how to clean haaka

Do you have questions about how to use a Haakaa? It would appear that every new mother is discussing the Haakaa, is that right?

Because of this, this itty-bitty device is a game-changer for nursing mothers to collect all of that precious milk.

It doesn’t matter if this is your first, second, or many-th baby; if you are a nursing mother and haven’t invested in one yet, now is the time to do it because it costs less than lunch at your favorite salad shop.

It’s possible that you came across the Haakaa breast pump while doing research on the top baby needs for your baby registry, or it’s possible that a friend told you about how she used one to build up her stockpile of breast milk in the freezer. Both of these scenarios are possible.

No matter what led you here, you probably have some questions regarding the silicone pump, and the purpose of this post is to provide you with all of the information you require to successfully utilize a Haakaa breast pump.

During my journey of 20 months of nursing, I did extensive study on the Haakaa breast pump and utilized it from the very first day I started breastfeeding. Rest assured that I know everything there is to know about how to use a Haakaa breast pump.

What Is A Haakaa Breast Pump?

A straightforward pump with a wide variety of applications is known as a Haakaa pump.

One piece of silicone is used in the construction of the Haakaa. This is silicone that has been approved for use with food, so it won’t harm either you or your child.

It has the appearance of a bottle with a flange added to the top.

It simply has one component, but it works wonderfully for disinfecting and sanitizing! in addition, there is no need for electricity or manual pumping.

The Haakaa is a hands-free manual breast pump that is available on the market.

You won’t have any trouble fitting your Haaakaa inside your handbag — oops, I meant your diaper bag.

When it was first developed, the Haakaa was intended to be used during the letdown phase of breastfeeding as a way to prevent valuable breastmilk from leaking out of the opposite breast into nursing bras, t-shirts, or nursing pads.

What Is A Breast Milk Letdown?

You might not be familiar with the phrase “letdown” if this is your first child or if you are just starting out with nursing.

It is possible that you will be taken aback to learn that when your infant initially latches on to your breast and begins sucking during breastfeeding, there is no milk that is expelled from your body.

Before the milk may start to flow, your infant needs to really stimulate your breast for anywhere between 15 and 90 seconds.

This is done to prevent milk from continuously leaking out of your breasts and getting all over the place.

Therefore, as soon as your baby begins to suckle, your body will begin to experience the letdown response. This communicates to your body that it is time to start producing milk again.

When one breast opens, the other immediately begins to secrete milk as well. Because of this, when you are breastfeeding, you can find that one side of your bra or shirt becomes wet while the other side remains dry. You may find that you are experiencing spontaneous letdowns, especially in the beginning stages of breastfeeding, which will cause you to leak milk.

For the first few months of breastfeeding, it is highly recommended that you use a nursing pad in your bra in order to prevent embarrassing leaks in public. There are also six additional essential items for nursing that you should have in order to make the experience of breastfeeding easier for you.

How Do You Know When You Have Your Letdown?

There are a number distinct indicators that can point you in the direction of your letdown, including the following:

• Tingling: When they go through their period, many women say they experience a sensation similar to tingling, prickling, or even pinching.
• Nausea: When it is time for them to get their period, some women, including me, experience an abrupt rush of nausea.
• Slower Sucking: Babies will suckle swiftly and shallowly in order to induce the letdown reflex. When your baby’s letdown has taken place, they will often slow down and swallow mouthfuls of milk that are longer and more substantial.
• Noises: When the milk starts coming out, your infant will probably produce certain sounds that are quite cute to listen to. You might hear someone slurping or gulping down their food. It’s possible that someone will let out a sigh of relief.

How To Use A Haakaa Breast Pump During Your Letdown?

Do you remember what I said about how your letdown is activated simultaneously in each of your breasts? And what about the possibility that milk will get on your blouse or bra as a result of this leaking?

The Haakaa was first developed with the intention of capturing the letdown from the side that is not currently being used to feed your baby. You are able to salvage surplus milk that would have been thrown away if it had not been for the fact that you caught the letdown in the Haakaa.

If you want to attach your Haakaa, all you need to do is wrap the flange around your nipple, squeeze the base, and then let go of it. I will go into more depth later and give some tips and tricks, but for now, all you need to do is wrap the flange around your nipple.

It can be summed up like this.

Once you have collected the letdown, you have the option of keeping the Haakaa on the breast to collect more milk or removing it till you swap sides and collecting milk from the other breast.

How Does The Haakaa Breast Pump Work?

You might be curious about how the Haakaa manages to collect milk despite the fact that it does not require energy or a pumping motion.

