As long as there is milk in your breasts, the continuous suction of your Haakaa pump will draw it out - not JUST during your letdown.
“The Haakaa uses suction to draw out milk from the breast,” explains Agi. “In order to get the best suction, roll the flange down, center the nipple in the middle, squeeze the bottom of the bulb and flip up the flange.” This method gives the most suction to the breast, and thus, more milk is drawn out.
If you do not feel your milk letting down, it doesn't necessarily mean that something is wrong. You may never notice it, or you may feel it in the first few weeks then less over time. As long as you can see the signs your baby is getting enough breast milk and growing well, you don't have to worry.
Your let-down reflex can occur: in response to your baby sucking at your breast. hearing, seeing or thinking about your baby. using a breast pump, hand expressing or touching your breasts or nipples.
At this time their breasts may no longer feel hard before a feed, and they may stop leaking milk. These concerns are due to their breasts only producing the volume of milk their baby needs, and only producing it when their baby needs it and is not a sign of a low milk supply.
Why is my Haakaa not Collecting Much Milk? The amount of milk you collect with a haakaa varies from mom to mom. A lot of it depends on your milk supply, the last time you nursed or pumped, and how your breasts respond to the pump.
So the secret is to keep the Haakaa on your breast for at least 15 to 20 minutes to ensure you're getting a full feed.
For mums who may want to build a bigger freezer stash and/or introduce a bottle, using their Haakaa for a couple of feeds each day may yield the best results. For mums who just want to catch their letdown and maybe have a smaller amount of milk in the fridge, 1-2 times per day may work.
Other women don't feel their let down at all. Even if you don't feel your let down, you will see a change in baby's swallowing patterns and hear your baby swallowing. Some moms with sensitive reflexes can let down their milk either right before or right at the beginning of a breastfeeding session.
Here's how letdown works: When you start pumping, most pumps will begin in the “letdown phase” – which is lighter and quieter – for about two minutes. During this time, before you letdown, you might see milk dribbling out your nipple, and just a few drops going into the bottles.
Oxytocin. The oxytocin reflex is also sometimes called the “letdown reflex” or the “milk ejection reflex”. Oxytocin is produced more quickly than prolactin. It makes the milk that is already in the breast flow for the current feed, and helps the baby to get the milk easily.
The suction nature of the silicone pump doesn't necessarily increase your supply, so it won't cause an oversupply. Unlike a nursing infant or an electric breast pump, there is no "suckling" motion happening, and that motion is what signals the parent body to create more milk.
Using the haakaa can—in this way—help your body increase supply by stimulating letdown and milk flow. If you use this pump as directed—to catch milk that would otherwise leak on your breast pad—you probably won't overstimulate your milk production.
The Haakaa breast pump helps you collect both foremilk and rich hindmilk. Because it's only a piece of silicone, there's no electricity nor any cords required, making it so easy to integrate into your daily routine!
Clean after each use. We strongly recommend cleaning and sterilizing your Haakaa Breast Pump with any steam sterilizing system or by boiling in water for 2-3 minutes.
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.
How do I know whether my breasts are empty? There's no test or way to know for sure. In general, though, if you gently shake your breasts and they feel mostly soft and you don't feel the heaviness of milk sitting in them, you're probably fine.
You're not getting let down. If your breasts feel like they're full but you're not able to get the milk flowing out when you pump, it could be that you're not achieving let down.
The answer depends on your and your production. I have been an over-producer of milk in both of my nursing experiences and would collect anywhere from 1-3 ounces per feeding. But ANY amount you collect is more than you had stored up before and it adds up quicker than you might imagine!
Pumping more often can help stimulate breasts to produce more milk. Moms can try pumping both breasts for 15 minutes every two hours for 48-72 hours. Then moms can return to their normal pumping routine. Pumping for longer than 30 minutes may not be beneficial.
Your breasts may leak when they become so full of milk that they overflow. (Leaking is common in women who have an overabundant milk supply). Or you might leak when your letdown reflex – which releases the milk – kicks in.
Your milk supply is considered low when there is not enough breast milk being produced to meet your baby's growth needs.
You do not have low milk supply because your breasts have stopped leaking. Some mothers leak less than others. MOST mothers notice that leaking reduces at the weeks go by and the teeny tiny sphincter muscles responsible tighten. You do not have low milk supply because your breasts feel softer than they used to.