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.
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.
Will The Haakaa Steal Milk From My Baby? The short answer is yes, it does remove some milk from your breast that won't be available for baby. However, if you are someone who leaks when breastfeeding this milk would be lost anyways.
It is possible that the Haakaa can create oversupply by using it too much. I did this by accident because I just loved being able to collect so much milk. If your body is responding to both the baby and the Haakaa sucking at your breasts, it can produce more milk than is needed for the baby.
Some mums find they need to replace their pumps after a few months while others have theirs for years. It really differs for each person based on each of those factors! My pump is becoming sticky, what can I do? Sometimes silicone can act like a magnet and attract its surroundings or absorb smells, colours etc.
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. Do not use any bleach-based agents or sterilizing tablets to clean this product.
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!
vasospasm/ pain (because it's constant suction is left on too long) slow weight gain (because the Haakaa is taking the milk the baby needs) clogged ducts/ mastitis (because Haakaa leaves the most fatty milk inside the breast)
Top tip: The Haakaa Generation 3 Silicone Breast Pump is super handy for those looking to express milk to help reduce engorgement, without having to wake up your bub for a feed.
I've found the best way to build a stash of breast milk without causing your body to permanently over-produce is to create a pumping schedule and accumulate the stored milk gradually over several weeks. Pumping just a few ounces extra a day over a few weeks is enough to build your stored milk.
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.
Hand expressing can help you breastfeed for longer. A research study comparing hand expressing breast milk vs. pumping in 68 mothers whose babies were feeding poorly showed that the moms who hand expressed were more likely to be still breastfeeding at two months (Source). You can use it to target a clogged duct.
The suction with the Haakaa actually pulls out more milk than just with the letdown Milk Savers/Lacticups collect. It's more efficient.
“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.
The let-down reflex is a response from your body that causes breastmilk to flow. It can take time and practice for your let-down reflex to become consistent. Your reflex can be impacted by stress, tiredness or discomfort. You can encourage your let-down reflex by relaxing and distracting yourself.
However, sometimes women find that they get more output by staying in letdown/massage mode for the entire pumping session, and they wonder whether or not this is okay. This is totally fine – whatever removes the most milk from your breasts is the right way for YOU to pump.
Some babies will pull off the breast soon after let-down if mom has a forceful let-down. Baby may be frustrated by the too-fast flow of milk with let-down. A too-forceful let-down can also cause excessive gas or spitting up/vomiting.
If you attach the Haakaa suction breast pump to each breast before you get in the shower, you'll collect all that lovely milk that you would otherwise lose down the drain!
The milk in your breasts, if not removed, will gradually reabsorb and diminish.
How long should a baby nurse to get hindmilk? After about 10 to 15 minutes of breastfeeding, the milk flow slows and transitions to the sweet and creamy hindmilk, which contains vitamins A and E, and has more fat and calories than foremilk.
To collect hindmilk for your premature baby, you should use a breast pump and separate the foremilk from the hindmilk as you pump. When you begin pumping your breast milk, it will be thin and watery. Pump for about 2 minutes, then remove the collection container from the pump.
There is not a certain time frame on when foremilk becomes hindmilk. What we know is that breastmilk becomes fattier over time as the feeding/pumping goes on and the breast drains. The fat content in hindmilk is higher and it is creamier in appearance. You can see the fat layer when you refrigerate your milk.