There’s no doubt about it: Breastfeeding is hard work. But the Haakaa pump made my breastfeeding experience a million times easier, and I’d easily recommend it to any mom who wants to breastfeed. It’s easy to use and easy to clean, and it collects milk passively as you feed your infant. As someone who hated using my electric pump with a burning passion, I will sing the praises of the Haakaa until my dying breath.
Even if you are at home with your baby all of the time, nursing on demand gets old. Eventually, you might want just an hour or two (or more) to get some much needed (and much deserved) time to yourself. That means you’re going to need to collect breast milk for later use, and most of us end up using an electric pump for “efficient” collection. Yes, electric pumps get the milk out, but there’s the whole lugging-around-your-pump thing (it needs a small motor to give you the power you need), finding an outlet, and then sitting around while you hold the flanges to your breasts waiting for a letdown and subsequent pumping session. Then you have to clean all the parts. And while manual pumps may be a more convenient option (the kind that you squeeze a handle to generate suction), they’re a lot of work.
With my first child, I was pumping regularly at work using an electric pump. I hated it because it was such a pain. But I sucked it up and did it, because it’s what I wanted for my kid. But I was only collecting enough milk to compensate for what she was consuming each day at daycare. This meant that I didn’t have much wiggle room for those times when she was at daycare and I wasn’t able to nurse—especially when my period came back at three months postpartum and I’d experience a dip in my production once a month. It was stressful. I hated cleaning the pump, and I especially disliked how much time it took out of my day.
When I was pregnant with my second child, I knew there had to be a better way to build up a breast-milk stash. While chatting with my midwife at a regular appointment, I mentioned how much I wasn’t looking forward to pumping again. She introduced me to the Haakaa, and I never looked back.
Most women let down milk from both breasts when they are nursing. The Haakaa is a silicone manual “pump” that collects milk passively on the other breast when your infant is nursing. Manual “pump” is a bit of a misnomer, however. Though you can manually squeeze the pump to trigger the letdown reflex, you don’t have to actually pump at all; you simply need to create enough suction to draw out the milk that was going to leak out anyway—and then some. Lactation consultants suggest that the pressure seal the Haakaa creates with your breast may actually draw out more milk than you would otherwise passively express (this comes in especially handy if you have supply issues).
Because the Haakaa allowed me to collect a few ounces each time my son nursed, I built up a nice cushion of breast milk in no time.
Cleaning is a breeze, as the Haakaa can go in the dishwasher, although it’s easy to clean with a brush and soap too. There’s also a version with a suction cup on the bottom so that you can set it down and not have to worry about it tipping over. Another option includes a small top stopper so that if it does get knocked over somehow (due to a young toddler wreaking havoc in your home, for example), you won’t find yourself crying over spilled milk.
The Haakaa pump is simple and easy, and it genuinely made my life as a lactating mom a little easier, which is everything a new mom can ask for.
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