Whoever said there’s no point in crying over spilled milk, clearly never breastfed. All those cliches used to describe breastfeeding are true- it’s beautiful, it’s scary, it’s rewarding, it’s dreadful, it’s natural, it’s foreign, but most importantly, it’s vital. Babies depend exclusively on milk for at least their first 5-6 months. Not only does it nourish them, breastmilk transfers essential antibodies to babies, helping them build and strengthen their little immune systems. Being someone’s diner 24/7 is a big weight to carry, especially since your body is simultaneously going through so many changes- organs are repositioning themselves, breasts are tender and learning to adjust to this new milk supply, bouts of clogged ducts and mastitis arise- and lest we forget, there’s a new little human to take care of on no sleep. So, just to really drive this point home- it’s not uncommon to cry over milk- because your baby depends on it, and every drop counts.
Which is why this is one of the most important “mom (especially first-time mom) hacks”:
The haakaa.
Let me start by saying this is not a sponsored post- no one is asking me or paying me to write about this. This one comes from personal experience. I didn’t come across the haakaa until my baby was around 6 months old, and I wish someone would have told me about it sooner (like when I was doing my baby registry?).
When your baby latches on one side and you have your “let-down” reflex (when you feel your milk flow), both sides release milk. So, as your baby is drinking from one side, your other side is leaking. I was wasting valuable milk, having to change shirts with each feed, and having to add extra pump sessions to make sure I had enough milk for him when I was away on clinical rotations. The haakaa is a manual silicone breast pump. Essentially, it’s a suction cup that gently attaches to the breast your baby isn’t attached to and catches the milk that would otherwise go to waste. Then, you store this milk in the fridge and use it later.
When it comes to breastfeeding, every drop counts, and the haakaa helps make sure you don’t waste any of those drops.
dose of greens 