After you sterilize the haakaa make sure it's completely dry–you might even wipe it with a clean towel before you try to use it– as any moisture will completely ruin your seal.
To clean your silicone items, just give them a good scrub in hot soapy water and then rinse. Pat the outside dry and leave to air dry on a drying rack.
Clean after each use using hot soapy water. Use soft bristle brushes or sponges. We recommend the Haakaa Double Ended Cleaning Brush which is perfectly sized to throughly clean your Haakaa products.
Be sure to wash with warm water and soap after each use and allow the Haakaa to air dry. Although your silicone products can go in the dishwasher, we recommend hand washing with hot, soapy water.
If you need to wear your Ladybug for longer stretches of time, you can simply empty your milk into a safe storage container after 2-3 hours of wear and store away in the fridge or freezer. Then wash your collector with warm soapy water, dry thoroughly and wear again.
You can use your Haakaa as much and as often as you wish. I used mine at least at the morning feed every morning because I tended to be very engorged and would leak often. If I was home, I generally always used it. No need to use it on the go.
Milk collected from your Haakaa can go straight into a milk storage bag and into the freezer. However, if you do not want to freeze just an ounce or two (and I wouldn't suggest you do. I aim for 4-6 ounces in each bag), you can simply place your haakaa milk in a storage bottle and place it in the fridge.
If she feels her supply is continuing to dramatically increase and her baby finds feeding more and more difficult, then stop the Haakaa completely. If things are going well, she can continue to do this.
Leave on until the Haakaa loses suction. You can do this twice a day until you either see the plug come out into the water or you feel relief and the hard spot becomes softer.
Some moms need to replace their Haakaa every 3-4 months and others use theirs for 6 months and longer. The basic answer is to replace it when it starts losing suction or becomes damaged. Loss of suction can happen to silicone parts like this after months of use and sterilization.
You can feed expressed milk straight from the fridge if your baby is happy to drink it cold. Or you can warm the milk to body temperature by putting the bottle in a jug of warm water or holding it under running warm water. Do not use a microwave to heat up or defrost breast milk.
You'll need to clean and sterilise each bottle, teat and screw cap after every feed.
I'm not the only mom who can collect milk with Haakaa even though I don't leak. Check out what other moms have said about Haakaa.
Collect, Store, Feed - Multi-funtional haakaa colostrum collectors for breastfeeding. You can use it to collect, store and feed colostrum from the same collector.
Haakaa and your supply
Breastmilk works on supply and demand so like any pumping method, the Haakaa's suction does extract milk which may increase your supply. It's not the Haakaa – or any other pump – that directly causes an over supply, it's how you use it.
Even if you are not someone who normally leaks, in my experience there is still plenty of milk for your baby even when using the Haakaa. Your body is constantly producing milk, even while breastfeeding.
Since your milk supply is going to be different than any other mom's supply it's hard to give a good estimate as to what you might expect to collect using a haaka. It seems like the normal amount you can expect to pump using a haaka is anywhere from 1-2 ounces per nursing session.
The Haakaa should not make your nipples sore. However if your nipples are already sore/ grazed/ cracked from the baby not latching properly then some pain could be experienced using the Haakaa. If it is painful using the Haakaa, ensure it is attached so that the nipple is not touching the outside.
If you feel pain, the suction is too strong. Simply remove the Haakaa and when reapplying it, don't squeeze the sides quite as hard. This will create less suction. The oz markings on the side aren't accurate.
Beyond its wallet-friendly price tag, the Haakaa was actually comfortable to use—which is so critical in those early baby days. One parent reviewer mentioned that her “hand would get sore having to pump so much” with a traditional manual breast pump, and I completely agree.
Can I use two at the same time? on February 10, 2022 . Something we get asked about a lot is whether the Haakaa is JUST for catching let-down, or whether it can be used to exclusively pump on its own or with one on each side? So the answer is - yes, you CAN!
Yes baby bottles should be completely dry before you feed your baby.
Any water left inside the bottles after sterilisation is sterile and won't collect germs so there's no need to dry. In fact wiping the inside of a bottle after sterilisation could even add germs, so it's best not to.
How often should baby bottles be sanitized? If your baby is less than 2 months old, was born prematurely, or has a weakened immune system due to illness (such as HIV) or medical treatment (such as chemotherapy for cancer), sanitizing feeding items daily (or more often) is particularly important.