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Breastfeeding Haaka Milk collector

12 replies

Strawberrryfields · 06/01/2022 14:15

Hello! Hoping for some practical experience from those who’ve used these or similar. The reviews are a bit mixed!

  • Does the suction inadvertently increase your supply?
  • How do you use these practically? After a feed do you feed it to baby straight away, put it in the fridge or freezer.


  • If in the fridge, do you add to it through the day or would this not be safe due to time lapsing?
  • Do you feed then immediately sterilise? Or can you keep adding during the day and sterilise at the end of the day?/ after a few feeds?


  • Can you actually wear them out and about or are they really obvious?!


  • How much milk did you collect per feed? Did you feel they were worthwhile?


Thanks in advance! X

www.amazon.co.uk/Silicone-Collector-Breastfeeding-Extra-Soft-Reusable/dp/B081JR6SFZ/ref=asc_df_B081JR6SFZ/?hvlocphy=9046318&linkCode=df0&psc=1&hvnetw=g&hvadid=499438769714&hvdev=m&hvtargid=pla-1234582178061&hvrand=14936240724173895160&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21
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Twizbe · 06/01/2022 14:24

I used it with both mine and loved it.

I used it to help with engorgement at the start and to experiment with bottles and freezing. I didn't use it for regular expressing as my milk didn't freeze well and my youngest refused bottles ...

Anyway to answer your questions;

  • Does the suction inadvertently increase your supply? Any expressing can do this. I had no issues with that and found it really good in the early weeks with engorgement.


  • How do you use these practically? After a feed do you feed it to baby straight away, put it in the fridge or freezer? I used it while feeding baby mostly. Pop it on one side and latch baby on the other. That takes a bit of practice but found it easiest with a lying back position. I'd transfer it to either a bottle in the fridge and add to it during the day or I'd pop it in a breastmilk freezer bag.


  • If in the fridge, do you add to it through the day or would this not be safe due to time lapsing? Yes you can do this. But keep the bottle in the main part of the fridge not the door.


  • Do you feed then immediately sterilise? Or can you keep adding during the day and sterilise at the end of the day?/ after a few feeds? You don't need to sterilise them. Breast milk is sterile so a wash out and daily dishwasher is fine. There's also no little nooks or crannies where the milk gets stuck.


  • Can you actually wear them out and about or are they really obvious?! I've never done this as too scared it would drop off lol. I have used it to express while away from baby though.


  • How much milk did you collect per feed? Depended on when in the day I use it. I never expressed a lot anyway but could get 3oz at the right time of day. I'm sure others could get more but my boobs just didn't seem to like expressing.


Did you feel they were worthwhile? Yes for what I needed it for. I'd really recommend for a first pump or as something to get before baby comes. They are pretty cheap (Aldi might well have some during their baby and toddler event this week) and don't over do it in the early days. If breastfeeding doesn't work out you've not wasted tons of money.
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Strawberrryfields · 06/01/2022 15:05

Thank you so much for the detailed response! Really appreciate it Smile Sounds like you found them really useful - I’ll give them a go! X

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GromblesofGrimbledon · 07/01/2022 02:24

I love the haakaa so much I bought 3. Invaluable. I had a cheap hand pump at the very start to deal with engorged breasts and I absolutely hated it. Made me feel ill using it. Thankfully using the pump for two days along with hand expressing in a warm shower, the engorgement and pain passed quickly. I binned the horrid thing and have used only haakaas since.

My routine is to have 3 clean sterilised haakaas on the bedside table each night (face down because they fall over so easily) before bed. During the night when baby wakes to feed I put a haakaa on the opposite breast while he feeds. Everyone is different but I have a lot of let down when feeding so that will fill the entire 100ml sometimes. Baby goes back to sleep and I freeze it immediately. I completely fill 2 or 3 haakaas each night. I have a solid supply of frozen milk that can be put in a bottle now for when my partner has the baby on his own.

In the early days (baby is 3 1/2 months now and milk supply has established and calmed down) I found the haakaa essential to use before I put baby on the breast. This was because my let down was too fast and he'd cry when feeding. Wee scone was getting absolute waterboarded! A couple of minutes with the haakaa to get the initial let down out meant that he had a nice slow and calm feed. Of course he cried for the couple of minutes while waiting! But it was better than the stress of him choking on a fast let down. I also got better at reading his hunger cues and learnt to feed him before the point of "hanger" (he takes after me Grin)


Does the suction inadvertently increase your supply?

I cannot say I've noticed this. It's done nothing but help me establish my milk, keep my breasts from being painfully engorged, and provide a lovely supply of frozen milk.

How do you use these practically? After a feed do you feed it to baby straight away, put it in the fridge or freezer.

Don't feed to baby straight away. You need to be breastfeeding on demand to adjust your supply to your babies need. Once your milk is established, and you'll feel when you're ready for this, you can use your frozen supply in a bottle if your baby will take it and you can have a break while someone else has baby. I don't go longer than 4 hours away from mine at the moment as my breasts get sore. But 4 hours with my partner or my mum is a nice break for me.

If in the fridge, do you add to it through the day or would this not be safe due to time lapsing?

