How to Use a Haakaa Breast Pump: Tips for Breastfeeding Moms

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How to Use The Haakaa Ladybug Breastmilk Collector

The haakaa silicone breast pump is on my list of MUST-HAVES for a breastfeeding mom. It was such a crucial part of my breastfeeding journey, especially in those early days. Even as a certified lactation counselor, it took some trial and error in the beginning as a new mom. Read on to learn tips and tricks for how to use a haakaa breast pump plus other commonly asked questions!

Table of Contents

What is a Haakaa Breast Pump

A haakaa breast pump is a silicone pump that allows you to express breast milk using natural suction. It’s not an electric breast pump and not quite a manual pump. It’s completely hands-free once you attach it and helps draw the milk out with its powerful suction.

The haakaa breast pump is not just a milk collector or milk saver (cups that sit in your bra to collect breast milk). It uses its natural suction to pump foremilk and hind milk from your breasts!

It’s truly the ultimate hack for a breastfeeding mom!

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There are a few different haakaa pump designs out there. The most inexpensive option is just the silicone pump itself. Some haakaa pumps are designed with a suction base to prevent spilling that liquid gold if it accidentally tips over (which every nursing mom knows is devastating!).

Other designs include a flower stopper that plugs the top to keep your milk clean & safe from spills! There is also an option that includes a silicone cap instead of the flower stopper.

HACK: if you have a haakaa breast pump without the suction base, place your pump in an empty coffee cup after using it to hold it upright and prevent spills!

Why You Should Use A Haakaa Breast Pump

Something new nursing moms may not know is that when you get a letdown while breastfeeding your baby, it can happen in both breasts! Not just the one you’re nursing your baby on. Rather than leaking that precious milk into a nursing pad, use the haakaa breast pump to collect the extra milk coming out with your letdown.

It will also save you from having to pump your other breast if your baby only drinks from one side with each feeding. In the beginning days, it relieved any engorgement I had from the opposite breast and helped maintain my milk supply.

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Because it captures all of your extra milk, it helps create an amazing freezer stash without much effort at all! By the time I went back to work after 3 months with my first baby, I had close to 150 ounces in my fridge just from the haakaa.

The haakaa does work best in the early days when you’re establishing your milk supply and your baby isn’t moving as much! You can definitely use it all throughout your breastfeeding journey, but it will be easiest in those first few months.

It’s also so easy to clean! Just one piece to wash and use each time you feed your baby rather than breaking out the many, many pieces with an electric pump.

How to Use Haakaa Breast Pump

There is a slight learning curve when first using the haakaa breast pump, but once you get the hang of it you will love it!

Step 1: Wash and sanitize your pump before its first use. Place in boiling water for about 5 minutes.

Step 2: Fold back the flange and position it over your nipple (look at graphic for helpful positioning!)

Step 3: Squeeze the base of the pump and then press to your breast. When you release, the suction should draw your nipple into the pump. (Notice in the graphic how the breast is pulled into the pump)

Step 4: Fold the pump flange back to its normal positioning onto your breast.

Step 5: Nurse your baby on the opposite side and watch that liquid gold drip in with your letdown!

Step 6: Remove and reattach as necessary (if you lose suction or collect enough milk where there’s no more suction).

Step 7: Once the milk stops flowing, you can either squeeze the base of the pump again to release the suction. Or slip one of your fingers between your breast and the flange to break the suction.

Step 8: Transfer the milk to another milk storage container and build yourself a nice milk stash!

If at any point the suction is uncomfortable or painful, take it off and try again! It shouldn’t pinch or hurt when you wear it!

* If you have a history of oversupply issues or find that you’re becoming really engorged in between feeds, back off from using the haakaa as frequently. Some mothers can use it every feed to collect milk from the other breast baby isn’t feeding off of. But in some women, that extra stimulate and withdrawal of milk may cause an oversupply.

In this case, you can just lightly attach the haakaa to your breast using a more gentle suction to act as more of a milk catcher for any letdown that occurs.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Use Haakaa While Breastfeeding?

It doesn’t really matter whether you latch your baby first or attach the haakaa first. Find the method that works best for you! The best breastfeeding position to place your baby in while nursing and using the haakaa pump is the football hold.

