Breast Compression (aka: “Helping the milk along when baby’s gone sleepy”)
- Jan 31, 2024
- 2 min read
If breastfeeding were a TV show, breast compression would be the quiet supporting character who shows up exactly when you need them - usually when your baby has decided the breast is now a pillow, and you’re sitting there thinking, “Are we finished… or are we just on a snack break?”
Breast compression is a simple technique used to keep milk flowing once baby’s drinking slows down, especially in that end-of-feed phase where they’re sucking a bit, pausing a lot, and looking very pleased with themselves.
It’s not something every mum needs. If feeding is going smoothly baby is gaining well, you’re comfortable, and feeds feel efficient enough you can happily skip this entire section and go do something glamorous like… drink your tea while it’s still warm.
When breast compression can be helpful
Breast compression may be useful if you’re dealing with:
Poor weight gain (or baby seems to tire easily at the breast)
Colic or unsettled behaviour in a breastfed baby
Very long feeds or very frequent feeds
Sore nipples (sometimes linked to baby “hanging out” rather than actively drinking)
Recurrent blocked ducts
A baby who falls asleep quickly but still seems hungry later
If everything is going well, the simplest approach is still best:Let baby finish the first side, then offer the other if they want more.
How to do breast compression (without turning it into a full-contact sport)
Step-by-step
Hold your baby comfortably with one arm.
With your other hand, support your breast: thumb on one side, fingers on the other - well back from the nipple, not right up near the latch.
Watch for drinking (the slower “open mouth + pause” kind of sucking that looks like swallowing, not the quick fluttery nibbling).
When baby is nibbling or no longer really drinking, gently compress the breast - firm enough to increase flow, not so hard it hurts.
Keep the pressure on while baby starts drinking again, then release when they slow down.
Releasing helps your hand rest and allows milk to flow again naturally.
If baby keeps sucking after you release, give it a moment, then compress again if needed.
Continue on the first side until baby no longer drinks even with compression.
Let baby come off naturally (or gently take them off if they’re clearly done).
If baby still wants more, offer the other breast and repeat.
Unless nipples are sore, you can switch sides more than once if it helps keep baby actively drinking.
Throughout all of this, keep coming back to the golden rule: a good latch matters most.
A little mother-to-mother reassurance
If you’re reading this at 2am wondering whether you’re doing it “right,” please know most breastfeeding skills are learned the same way we learn anything important in motherhood - by doing it, adjusting, and realising the baby has their own opinions.
Breast compression is just one tool. Not a test. Not a judgment. Just a little trick to help the milk keep moving when your tiny person is half-feeding, half-dreaming.
With love, from a grandmother… and always, from one mother to another.
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