The Haakaa Breast Pump PROS and CONS
The Haakaa Breast Pump, while technically a breast pump, is not a traditional electric pump. It’s a silicone cup that you squeeze to attach to your breast and it pumps milk through manual suction. Although you can pump a couple ounces from your breast with this, it’s not going to empty you like an electric pump would. But there are still some beneficial uses for a Haakaa! Read on for a pro/con list of the Haakaa!
(This post was originally a video. Check it out, here!)
What is the Haakaa Breast Pump??
You might be thinking that is doesn’t really look like a breast pump. Well… you are correct! This is not like a traditional manual pump or electric pump but it does kind of pump a little bit of milk from your breast.
How the Haakaa Breast Pump works
The cool think about the Haakaa pump is that you can attach it to your breast while you are feeding your baby. You can be feeding from one side and have this pump on the other. The Haakaa can catch any of the leaking milk that is usually wasted in a nursing pad or running down your shirt while feeding.
Once you have it suctioned to the breast, it is going to pull a little more milk out than a milk catcher would. (Milk catchers are a device that you can stick right in your bra and they are made to catch any milk that leaks out.)
But the Haakaa pump is pulling a little on the breast and giving it suction (not rhythmic like a breast pump would) but you will pull more milk out than the normal leaking.) So that’s kind of cool!
The Haakaa will catch mostly foremilk
A lot of moms say that they get about 1 to 4 ounces per feeding from the Haakaa pump. If you think about it, that would have been wasted milk that wasn’t going anywhere that is now saved!
It is going to be mostly foremilk since the Haakaa Breast Pump doesn’t actually empty your breast (so this can’t replace an electric breast pump) It is mostly useful to catch the leaking milk, plus a little bit more.
The Haakaa Breast Pump PROs
Can Increase Your Supply
Using the Haakaa would a be a good way to increase your supply a little bit if you are struggling, because it is providing a bit of suction to one side while your baby is feeding on the other side. This stimulation will increase your supply just a bit.
Is Inexpensive
A huge pro of the Haakaa pump is that it is cheap. You can these from $10 – 30 depending on what accessories you want to come with it. There is really no reason that every mom shouldn’t have a Haakaa Breast Pump just to put on while you feed your baby at home.
Can Help with Strong Letdowns
If you have a strong letdown, (when your milk releases at the beginning of a feeding) you can attach the Haakaa for like 30 seconds at the beginning of a feeding session to get the milk flowing and control a strong letdown before latching your baby.
A strong letdown may cause choking or gagging for your baby. They will recover because the milk will slow down, but this pump might be helpful for a forceful letdown. Here’s how you would do that:
- Have the baby suck for a bit to trigger the letdown
- Then take the baby off the breast
- Put the Haakaa on to catch the letdown (it won’t take long to catch that rush of milk.) Your little one might be a bit ticked, but you know that you are doing that little one a favor!
- Once the flow slows down, you can reattach your baby and continue. That strong letdown should regulate the longer you breast feed and won’t be a problem forever.
The Haakaa Breast Pump CONs
Is not very discreet
A con of the Haahaa Breast pump is that it is not feasible to use in public. It will need to be used probably at home or someplace where you can have your breast out because it isn’t going to fit well in your shirt. If you get really talented and have a great cover, you might be able to use it in public?
Is Hard to Measure Milk Output
Another con of the Haakaa pump is that it doesn’t measure effectively. The markings on the Haakaa containers don’t line up to the amount when you pour the milk into a bottle. So just keep that in mind that a bottle is more accurate and you need to measure the milk that way. The Haakaa measurement close but not perfect!
Other Tips for Using the Haakaa Breast Pump
Here is a little tip on applying the pump. Don’t let your nipple touch any of the inside of the flange of the pump while you are using it. That will cause you a little bit of pain and it will hurt.
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Overall Thoughts on the Haakaa Breast Pump
This inexpensive little tool is something a lot of moms are using and swearing by! Because, overall it is awesome! There is really no reason why every mom shouldn’t purchase this and try it.
It will help you have a little bit of milk in the fridge for those times when you need a little break, and it can help you build your stash or give your supply a little boost.
I hope you love your Haakaa Breast Pump as much as I do! I recommend this to all my breast feeding moms! Good luck breast feeding and happy Haakaaing!
Meet Allison Tolman, LPN, IBCLC!
She is the owner and founder of New Little Life, a company dedicated to providing objective information and support for pumping mothers. With 15+ years of experience in various pregnancy and postpartum fields including as an LPN, birth doula, childbirth educator, and IBCLC, her current research focuses on testing and exploring breast pumps to find the most practical way to help pumping mothers reach their goals as well as teaching lactation professionals to better understand the complex art of pumping.
She runs a long-term coaching program to support working mothers who are pumping.