“Honey I hate pumping.  Lately I have tried to pump, but I am just not getting much milk at all.  Sometimes I still feel full.  Someone in my mothers’ group suggested hand expression, but I am not sure about that.”  

“Honey, I think you should try hand expressing!  I was listening to Dianne and Abby talk about hand expression on the podcast this week.  It sounds like it may be really helpful for you.”  

“Hmm.  I will go listen to the podcast now.  I didn’t realize I had another option besides pumping!”  

This week on the Badass Breastfeeding Podcast, Dianne and Abby are talking about hand expression, what it is and how it can be helpful.  Make sure you listen!  You can learn a totally new skill!

Here is that awesome hand expression video we were talking about. And another one for bonus purposes!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtrvnOqdDzI&feature=youtu.be

https://med.stanford.edu/newborns/professional-education/breastfeeding/hand-expressing-milk.html

We also talked about Badass Catherine and her experience with hand expression. Here is her story and her photos!

“Today was the first time I had to pump and I was surprised at just how inefficient the pump was. I’ve been breastfeeding my baby since day one (she’s now 7 months) and I avoided the pump whenever possible because I didn’t want to deal with it (I’m a stay at home mom so I never had to worry about pumping at work). Tomorrow I have a dentist appointment where I will have two cavities filled. Since I don’t know how long everything will take, and I don’t want to leave the sitter stranded for several hours with a hungry baby I decided to pump. I sat there for 20+ minutes with my pump running on full speed and suction and I was only able to produce drops. I was totally surprised because I know I have a full supply and I thought I’d whip out several ounces in no time. Thankfully I’ve heard about hand expression and decided to give it a go. In about 15 minutes, hunched over a bottle, I was able to express 4 ounces of breast milk. It was seriously the hardest I have ever worked in order to produce breast milk. My heart went out to those moms who have to exclusively pump and to the new moms who think they have low supply because the pump is too inefficient to pull out the breast milk that is really there. I’m so thankful for your podcast and the reassurance that I’ve gotten through it. I could just hear Abby saying “pumps aren’t nearly as effective as your baby” and it’s is so true! You can use this email however you chose, like if you want to share it with other moms. I’ve included pictures of how much milk I pumped in comparison to the amount I was able to hand express. You guys rock!”
Sincerely, Badass Catherine Wood

Thanks for all the reviews on iTunes! They really help us out. Please keep them coming!! Stay tuned because we will have another comment giveaway soon!!

Dianne can be seen at DianneCassidyConsulting.com and Abby can be seen at thebadassbreastfeeder.com 

Music: “Levels of Greatness” from “We Used to Paint Stars in then Sky (2012)” courtesy of Scott Holmes at freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott Holmes