Utilizing both gravity and a moderate suction, the Haakaa is able to successfully collect milk.

Even if you don’t use the Haakaa, it’s most likely that your breasts may lose milk during your letdown. At the very least, this will be the case until your milk finds its new normal.

When you attach the Haakaa, you generate suction by expelling part of the air from the base of the device while simultaneously squeezing it.

The intensity of the suction will be directly proportional to the volume of air that can be extracted from the base. The greater the amount of air that is forced out, the greater the suction.

The consistent suction produces remarkable effects, despite the fact that it does not have a particularly powerful suction.

How To Clean The Haakaa

Before using your Haakaa for the first time after opening it for the first time, you need to sanitize it.

Additionally, you should sanitize the Haakaa between each session (or every 4 hours: read the FAQ below for more information on this). Are You Able To Continue Adding Milk To The Haakaa From Various Breastfeeding Sessions?)

To sterilize something, simply dunk it in hot water for five minutes. This is the most efficient method.

You can also use a countertop or microwave sterilizer, if you have access to either of them.

You may also clean the Haakaa in the dishwasher, as it is dishwasher safe; however, before doing so, check to see whether or not your dishwasher has a’sterilize’ setting (mine is brand new and does not!).

You will want to clean your Haakaa before you proceed with the sterilization. If you have a bottle brush that is spherical, you can make quick work of this task.

In addition, I would suggest using bottle soap rather than standard dish soap. The milk residues on dishes washed with regular dish soap are difficult to remove and tend to accumulate over time.

How Often Should You Clean Your Haakaa?

Before each usage, you need to make sure that your Haakaa has been properly cleaned and sanitized.

What If My Haakaa Gets Discolored?

Your Haakaa, just like any other clear silicone, will start to cloud up after some time has passed. This does not indicate that anything is dirty; rather, it is simply the effect of washing it.

If you want to get rid of the cloudiness, you can try soaking your Haakaa in a solution consisting of equal parts water and vinegar for a few hours; however, if the cloudiness does not bother you, it is acceptable to continue using.

Attaching The Haakaa

Basic Technique

Positioning the flange over the breast and positioning the nipple so that it is centered in the flange is the fundamental step in the process of connecting your Haakaa.

Then, using one hand, squeeze the bottom to expel some of the air, and after that, let go of the base. Your nipple will be inserted into the Haakaa in a very careful manner, and then you will be ready to go!

Advanced Technique

You can take an additional step to ensure that your Haakaa is on as securely as possible if you are experiencing difficulties with it staying in place. This happened to me early on in the process of engorgement.

To begin, you will need to fold the flange on the Haaka back.

Then place your nipple in the middle of the collection cup in the location indicated by the arrow.

First, using one hand, squeeze the base to expel some of the air, and then let go. Your nipple will be drawn deeper into the Haakaa collection cup as it is dragged further down.

After that, you should tuck the flange behind your breast.

Using A Pumping Bra

Personally, I have never done this, but I’ve heard from other mothers that utilizing a hands-free pumping bra is helpful in maintaining the position of the Haakaa. Because if you can’t get enough suction on the breast, you aren’t going to collect very much milk, my bet is that they aren’t getting very much expressed milk other than the initial letdown. This is because if you can’t get enough suction on the breast, you aren’t going to collect very much milk.

If you find yourself in this predicament, you might want to give some thought to purchasing the Haakaa Lady Bug Milk Collectors rather than the standard Haakaa.

Things to consider when attaching the Haakaa:

• Comfort. The highest emphasis is that of the occupants’ comfort. Experiment with the basic approach if you, like I did, discover that the advanced technique produces an excessive amount of suction that is painful. When you use the Haakaa, you shouldn’t experience any kind of pain or even pressure at all.
  
• The baby. Those wriggly little hands and legs, what are they? They will almost certainly eliminate your Haakaa more than once before you get a chance to develop a strategy that works. You and your partner are going to end up with milk running down the front of both of you, but don’t worry about it since practice makes perfect. If you are having a lot of trouble, you might want to try to feed the baby while holding them in a football hold so that they are as far away from the Haakaa as possible.
• Overfilling. There is a possibility that you will be tempted to fill your Haakaa all the way up to the very top. I can affirm that I did because with each session I averaged a collection of 6–8 ounces. Caution is advised, though, because once your Haakaa is full, it becomes quite heavy, and gravity, suction, and the baby are all acting against you.In the end, the pump is going to fall off, and when that happens, you are going to get saturated. If you want to be able to pour the milk from your Haakaa out between breasts, it is a good idea to maintain collection cups at your breastfeeding station. When the Haakaa is not as full, you will experience a greater amount of suction, making it much simpler to maintain your attachment to the breast.
• Tipping. If you do not go into it with a strategy, you will undoubtedly experience a Haakaa tip-over. The most recent models of the Haakaa feature bases that are either strong or have suction cups to prevent the product from toppling over (although even my suction cup base tipped over on occasion). Prepare yourself for the possibility of having to remove your haakaa for one reason or another and have a tall glass or coffee cup on hand that you can place the haakaa in to provide it with additional support in the event that you do remove it.

