The same basics - environment, setting yourself and your breasts up and the actual mechanics of it - can be applied to hand expressing at any point in your feeding journey! It's a useful skill to have!

• Find time and relax - you want that happy hormone oxytocin flowing: Pop on some music you enjoy, sit comfortably, put a sitcom on the telly…ask your partner for a massage to relax you! (You can even do the whole process in the bath or shower if that would help to induce calm).

• Ensure everything that may be in contact with the milk is clean and preferably sterile - wash your hands, steralise a spoon or cup and a syringe (check out this post on the SteriFeed syringe and safety tips)

• Stroke your breasts gently down towards the nipple as you want to wake your breasts up and give them the impression of a feed about to happen. It's important to avoid harsh "massage" pressure. We don't want pain or to cause any damage to the internal workings of your sophisticated milk-making system! That's no fun for anyone! 

• When finding the right position, you want to be back from the nipple, just behind the areola (the darker ring around the nipple) as this is where the milk ducts are located. Remember: Your nipple is just the exit for the milk from the breast.

• You're aiming for a C shape with your thumb and forefinger, positioning these either side of your breast like the 12 and 6 of a clock face…or 3 and 9…

• The easiest way to find the right spot is to start with this c shape at the nipple (don't squeeze here though!) And work your way back from there until you notice the texture of the breast tissue change…STOP!

• To express, you're aiming for your c-shaped hand to push slightly back towards the chest wall and then your thumb and finger towards each other and the nipple. Don't just squeeze the flesh on the surface

• Try one position of the clock face for 5 minutes, then the other breast. You may find neither yield much or anything but if you return to the first breast after another 5 minutes…you may have got things moving a bit…Move around to another part of the clock face and repeat!

• Catch those precious beads of goodness when you spot them at the nipple, on a sterile spoon or in a cup and, when you've finished a session, you can store what's in the cup in 1ml syringes in the freezer to have with you at the birth or for later in your feeding journey.

Start with this process just once or twice a day for 20 minutes and build it up as you get more confident!