Manual pumping: the instructions.
- Desiree Bobby
- Jan 16
- 6 min read
Hand expressing is a skill that can be helpful for some parents, both before and after birth. Perhaps you're considering practicing prenatally, or you've just given birth and want to know how to collect colostrum or breast milk manually. In both situations, a calm, good technique makes a big difference.
In a previous article, I discussed prenatal manual pumping in detail : when it's appropriate and when it's not, what the potential advantages and disadvantages are, and why common myths, such as the idea that manual pumping speeds up labor, are untrue. In this article, I'll focus on how.
Here you'll find step-by-step instructions for manual pumping , suitable for both the prenatal and postnatal periods. The basic technique is the same, but the approach differs in some areas. Where this is the case, I'll clearly indicate it. This way, you can follow the instructions in a way that suits your specific moment, your body, and your situation.
When to manually express breast milk?
Prenatal (before birth)
Only start from 37 weeks of pregnancy, not earlier
Maximum 1–2 times per day
About 5–10 minutes per breast
The goal is to introduce manual pumping gradually, without expectations about how much will or will not come out.
Not intended to build stock or increase milk production
Postnatal (after birth)
Manual pumping can be started immediately after birth
Often more often per day, depending on the situation
The purpose may be to collect colostrum, supplement, stimulate milk production or remove stool from full breasts.
Not sure if manual pumping is right for you? Read more here or talk to your midwife, lactation consultant, or doctor.
What do you need?
You don't need much, but good preparation helps.
Colostrum collectors or injections
Suitable for collecting small amounts of colostrum. Personally, I find a syringe more practical in most cases.
Heat
For example, a hot shower or a bean bag
A bean bag is comfortable because of its shape, easy to place around the breast, and also helpful postnatally for postpartum pain. It can also be used to preheat the bed or to help with colic.
Time and rest
This is not a rush moment.
A comfortable place to sit
Preferably with good support, leaning slightly forward.
A towel
For any leakage.
Clean hands
Step 1: The environment
Make sure you're in a quiet, warm environment where you won't be disturbed. Warm your breasts for a few minutes with a seed bag or take a warm shower. Heat promotes blood circulation and can help your milk flow.
Sit slightly leaned forward so that gravity can help collect the milk.
Step 2: Chest massage
Before you start hand pumping, massage your breast briefly to relax her.
Start by briefly massaging your breast to relax it. Place your hands around your breast, as if gently holding it. Make small, gentle circular motions with your palms, starting high on your breast and working your way toward your nipple. Move your hands around your breast and repeat these circles, covering all sides.
Then, gently move your hands back and forth on either side of her chest, as if you were rocking her.
Finish with stroking movements: use your fingers or the backs of your fingers and slowly stroke from the outside of the breast towards the nipple, as if gently guiding the milk forward. You can do this around the entire breast.
The massage lasts about a minute per breast, longer if it feels comfortable. The most important thing is to keep it gentle and relaxing. There's no need to squeeze or push.
Step 3: The manual pumping technique
Hand position: Place your thumb above and your fingers below your breast, about 2–3 cm behind the areola, so that your hand makes a C-shape. |  |  |
Busy: First, gently press your hand back toward your chest. | |  |
Pinch: Then, lightly squeeze your thumb and fingers together and roll them forward, toward the nipple. Then release and relax your hand. Repeat the movement gently: press – squeeze – roll – release. |  |  |
It shouldn't hurt. If you pull on the nipple or pinch the areola, you're too far forward.
After a few repetitions, move your hand around the breast (above, below, and to the sides) to stimulate different milk ducts. A few drops or sheen is normal.
Are you unsure whether you are performing the movement correctly? This shows what manual pumping looks like in practice.
Step 4: Collecting colostrum or milk
You express with one hand and use the other to collect the colostrum. Colostrum is often thick, yellow, and sticky, and usually comes in small amounts .
It may take a few sessions before you see anything, and sometimes it doesn't happen at all. If nothing comes out, that's fine and completely normal. Stay calm and give yourself and your breasts time. If something does come out, you can collect it with a syringe or a colostrum collector.
That looks like this:
When using a syringe, pull out the draw-off device and collect the drops directly in the syringe. The following video demonstrates this clearly.
How much is normal?
Prenatal hand pumping usually involves a few drops to about 1 ml per session. Sometimes, none at all. This is normal and doesn't indicate your milk production after birth.
With postnatal manual pumping, in the first few days after delivery, the output varies greatly from person to person and from time to time. Initially, your body produces colostrum, often in small amounts. It's perfectly normal to express a few drops to milliliters per session, especially in the first 24–48 hours. As the days progress and milk production begins, the amount gradually increases.
Both prenatally and postnatally, hand pumping is not about large quantities, but about coordination and the process itself.
Storing colostrum (syringes and collectors)
Because hand pumping often involves small amounts of colostrum, careful storage is important. This ensures the milk remains safe and is ready for use later.
Immediately after pumping
Immediately close the syringe or colostrum collector tightly. Write the following on each syringe or collector:
the date of pumping
if necessary, the time (useful if you take multiple samples on one day)
Wash your hands before touching or moving the colostrum.
Freeze
Colostrum can be safely frozen.
Place syringes or collectors in the freezer as soon as possible
Preferably store them at the back of the freezer
Lay them flat or upright, depending on what is practical
Want to know more about safely storing, freezing, and thawing breast milk? Here I explain step by step what's useful to know and what to look out for.
Defrost
Defrosting is best done slowly :
Place the syringe or collector in the refrigerator. Because of the small quantities, it often thaws quickly.
You can then bring it to body temperature by holding the syringe or collector in a bowl of warm water.
Do not use a microwave and do not heat milk directly on the stove.
After defrosting
Use thawed colostrum as soon as possible
Store thawed colostrum in the refrigerator for a maximum of 24 hours
Throw away leftovers that have been reheated and not used
How do you give collected colostrum?
Because colostrum is often in very small quantities, it's usually not practical to give it in a bottle . There are several gentle ways to give colostrum to your baby, tailored to what feels right at that moment.
With a syringe or collector
A syringe can help to administer small amounts slowly.
Lay your baby down relaxed and awake, preferably upright or semi-upright. Gently place the spout in the corner of the mouth, along the inside of the cheek, and let the colostrum flow in slowly. Take your time and follow your baby's pace.
With a teaspoon
You can also give colostrum with a clean teaspoon. Place a few drops on the spoon and let your baby lap it up gently. This can be helpful for very small amounts and for alert babies.
Directly from the breast
Sometimes it can help to put a few drops of colostrum on the nipple just before you put your baby to the breast. This can encourage your baby to nurse without you having to force anything.
It doesn't help to squirt colostrum into the mouth all at once or insert a feeding device deep into the mouth. It's more comfortable to offer it slowly, in small amounts, at your baby's pace.
For some, hand pumping is a nice, calm way to prepare for the arrival of a baby, while for others it can feel like extra pressure or a moment of achievement.
And that difference is allowed. Every pregnancy, birth, and start is different. For some women, not enough colostrum is released (yet) to fully meet the baby's needs, and this is supplemented with formula. This is normal and okay. For some women, it actually brings peace of mind to give their body that space and (temporarily) supplement with formula , while others prefer to use hand-pumping or expressed breast milk as much as possible. There's no one-size-fits-all approach.
Ultimately, it's all about balance: between rest, recovery, and a well-fed baby. What helps is having the space to follow what's needed at that moment. For your baby and for you as a mother.
Love,
Bobby
