Teaching mothers to express and store breast milk

Reasons for expressing milk vary from mother to mother. Those who breast feed may be more likely than other mothers to return to paid employment outside the home. To assist mothers to continue with exclusive breast feeding, health professionals should provide information antenatally about expressing milk. Mothers can start to express from birth and should be encouraged by health professionals to pump or express milk on a frequent basis--"the more the better"--as this will help to establish lactation and increase the milk supply. The use of pumps and the storage of breast milk are discussed.