Milk collector shells

[Wherethereshope]

I'm thinking of getting milk collector shells for when baby is born but getting confused.

Do you just wear them when feeding (on opposite side) or all the time? And some reviews I've read said they are a pain as the milk pours out if you lean forwards. I have a 4 year old too so moving whilst feeding is likely!

Can you help!

They seem pointless to me, why do people wear them ?

Also.. If you have any thoughts on the haaka pump and any reusable breast pad recommendations

@SirVixofVixHall the idea is you collect the milk you would usually lose then reuse the milk. I want to use it to then feed the baby that little bit of milk from a bottle to introduce the idea of bottle feeds early on. I got stuck with my 4 year old as he wouldn't take a bottle so hoping to try something different this time without interfering with my milk supply early on. I have no idea if it'll work though 😂

I used just one, to catch any leakage while feeding on the other side. But I did then get a haaka which I much preferred. Again, used the same way, but I found it much more comfortable and caught more milk.

I'd usually get a bottles worth over the course of the day.

Oh really that's good @CoffeeCheeseandCupcakes

I was thinking you wear the collection cups all the time but are they just for feed times? I'm only hoping to get an oz or 2 at the start.

I used them and they were fine for collecting the extra milk from the opposite side you were feeding on. They worked well and didn't spill much from moving a bit but I wouldn't have jugged around too much. Didn't wear them any other time personally.

I did actually try wearing the cups for a full morning once (had totally forgotten!). I found them really uncomfortable to have in though because they put so much pressure on your boobs. And awkward as I definitely overflowed one of them! That's why I'd switched to the haaka, I did have a ridiculous strong letdown though,

I’d really recommend the haaka. I got the bigger one with a suction bottom and a top. I use it during my morning feeds when baby is on the other side. It’s so hassle free. Even though my baby is 3 months and a bit more wriggly I’ve not had a spill yet. Practice getting it on with really good suction as that will help both with not knocking off and the amount it collects. They aren’t too expensive so it’s not a massive investment if you don’t get on with it.

I also bought the elvie shells when I had a few leaks overnight as my baby slept through. However i wouldn’t really recommend them as much. They were expensive for what they are, it did save the bed getting wet but it was a bit of a faff to empty them and save the milk. They don’t have suction so they aren’t expressing milk just literally getting the drips. However compared to the haaka you can actually keep them in your bra and move around so if you have a tendency to really leaky boobs they might be a useful buy. However I’d probably go for a cheap generic set rather than elvie as can’t see any benefit to them over others!

Brilliant! Sounds like the haaka gets the thumbs up all round. I think I might give the shells a miss then.

Haakaas are really useful, low tech, easy to clean etc. The only thing to bear in mind they do work to increase milk supply because they actively remove milk - they aren't just a passive "collector", so some women end up with oversupply issues if they use them a lot. Great for a quick pump to do the odd feed though.

Shells can do that too, though less dramatically. The main problem with shells is that they apply gently pressure to the same area frequently, which can cause blockages etc.