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This helps prevent baby from kicking the pump off or wiggling too much. However, any position is perfectly fine if you can keep the pump in place!

HAAKAA HACK

Use your nursing bra as an extra way to secure the haakaa in place! Loop the nursing bra strap around the neck of the pump and clasp your bra back together at the side.

How Long Do You Leave the Haakaa on for?

As long as breast milk is still flowing! Or if you’re done with feeding your baby and don’t feel full or engorged anymore on the breast you used the haakaa on.

Can You Use a Haakaa Instead of Pumping?

Yes! If you feel full of milk but baby only nurses on one side or if you only have a manual pump with you. You can attach the haakaa to the other side while you pump to catch any letdown.

Some women even use them in the shower! The warm water can stimulate a letdown in those early days and rather than waste that milk, it gets collected in the haakaa!

However, I don’t suggest using a haakaa as your main pump if you plan to use one. In this case, you will still need a manual pump or an electric pump. If you want to exclusively breastfeed and just collect milk for bottles every now and then, then just the haakaa alone would be perfect!

Does Using a Haakaa Increase Milk Supply?

The simple answer is yes! This is because if you are only feeding your baby on one side and didn’t use the haakaa, that breast milk wouldn’t be expressed. So if you do use the haakaa, you’re collecting milk and signaling to your body that your baby needs that breast milk. Therefore, your body will continue to produce that extra milk.

This is why lactation consultants recommend being cautious with haakaas as they can sometimes cause an oversupply.

Should I Use the Haakaa at Every Feeding?

This is totally up to you and depends on how much milk you want to collect. If you want to build up a large milk stash, then you can use the haakaa at every feeding or multiple feedings a day. If you just want to have a little extra milk in the freezer, then 1-2 times a day would work just fine as well!

What Else Can I Use My Haakaa for?

Clogged ducts!! This is a major HACK for breastfeeding moms that get clogged ducts.

Fill the haakaa with 1-2 tablespoons of epsom salt and warm water. Attach the haakaa to your breast just as you would when collecting milk. And watch the magic happen!

The haakaa will draw the clogged duct right out and you will see a worm-like strand of milk coming from your nipple as it pulls the clog out.

Tips & Tricks For Using The Haakaa Breast Pump

How to Remove Haakaa Pump?

You can gently squeeze the base of the pump to release the suction and pull it off. Or you can slip a finger between the flange and your breast to break the suction.

Can Haakaa Replace an Electric Pump?

If you plan to pump regularly, or need a breast pump while away at work then a haakaa would not be able to replace an electric pump.

If you plan to exclusively breastfeed your baby and only need to pump every so often, then you may not need to get an electric pump.

Do You Have to Pump the Haakaa?

You don’t have to manually pump the haakaa after attaching it. The natural suction will do the work to pull out the breast milk.

Will a Haakaa Work for Me if I Don’t Leak?

Yes! You don’t have to leak breast milk in order for the haakaa to work for you. The haakaa isn’t just a milk catcher, it uses natural suction to pull the breast milk out.

Can I Combine the Milk From Multiple Haakaa Sessions?

Yes! According to the CDC, you should refrigerate the milk first to prevent rewarming the older milk and causing bacterial growth. Once the different milk sessions are at the same temperature after being refrigerated, then you may combine them.

Another really helpful tip is to label the breast milk by date in your fridge. So if you’re combining cooled milk pumped on different days, you know when to transfer it to the freezer to keep it fresh.

I have a really helpful breast milk storage guide you can print out and attach to your fridge!

Can I Put the Haakaa in the Dishwasher?

Yes, the haakaa silicone breast pump is dishwasher-safe! However, I do recommend hand washing it due to the fact that it is food-grade silicone.

It will keep your pump as new as possible, and it’s really easy to clean! You can use the flower stopper (or silicone cap) if you have one to keep the pump clean between uses.

I really hope you learned so much about how to use a haakaa breast pump! And why they are so amazing for breastfeeding moms! It was really a lifesaver for my first and second baby, and I buy it for all of my friends having babies. If you have any other questions about the haakaa, please comment below and I would love to help you!