This is a great question and one we hear from our moms often.
According to a recent study at Stanford University, when mothers use their hands as well as a pump to express milk, they pumped an average of 48% more milk than the pump alone could remove.
So, what is hand expression exactly? It's just like it sounds: when you use your hands to express milk either with light compression or massage of the breast tissue to remove milk. This method can be done before pumping or breastfeeding to get milk flowing and to soften the breast to increase the milk flow. It can also be down following pumping or nursing to remove any milk left by the pump or baby.
Breast massage during pumping followed by hand expression after pumping sessions helps capture an important fraction of high-fat milk that may otherwise remain in the breast at the end of a pumping session.
LaVie Warming Lactation Massager
LaVie Warming Lactation Massager
With LaVie, you'll say hello to improved milk flow, quicker pumping sessions, more effective emptying during pumping and nursing, and clogged duct prevention.
Remember: It all goes back to the simple idea of supply and demand. If a drained breast will make milk faster and hand expression and compression help drain your breasts more completely, then that leads to your body compensating for supply.
Want to ask our LC your own question? Head to our Instagram every week to ask away!
This article was written in partnership with our International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, Wendy Wright, who loves working side by side with moms and babies to find that secret sauce! She’s also a mother of two and the Mom Experience Lead at Willow Pump.