Collecting Foremilk And Hindmilk With The Haakaa

Foremilk is the name given to the first milk that is expelled from a woman’s breasts after they have “let down.”

The foremilk is quite watery and it does not contain nearly as much fat or nutrients as the breastmilk does. The purpose of your baby’s first milk is to slake his or her thirst.

The production of hindmilk occurs later on during a nursing session. The hindmilk has a richer and more substantial consistency. It is richer in both fat and nutrients than the other option. The stomach of your tiny man can be satisfied with hindmilk.

If you are only collecting your letdown with the Haakaa and then disconnecting the pump, you are most likely collecting foremilk. If you are only collecting your letdown, you may not be collecting any milk at all.

You shouldn’t give your infant nothing except breast milk at first. It’s not that foremilk is bad for newborns (although too much foremilk has been known to create upset tummies), but when your baby takes a bottle, you want to make sure they get a combination of foremilk and hindmilk.

Not to mention the fact that although they may initially feel full after consuming foremilk, your infant will quickly become hungry again because it is so readily digested (due to the lower vitamin content).

How Do You Know If You Have Collected Foremilk Or Hindmilk?

After some time has passed in a collecting cup, your breastmilk will begin to separate into three distinct layers. The layer that is on top will be nearly solid. The fat is right here. The second layer, known as the foremilk, will have an extremely pale hue and an appearance that is almost identical to that of water. The third layer will have a velvety texture and be quite thick. This is the milk from the back end.

Try holding your collecting cup up to the light if you’re having problems viewing the different layers.

You are not looking for a certain quantity of foremilk, hindmilk, or fat in the milk that you have collected. Your body already creates everything that is necessary for your kid.

How To Collect Hindmilk With The Haakaa?

You have a couple different options available to you when it comes to collecting hindmilk. It’s possible that some of these approaches won’t work for you. So simply do trial and error!

• Leave your Haakaa on a little longer. This is what I did, and I found that it was very successful for me. Despite this, I always had a little of a surplus since I was stockpiling frozen food for the time when I would have to go back to work. If it were me, I’d use the Haakaa on each side and give each side enough time to gather three to four ounces of milk.
  
• You might not need to collect that much. For instance, if your normal discharge is 0.5 ounces and you keep it on until you collect 1 ounce, it ought to be alright!
• Mix Your Milk With Other Pumped Milk. If you are already pumping milk, you may easily combine the milk that you have collected from the Haakaa pump with the milk that you have already pumped into one container.
• Mix Your Collected milk with formula. If you are feeding your baby a combination of breast milk and formula, you can very certainly add some of the foremilk to the bottle of formula.Make sure that the formula is thoroughly mixed before adding the breastmilk as the final ingredient. It is not safe for your child to combine breast milk and powdered formula in a blender or other similar device.

Don’t stress too much about your foremilk, hindmilk balance momma.

Even if you have an imbalance with too much foremilk, most of the time your baby will just be hungrier faster or be a little gassy.

If you think you might have an imbalance and it is causing more issues like an extremely fussy baby or a baby that isn’t gaining weight properly, talk with your pediatrician and a lactation consultant.

How To Store The Milk You Collect With Your Haakaa

It is imperative that you never combine breastmilk that has been chilled with breastmilk that has been stored at room temperature. When mixing breastmilk, the temperature should remain constant at all times.

Put the milk that you have collected throughout the day into a container as you go. Because breastmilk can remain at room temperature for up to 4 hours before it needs to be refrigerated, this container can sit out for up to 4 hours after the first time milk was poured into it regardless of when you initially poured the milk into it.

After four hours, or whenever the container you are using is full, place the milk in the refrigerator to chill down and thicken.

Before putting the milk away in bottles or breastfeeding bags, transfer all of the milk from the refrigerator into a larger container at the end of the day and thoroughly mix it all together.

Because your breastmilk will alter during the day, you will want to mix everything together first before you do anything else. The milk that you produce in the morning is not the same as the milk that you produce in the evening. It’s possible that the milk from your nighttime feedings is putting your little one to sleep.

