Say hello to my little friend, and meet the Haakaa silicone breast pump.
Isn’t it adorable? It doesn’t look much like a pump does it, rather an interesting learning toy for toddlers. Compared to the other contraptions, its looks positively futuristic, a little like Haakaa themselves.
Hailing from New Zealand, Haakaa is everything I want in a baby/children’s company – being focused solely on providing safe products for little ones that also don’t affect the environment. They describe themselves as
A family owned baby brand that provides parents with safe, natural, non-toxic and eco-friendly baby products. After the birth of our precious Courtney who has Autism among other disabilities it became obvious to us we needed to do something to protect her health as well as help prevent the mass amount of waste caused by plastic baby bottles and unnecessary everyday plastic items. We are 100% committed to creating stylish, practical and sustainable products that are safe for both our kids and our planet.
Browsing through their South African website, Hey Kiwi, I was in awe of their range and their strong ethos. But I’ll be honest, when the pump was delivered, I was very skeptical. The instructions simply tell you to squeeze the pump and fit it over your breast and then release – the suction should then draw out the milk. So it’s a pump that doesn’t require you to “pump”? Come off it. That doesn’t make sense, surely…
Having watched a Youtube video where a woman demonstrated how the pump works with a balloon as the subject, I got the breasts out and dubiously latched it.
It was actually kind of incredible. Within 8 minutes, I had about 60mls and whilst Rosie thought I was mad walking around with something attached to my boob, I didn’t worry about it slipping or falling off. I didn’t even need to move a muscle – I could stand upright and the pump stayed attached, drawing out milk. Once done, I stuck it to the counter and shoved the flower in the top and felt like a Magician. It works!
Granted, it’s a lot slower than an electric pump, and you can’t put any more effort into it like you would a hand pump, but if you need a relief when out, something that is super simple to use, SILENT, or you’re simple fed up with all the finicky parts that go with most pumps these days (they are such a mission to clean) then this is most definitely for you.
Don’t be fooled by any mimicking products out there that promise to be of the same high-grade silicone because inevitably, whilst they might be cheaper, you won’t be buying the quality. The pump that I have – made from 100% food grade silicone – comes with a flower stopper and suction base and, for 100ml, is R450 – without the stopper, it’s R320. You can also choose your flower colour, or you can choose a pump with a suction cap instead of a flower.
The pros of buying a Haakaa breast pump are:
- It’s small, handheld, portable and convenient.
- It easily attaches to your boob with no additional parts.
- It is so easily cleaned. It’s dishwasher safe too, and it also can be sterilised and left to sit in boiling water.
- BPA, PVC and Phthalate free.
- It looks super cute and if it accidentally fell out of your bag, it wouldn’t look like a breast pump.
- It’s 100% eco-friendly.
I might be coming to the end of my breastfeeding career – for now – but for next time, the advantages of being able to conceal this easily in my handbag, or using it to catch the let-down on the other side are wonderful. Right now, as I’m weaning Rosie, it’s great for relieving engorged boob syndrome, or as I like to call it, Hulk boobs.
For its size and ease of cleaning, I’m giving this two thumbs up – I am super happy with it.
To see the other amazing earth-kind products in the range, visit www.heykiwi.co.za and should you want to make a purchase, enter “roseandthorns” at checkout to receive a 5% discount!
Disclaimer:
I received the pump as a gift but the views and photos are entirely my own. I have been breastfeeding for 13 months.
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