skin-to-skin contact with your baby. This will help with bonding and keeping up your milk supply.

Hospitals often keep machines for expressing milk and will show you how to use one. Alternatively, you can hire an electric breast pump. Contact a breastfeeding organisation (for contact details see Breastfeeding help and support in Useful links) to find out about pump hire in your area.

If you’re freezing breast milk because your baby is premature or ill, ask the staff caring for your baby for support and information. See below for guidance on storing breast milk.

Your midwife, health visitor or peer supporter can answer any questions you have.

Cup feeding

Sometimes your baby may need extra milk or find it hard to feed from your breast. In this case your midwife may suggest that you give your baby some expressed milk in a cup.

Ask your midwife to show you how to do this. The idea is that your baby can taste and learn to drink your milk. Don't pour milk directly into your baby’s mouth.

Storing breast milk

You can store breast milk for: 

• Up to five days in the fridge at 4ºC or lower. This means putting the milk in the coolest part of the fridge (usually at the back, not in the door).
• Up to two weeks in the freezer compartment of a fridge.
• Up to six months in a domestic freezer, at -18ºC or lower.

Breast milk must always be stored in a sterilised container. If you use a pump, always sterilise it before and after use.

Defrost milk in the fridge. Once it’s defrosted use it straight away. Milk that's been frozen is still good for your baby and better than formula milk. Don't re-freeze milk once it's thawed. Don’t use a microwave oven to warm or defrost breast milk.