I refrigerate occasionally the day before if I know that my partner is taking him out for a few hours the next day so pointless freezing it. I don't add to it in this case as I'm sure I read that you shouldn't mix breast milk of different temperatures. So I'll put each amount in the fridge separately and combine them when they're all cold. The milk keeps a few days in the fridge but I only ever do it if it's going to be used the next day. Otherwise I freeze.

Do you feed then immediately sterilise? Or can you keep adding during the day and sterilise at the end of the day?/ after a few feeds?

Not sure what you mean. The haakaa is just used to collect the milk, not for feeding. I freeze it and when needed it's put into a bottle. I only use one haakaa at a time before washing and putting in the steriliser which I switch on at the end of the day. Although now I only use the haakaas at night so switch on the next day. My let down will fill at least 50-60 ml, if not the whole haakaa so I just freeze that immediately. If you're not getting that much out then I'd probably pop it in the fridge, use another haakaa again later and do the same. Then later on when you've a few cold in the fridge you can combine them and use them within a few days or freeze.

Can you actually wear them out and about or are they really obvious?!

They'd fall off! No reason you couldn't use one when sitting down to feed I suppose. I wouldn't though as what would you do with it? If I have some fast let down out and about I prefer to just quickly hand express a bit into a muslin to ease the flow.

I cannot tell you how many times I've fed baby in the night with a haakaa on opposite breast. Then 20 minutes later I'm practically falling asleep while he feeds and the fucking thing pops off me because it's full and soaks the bed with breast milk. I'm more careful now so hasn't happened in a while. But the seething rage of suddenly being drenched and then having to sleep on a towel after an already disturbed night with a baby is indescribable HmmGrin

How much milk did you collect per feed? Did you feel they were worthwhile?

So worthwhile! Maybe start with one haakaa. I did and then within a couple of days ordered two more. I could probably have used more in the early days because of the fast let down. I was filling them like mad. But the supply has settled now and 3 is enough to get by with. Love them so much!
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neverenoughchelseaboots · 07/01/2022 02:54

Do they actually express or just catch the leaks / let down on the other side? I can't make it out from the shopping listing.

I have a catcher already, but one of the discs that sit over the nipple (rather than creating any suction) but I want to actually express all the milk in the breast.

I have an Elvie hands free pump which has stopped collecting much milk in the last few days, but I can get some if I switch to a basic hand pump but it's hard work. So I've been looking at the Haaka also but not sure if it's what I need.

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Ozanj · 07/01/2022 02:58

I got far more milk using it eventually than expressing alone. I would pop it on one breast while feeding from the other & used them after expressing to get the leftover milk out. I usually ended up with 200ml per day just with the haaka.

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Ozanj · 07/01/2022 03:00

@neverenoughchelseaboots

Do they actually express or just catch the leaks / let down on the other side? I can't make it out from the shopping listing.

I have a catcher already, but one of the discs that sit over the nipple (rather than creating any suction) but I want to actually express all the milk in the breast.

I have an Elvie hands free pump which has stopped collecting much milk in the last few days, but I can get some if I switch to a basic hand pump but it's hard work. So I've been looking at the Haaka also but not sure if it's what I need.

It’s letdown
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GromblesofGrimbledon · 07/01/2022 03:04

@neverenoughchelseaboots

Do they actually express or just catch the leaks / let down on the other side? I can't make it out from the shopping listing.

I have a catcher already, but one of the discs that sit over the nipple (rather than creating any suction) but I want to actually express all the milk in the breast.

I have an Elvie hands free pump which has stopped collecting much milk in the last few days, but I can get some if I switch to a basic hand pump but it's hard work. So I've been looking at the Haaka also but not sure if it's what I need.


I think this probably depends person to person. I freeze roughly 300ml a day but have a fast let down. I imagine if this wasn't the case then a hand pump or electric pump would be better.

The haakaa provides only gentle suction but that can be enough for some women. I'd recommend getting one haakaa to start and see how it goes.
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Strawberrryfields · 08/01/2022 04:29

Thanks for taking the time to respond so throughly @GromblesofGrimbledon! Great to know how you use them day to day and the idea of having multiple ready to go sounds like it works really well.

I’ve actually had my baby (6 weeks now) wish I’d have got these sooner as know I would’ve been able to freeze a ton before things settled. Its all such a delicate balance! Wanting to get into expressing though now to help get a bit of the time/ break you mention! Thank again Smile

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Strawberrryfields · 08/01/2022 04:31

Thanks @Ozanj wow 200ml is loads! Your freezer must be jam packed 😂

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Twizbe · 08/01/2022 07:19

If you plan to freeze milk, freeze a bit and then try defrosting it and feeding it.

My milk didn't freeze and tasted strange when defrosted. Both children rejected it. Such a waste of a freezer stash.

I think for some women you have to boil the milk before freezing or something, but that seemed like a faff so didn't try.

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Jinglebellsoncake · 08/01/2022 07:58

It was the best thing ever, I wish I found it for my first baby.
I just put it on when feeding when I was at home. It meant that a rarely ever needed to actually pump to build a stash for the freezer.
You can add too it throughout the day and just freeze at the end of day (or feed to baby)

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Ozanj · 08/01/2022 17:06

@Strawberrryfields

Thanks *@Ozanj* wow 200ml is loads! Your freezer must be jam packed 😂

Yes it was. I used most of the excess to make white sauce for him during from 6-12 mths lol
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