Breast massage during breastfeeding and pumping: when can it help?

During breastfeeding, your breasts go through a lot. Feedings, pumping sessions, changing milk production, and sometimes engorged or sensitive breasts are common for many mothers during this period. Breast massage can be pleasant at times and is also regularly used around feeding and comfortable pumping.

However, I notice that there is also a lot of confusion about it. Should you massage your breasts before every pumping session? Does breast massage help to express more milk? And should you firmly massage a hard or sensitive spot?

Especially with that last question, it's important to be careful. Massaging harder is not automatically better. In this blog, I explain when breast massage during breastfeeding and pumping can be pleasant, how you can do it gently, and when it is wiser not to massage further yourself.

What is breast massage during breastfeeding?

Breast massage refers to gently touching, massaging, or compressing the breast around a feeding or pumping session. The goal is not to forcefully push milk out of the breast. See it more as support around feeding or pumping.

Massage and gentle breast compression are also used for manual expression. The CDC, for example, mentions massage as a way to help stimulate milk let-down prior to hand expression.

How pleasant this is varies per mother. One person finds a short massage before pumping relaxing, while another hardly needs it. So, there is no rule that every mother should massage her breasts before every feeding or pumping session.

When can breast massage be pleasant?

Breast massage can be applied at various times around breastfeeding and pumping. Personally, I would mainly distinguish between massage before and during pumping.

1. Before pumping

A calm preparation can help to start a pumping session relaxed. Make sure you are sitting comfortably and try to relax your shoulders and upper body. You can then gently touch and massage your breast with your hand.

Some mothers also find warmth pleasant before pumping. The main thing is comfort: warmth should feel pleasant and not hot.

Especially when you are rushed or tense, it can help to consciously take a few minutes for yourself before placing the breast pump. Stress and tension can sometimes make milk let-down more difficult.

2. During pumping

You can also gently apply breast compression during a pumping session. You support the breast with your hand and apply gentle pressure, without it becoming painful.

It's important not to squeeze hard and not to try to forcefully get as much milk out of the breast as possible. More pressure does not automatically mean a better pumping session.

3. For full or engorged breasts

Do your breasts feel very full, for example, because a feeding is taking place later than usual? Then it can sometimes be pleasant to hand express a small amount of milk to relieve the tension.

The goal then is primarily comfort. Consistently pumping out extra milk when your baby doesn't need it can actually signal your body to produce more milk.

Can breast massage help to express more milk?

This is probably one of the most frequently asked questions about breast massage. The answer requires some nuance.

Massage and breast compression can help some mothers with milk let-down or with milk removal during a pumping session. However, that does not automatically mean that breast massage increases your milk production.

Your milk production is influenced by many more factors. Think about how often and effectively milk is removed from the breast, how your baby feeds, your pumping routine, and personal circumstances.

If you suddenly consistently pump less milk, don't just look at massage. For example, also check the fit of your breast shield, your pumping rhythm, and the parts of your breast pump. If you have doubts about your milk production, a lactation consultant can help.

How to gently massage your breasts before pumping

Do you want to make breast massage part of your pumping routine? Then keep it simple and comfortable.

1. Wash your hands before touching your breasts, breast pump, or expressed milk.
2. Sit comfortably and try to relax your shoulders and upper body.
3. Start with gentle movements. Gently massage the breast with your fingertips or palm. It should not be painful.
4. Then position your breast pump correctly. Make sure your nipple is centered and use an appropriately sized breast shield.
5. During pumping, you can optionally use gentle breast compression if you find that this works well for you.

You don't have to make this an complicated technique. The most important thing is to listen to your body. Does something hurt? Then stop the massage and do not try to solve the problem by applying extra pressure.

Firm massage for a hard or painful spot? Preferably not

I find this an important point, as outdated advice is still regularly circulating about it. With a painful, swollen, or hard spot in the breast, there may be a tendency to firmly "massage it away."

Firm or deep massage is discouraged in cases of inflammatory complaints. Too much pressure can further irritate the tissue. Current professional guidelines therefore emphasize that any pressure on the breast should remain gentle.

Do you have increasing pain, redness, swelling, fever, or do you feel unwell? Or do your symptoms not disappear? Then do not continue to massage yourself in the hope that it will go away on its own, but contact your doctor, midwife, or a breastfeeding expert.

Combining warmth and massage

Some mothers find it pleasant to combine gentle massage with warmth, for example, prior to a pumping session. This can be done simply with your hands and a comfortable heat source.

I find it especially important that something like this does not become a compulsory part of pumping. You don't need a massage device to pump effectively. If you do find warmth and massage pleasant, then a tool can make it easier to incorporate this into your routine.

Within Youha, for example, we have developed the Warm Relief for this purpose, with which warmth and massage can be combined. I would primarily see such a product as an aid for comfort and relaxation around a pumping session, and not as a solution for medical complaints or as a guarantee that you will produce more milk.

Finally

Breast massage can be a pleasant part of breastfeeding or pumping, but try not to make it an obligation. A few minutes of gentle massage, relaxation, or breast compression can work well for some mothers; for others, it adds little.

What I find most important is that you continue to listen to your body. Breast massage does not have to be hard to be effective or pleasant. Pain is not a sign that you should massage harder.

If you experience persistent pain, redness, swelling, fever, or problems with your milk production, seek expert guidance. A tool can provide comfort, but it does not replace medical or lactation advice when there are actual complaints.

About the author

Elles is a mother and closely involved in Youha and the development and application of our products. From her own experience and the questions that come in daily at Youha, she knows that breastfeeding and pumping are different for every mother.

"My most important advice regarding breast massage is actually very simple: be gentle with your body. Massage doesn't have to hurt, and harder isn't automatically better. I mainly see warmth and massage as something that can provide comfort and relaxation around a pumping session. If you really have pain or if symptoms keep recurring, it's better to have someone with knowledge of breastfeeding look at it."

Love,
Elles Jannink-Baak
Youha Product Expert