Some milk could have a higher fat content than others, while others might have a higher water content.

By combining everything in one bowl, you can assure that the bottle your child consumes at any point during the day will provide them with a balanced meal, regardless of what time of the day it is.

Using The Haakaa To Build A Freezer Stash

A hoard of expressed breast milk that has been frozen and stored in the freezer is known as a freezer stash.

Even if you aren’t planning to go back to work, some mothers find it helpful to have a modest supply of food in the freezer as a safety net in case they become ill or have to travel out of town.

If you are planning to go back to work, it is imperative that you have some frozen food stored away, even if it is just a tiny amount. When you are pumping at work, it relieves a lot of the stress that you have been feeling. If you only manage to gather 5 ounces at work instead of 6, you don’t need to stress about it because you already have plenty in the freezer to make up the difference.

Because your milk is still regulating, most lactation experts will advise you not to use a breast pump for the first six weeks after giving birth. When done too soon, heavy pumping to build a freezer supply can result in an overstock of the product. Imagine if you were attempting to drink from a firehose. That’s how a baby feels when they have an oversupply of breast milk. It’s also uncomfortable for the nursing mother, who ends up with engorged breasts.

You can create a freezer stash that won’t have an effect on your milk production if you collect your letdowns and store them in the freezer.

Tips, Tricks, And Hacks For Getting The Most Out Of Your Haakaa

As a mother who breastfed her child and who has used her Haakaa from the very beginning, I can share with you all of the useful hints, suggestions, and pointers that I picked up along the way.

In addition to that, I will respond to some often asked questions that were also concerns of mine throughout that time.

Common Questions For The Haakaa

How Much Milk Is Normal To Collect With The Haakaa?

It is fairly usual to collect at least 1 ounce and up to 8 ounces of breastmilk in your Haakaa from one breastfeeding session (this includes both breasts), although milk supply can vary so greatly from one woman to the next. However, based on everything that I have read, it is highly common to collect breastmilk in this range.

The typical amount of milk produced by each nursing session is between two and three ounces.

What If I Am Not Collecting Any Milk With The Haakaa?

If your child is only a few weeks old and your body is still adjusting to producing milk, you should be sure to pump at least one ounce of breast milk during each breastfeeding session. Try some of these methods if the amount of gold you are gathering is less than one ounce:

• Reposition the Haakaa. You could try connecting it at a lower or higher angle than you are accustomed to doing so. You can try moving it to the left or right a little bit, but you need to make sure that your nipple isn’t rubbing against the sides. When you are putting on the Haakaa, you might find it helpful to give it a tiny twist. Alternately, you can tilt the flange ever-so-slightly to one side or the other rather than setting it such that it is vertically oriented.
• Massage your breast. Massage your breasts in a circular motion to stimulate the flow of milk. Tap your breasts gently all the way around with your fingertips in a circular motion, beginning at the highest point of the breast and working your way down toward the nipple.
• Increase or decrease the suction. To begin, you should experiment with increasing the suction by employing the technique for advanced placement that I described earlier and by forcing as much air as possible out of the base.If it doesn’t work, you might try reducing the amount of suction that is being applied. It may sound paradoxical (I thought for sure that higher suction equaled more milk), but in some cases, a gentler and more soothing suction on the breast is more beneficial for collecting milk than a stronger suction.

Can The Haakaa Help Increase My Milk Supply? 

Yes! Milk supply is a straightforward case of supply vs demand. This indicates that the more milk you consume from your breasts, the more milk your body will create on its own.

If you have a significant problem with your milk supply, you need to make sure that you utilize the Haakaa each time that you breastfeed on the other breast. In addition, it is recommended that you use a manual or electronic breast pump to do a pumping session in the intervals between feedings.

This will send a signal to your body to significantly increase the amount of milk that it produces. You will start to gather more milk each time in your Haakaa, whether you use an electric or manual pump. This is because your milk supply will increase.

Can The Haakaa Cause Me To Have Oversupply Issues?

No. As long as you are only catching your letdown in the Haakaa, you are not telling your body to produce extra milk. This is true so long as you are only catching your letdown in the Haakaa. No matter what method you used, your letdown would have been gathered in a nursing pad, bra, or shirt.

On the other hand, if you leave your Haakaa on to collect hindmilk, which is the milk that comes out after you let down, you could be sending a signal to your body to produce more milk, which can lead to an overabundance just like it can with any other traditional pump.

Can You Keep Adding Milk To The Haakaa From Different Breastfeeding Sessions?

To some degree, the answer is yes.

