15 May 2019 Completely emptying the breast helps to maintaining breast milk production for longer. The more often and completely the milk is expressed, the greater the production . The opposite is also true. Expressing milk less often and incompletely leads to a decrease in production. Breastfeeding should not be considered a prison sentence. If the mother has to be away during a baby feed, her breast milk can be extracted and preserved . How to express milk You can use a number of techniques to remove breast milk: Manual expression : the mother presses the nipple into her breast so that the milk flows out; Expression with a manual or electric milk pump : it removes the milk by suction, simulating the baby feeding. These techniques can be used if: The baby is not breastfeeding well; The baby is very small; The mother is producing more than the baby takes at each feed; You want to keep milk for use in the mother’s absence. Milk storage: precautions Regardless of the extraction method used, use washed and sterilised containers to store the milk. If a pump is used, its parts must also be cleaned and sterilised. Storage time of expressed milk Storage time of expressed breast milk is varied and depends on the way it is stored: Six hours, if at room temperature; 24 hours if refrigerated (0 to 4º C); One week if frozen at above -14° C; Three months if frozen at below -14° C. This article was written with the support of physicians and other clinical professionals from the Hospital da Luz network. The content published in the Health Guide is intended for the general public and is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It does not replace individual medical assessment, diagnosis, or personalized clinical advice from a qualified healthcare professional. The content is produced or reviewed by physicians and other healthcare professionals at Hospital da Luz and is based on the knowledge available at the time of publication or the most recent update, as indicated at the beginning of each item.
