Go read the Disclaimer again. I am not a doctor. This is not medical advice. Seriously.
This topic is one a lot of people find very disturbing for a wide variety of reasons. Please try to work through this upset. If you can, breastfeeding can become an area in which you have and feel great competence and pride in your body.
Manually expressing, or hand expressing breastmilk, is using your hand or hands to get milk out of your breasts, without using a pump or a baby. You might wonder why you would ever need to do this, particularly if you have a really good pump. I have heard and read about many women who were unable to pump because of lack of access to a private place with an outlet. The resulting engorgement, particularly in the first month or two post-partum, can directl lead to mastitis. If you know how to manually express, you can always drain your own breasts. If you can do it well, you can even do so into a cup and save it for your baby later.
Anyone already having trouble with the idea of being a "cow" is probably going to find this whole idea really upsetting. I think it is worth putting some effort into working through this idea and the feelings associated with it. I find it helpful to think of myself as a mammal. I have a lot of positive feelings about a lot of mammals, but those women who prefer to think of themselves as not-animal may have to find a different way of thinking about this. One approach might be to spend some time looking at religious art depicting Mary and the baby Jesus, or other art depicting women and babies. It is also possible to find art (I've seen a Japanese print) depicting manual expression.
In addition to draining your breasts when you are unable to find a place to pump, you may find it useful to hand express to resolve plugged ducts and mastitis.
Chele Marmet's Marmet Technique is the best description for hand expression I have ever seen. I used to link to the Lactation Institute, however, the site went down in 2009 or thereabouts. An abbreviated form can be found here, and you can search for video of it on youtube. Getting into a hot bath and/or shower can help with pain, tension and stress and help get the milk flowing.
If you want the page I still like best, you can view at the Internet Wayback Machine: Internet Wayback Machine archive of Marmet Technique at the Lactation Institute.
Unfortunately, Jack Newman's description of manual expression is too short to be particularly helpful, although it is not inaccurate.
Copyright 2006 by Rebecca Allen.
Created January 27, 2006 Updated January 13, 2013