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The Haakaa is one of my favorite tools for parents who are breastfeeding and/or pumping milk for their babies. It was a lifesaver for me with my own postpartum journey in 2020. As a birth worker I use the Haakaa when away at long births! I want to share with all of you what an awesome tool the Haakaa is and the different ways it can be used including relieving engorgement, collecting breastmilk, and removing clogged ducts.
What is a Haakaa breast pump?
Who can use a Haakaa Pump?
The designers of the Haakaa made the soft, silicone flange so that it can be used on any size of breast. Parents don’t have to worry about being fit to a particular flange size when they buy and use a Haakaa. This is one major selling point because finding the right breast pump flange size can be an obstacle for some people.
How to use a Haakaa Breast Pump
The Haakaa is super simple and easy to use! Personally, when I have used the Haakaa, I just squeeze the bottom of the pump and attach it directly to the breast then release the bottom which creates the gentle suction. If the suction feels too intense for someone, they can detach and reattach the Haakaa by pressing the bottom portion less to create less suction. After the Haakaa is suctioned to the breast, you will want to make sure the nipple is comfortably inside the pump. If not, you can detach and reattach the pump.
Once you have everything comfortably applied, you can either leave the Haakaa and use passive suction (not squeezing the pump) to collect breastmilk or you can actively pump the bottom of the Haakaa to use active suction.
Some people like to flip the flange backwards prior to attaching the Haakaa, once the nipple is inside the Haakaa comfortably, you flip the flange back over and begin use.
The Haakaa can be used alongside feeding at the breast and electronic pumping
You can use a Haakaa before using an electric pump or feeding baby at the breast to encourage let-down. You can also use it after pumping or feeding at the breast to catch breast milk while hand expressing. You can collect almost double the amount of breastmilk you normally pump if you hand express after using an electric pump! Attaching the Haakaa to your breast can be a great way to collect that hand expressed breast milk.
You can use the Haakaa by itself
As a birth worker who is still breastfeeding her own baby, I am always sure to bring my Haakaa along with me to doula client or midwifery births in case I need to pump quickly and do not have time to leave my client for an electric pumping session.
How to use a Haakaa to relieve engorgement
One reason that I personally love that Haakaa breast pump is because you can alleviate postpartum engorgement with it. You do this by using passive suction. I wrote a blog specifically about how to relieve engorgement using a Haakaa because it was such a powerful tool for my own postpartum journeys and I want to make sure you know how to use it too! Read the blog ‘How To Use A Haakaa To Relieve Engorgement’.
Where can I buy a Haakaa pump?
If you live in Oklahoma City I recommend buying your Haakaa from a local business! Supporting our local businesses is so important, especially these days! One of my favorite baby stores to visit would be the Green Bambino in OKC.
If you are not in Oklahoma City, I would recommend still finding a local business that sells Haakaa products if possible. If you can’t find a local business, you can purchase your Haakaa off of the Haakaa website by clicking here.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Haakaa Breast Pump
The Haakaa is a silicone manual breast pump that is easy to carry, easy to use, and easy to clean, & can be used by anyone who needs to pump breastmilk either passively or actively.
Breastmilk supply is based around the supply and demand of breastmilk. If you are consistently removing milk from the breasts, you can have a consistent supply of breastmilk. If the easy use and comfortable fit of the Haakaa makes it easier for you to pump and you pump more often, then you can increase your supply compared to if you were not to use it at all.
If you are using the Haakaa for passive milk collection like catching milk on the opposite side your baby is nursing then you would want to leave the the Haakaa on until baby is finished breastfeeding. If you are passively collecting to relieve engorgement you would want to keep the Haakaa on until you do not feel as much pressure from the engorgement and them remove. If you leave it on longer than that, you could encourage your body to keep making too much milk and continue the engorgement issue.
If using active collection by pumping the Haakaa, use breast massage in combination with the Haakaa pump until you feel your breasts have
A Haakaa is a manual breast pump, so using a Haakaa is still pumping.