Room temperature When stored at room temperature, breastmilk that has been expressed can remain fresh for up to four hours. This indicates that you can continue to express milk into the Haakaa for a period of four hours after your initial session.

Do not refrigerate your Haakaa at any point during the process; instead, store it at room temperature.

When the four hours have passed, you must pour the milk that you have been collecting into a container and place it in the refrigerator or the freezer.

Before you use your Haakaa again, you need to make sure that it has been properly sterilized.

This procedure can be repeated multiple times during the day.

Can You Use The Haakaa Instead Of An Electric or Manual Breast Pump?

Both yes and no. When you first start nursing, you may find that your milk comes out more easily with the help of Haakaa.

You should probably start to witness a drop in the volume of milk you are expressing with the Haakaa as your supply adapts and evens out over the course of the next several weeks.

I really like using the Haakaa as an alternative to a standard breast pump.

I would catch a lot more than just my letdown, which is typically three to four ounces on each side for each feeding.

I didn’t start using either my manual or electronic breast pump until shortly before I went back to work at 6 months after giving birth.

Around the five-month mark, I became aware that the Haakaa was no longer enabling me to collect nearly the same quantity of milk as before. In the beginning, it wasn’t very noticeable (maybe half an ounce or an ounce less during each feeding session), but as time went on, I understood that the Haakaa wouldn’t be useful as my only breast pump in the long run. In the beginning, it wasn’t very noticeable (maybe half an ounce or an ounce less during each feeding session).

There is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to use your Haakaa as your primary breast pump if you are satisfied with using it and you are producing an adequate amount of milk.

Can You Use The Haakaa If Your Baby Isn’t On The Opposite Breast?

Yes! You are free to use your Haakaa even if your baby isn’t on the other side as long as you can do something to induce a letdown.

Letdown can be stimulated more easily for certain people than for others. You could gaze at images of your kid, rub your breast gently with your fingers, or listen to videos of your baby crying, which is a personal favorite of mine. Alternatively, you could relax by sitting in a quiet spot and massaging your breast.

You will need to make use of a manual or electric breast pump instead of trying to produce a letdown on your own if you are unable to do so.

I would frequently use my Haakaa when my baby wasn’t there if I wanted to ease engorgement or if I needed to gather a few extra ounces of milk for a bottle when I was out running errands. I even recall doing both of these things.

Does The Haakaa Fit Large Breasts And Small Breasts?

Yes! The Haakaa bra is designed to accommodate women with breasts of any size, from AA to FF, and every size in between. Its one-of-a-kind construction makes it possible for it to do so.

Does The Haakaa Have Different Flange Sizes?

No. There is only one size available for the Haakaa. The Haakaa is designed to be a one-size-fits-all solution, in contrast to standard breast pumps, which can either be manual or electric and typically come with flanges of varying sizes.

Can I Use The Haakaa If I Have Cracked Or Sore Nipples?

The only thing stopping you from using the Haakaa is the level of discomfort it gives you. There is no other justification for this.

If you need to pump and have sore or cracked nipples, the Haakaa is unquestionably going to be gentler on your nipples than either a manual or an electric pump would be.

What If There Is Blood In My Haakaa And Breast Milk?

It is deemed okay to continue breastfeeding or serving expressed milk as long as the blood is coming from the nipple or the breast itself.

It is important to rule out the possibility that the blood was drawn from an open wound on the breast or that it originated from another source and then tainted the milk.

Even if you think it could be strange to give your child pink milk, you should still save it!!!!

Please don’t flush it down the toilet!!

Breastmilk is figuratively and literally liquid gold, and it has a wide variety of applications.

Put the breastmilk into a milk bag, place it in the freezer, and label it “for topical use.” It is possible to apply breastmilk directly to both your own and the baby’s skin.

It is possible to treat cradle cap, chapped nipples, acne, rashes, diaper rashes, and other skin conditions with breastmilk. Breastmilk can be used to treat virtually any condition that manifests itself on either your skin or your baby’s skin.

Therefore, save any breastmilk that has a hint of blood in it, even if you don’t intend to give it to your child.

Do I Need A Haakaa Even If I’m Not Breastfeeding?

Yes! When your milk first starts to come in, engorgement can be a source of excruciating pain. A number of illnesses, including mastitis, can result from engorgement, which can also cause milk ducts to become blocked.

The Haakaa will enable you to express a small bit of milk in a very gentle manner, allowing you to avoid these issues while maintaining your comfort level. Trying to manually express milk from full breasts is likely to be more difficult, time-consuming, and uncomfortable than using a Haakaa Gen 1 breast pump, which is far more affordable than other breast pumps.