My baby was born on Dec 27th. When I got home from the hospital, I started using this and in just 5 days I had collected two large ziplock bags full of one ounce cubes. I didn't pump at all and collected this much just from feeding normally. To think it could have all ended up in a breast pad in the trash can. I will be giving this at every baby shower from here to eternity. The best invention for Breastfeeding moms. I did not get paid to write this...Just a mom wanting other moms to know what really actually works.
This product is so worth the money!! Least of all, it saved me laundry because with baby #1 - before Milk-Saver - I went through a lot of shirts and burp cloths soiled from leaking milk from the non-nursing breast while nursing on the other side. Most of all, I collected so much milk in the first 4 weeks without once hooking myself up to a breastpump (see photo), and I prevented that same milk from just being washed away!
It is important to note that you should not feed this milk to your baby without mixing it with pumped milk, as this milk is mostly foremilk (the less fatty, more watery, less nutritious milk), but it will do in a pinch and it is still breastmilk!
I read a review that stated this product was harmful to evening out milk production in the early stages of breastfeeding, but I found that it helped me manage my engorgement and nurse my baby more effectively, getting us off a nipple shield much more quickly than with baby #1. My breasts were simply too engorged and too large for my newborn's mouth, so I had to start on a nipple shield after a day or two. With baby #1, I would have to wake early and pump off for about 5 minutes to relieve engorgement for the first several weeks, which is a practice that can hinder milk production adjustment and create a vicious cycle of engorgement, but there was just no other way. With baby #2, after a couple of weeks the engorgement was only too bad on my higher-producing side, so I would nurse on my lower-producing side first in the morning (which is good to do anyway in order to level out a slower-producing side). With the Milk-Saver in my over-producing side, I would massage the lumps while nursing the other side, collecting the milk and relieving a lot of the pressure from engorgement so that my babe could then nurse on that side when she finished with lower-producing side. Successful nursing without a shield and without pumping within just a few weeks (I was on a shield for over a month with baby #1). And, what's more, I had milk saved up, too!
My reason for 4 stars and not 5 is because this product costs WAY too much for the simple item that it is, especially considering that it is only useful for the first few months (during the engorgement/leakage stage).
This is an absolute MUST HAVE for all nursing moms!!! I have recommended this product to so many of my friends who are also having babies and this will now be a product I buy for every new mom. I was hesitant at first because of the price but I went ahead and bought it anyway. After the first use I was shocked and immediately said that was well worth the money!! I wish I had known about it with my first baby rather than shoving a cloth on the non nursing side and wasting all that milk. It's actually really depressing when you think about all the wasted milk! My baby is only 3 weeks old and I already have a whole freezer full. In fact we went and bought a mini freezer to store all the breastmilk because it wouldn't fit in our daily freezer with everything else. A friend of mine, also a new mom, came over to visit and I was telling her about it and showed her how much milk I already have saved up and she immediately bought it as well. She called me a few days later and was shocked at how much milk she was getting! She really didn't think she leaked all that much so was pleasantly surprised to see the milk adding up. If you are hesitant about buying this product, do it anyway, you won't regret it!! It also comes with a carry case which is very convenient when you are out and about. The Milkies is a soft material, not a hard plastic, so it's easy to shove in your bra and you hardly even know it's there even though it's quite large. The first few times I used it I really did forget it was there and I would bend over and milk would leak all over. So annoying!! After doing that twice I haven't made that mistake again.
I love this thing. It is definitely exorbitantly expensive and I guess you could get away with just tucking a small bottle under your bra (I did that for a while), but this is a really great product. I wash and dry it and keep it by my bedside so I can collect milk drips during our morning feeding before we get out of bed. Some days, I get 2oz that would otherwise just be soaking into my clothes. If you get this early, when your milk is just dripping all the time, you could probably save a lot of milk over the course of the day by just wearing it while you wander around the house. Remember that only one is included in this package, so if you intend to collect daily drips instead of drips while nursing, you need to buy two. Also, don't forget you're wearing it and lean over! It does not close and there's a giant hole in the middle, so if you lean over or put it down and knock it over, you'll spill precious milk everywhere! Also, you should avoid adding warm milk to previously cooled milk, so you need to have a system that allows you to cool the dripped milk before you add it to your stash. Overall, I love this and definitely recommend it to everyone I talk to.
Buy this. Buy it now. This will help you capture every precious drop of liquid gold from the moment your milk comes in — worth every penny. This has helped me to build a freezer stash without having to spend every waking hour with my breast pump, like I did with my first son. I usually catch about an ounce per feeding, which otherwise would have just been wasted. This means I get to put a 4 oz bag of milk in the freezer every day, even on days I don’t have time or energy to pump.
Minus one star for the design. It doesn’t hold more than 2 ounces of milk because the placement of the hole means that any more milk would pour out of the milk saver. It is NOT discrete - don’t delude yourself into thinking you’ll be able to wear this in public without everyone knowing. If you bend over, milk will pour out. The container has a stand that is bulky and unnecessary, but you can’t throw it out because it doubles as a stand for the milk saver. But worst of all? The shape of the container at the bottom means that, despite your best efforts, sometimes you’ll still wind up spilling the milk you just collected because the container falls over when you rest it on the kitchen counter or in the stand that is provided. I’d suggest that Milkies consider a redesign to improve upon their original idea and re-issue this product without the flaws everyone has noted.
A note - you only need one. It’s for the side you aren’t nursing on when your child is nursing on the first breast of the feeding. You won’t catch much of anything on the initial breast if you shove this in your bra when your kid starts snacking on the second breast.
Feature Product
- ALLOWS YOU TO SAVE EVERY DROP OF PRECIOUS BREAST MILK - none goes to waste!
- Tested to ensure zero chemical leaching -CONTAINS NO BPA or phthalates
- MILK SAVER HAS WON NUMEROUS AWARDS including Baby Maternity Magazine's Product of the Year and the coveted National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval - considered a "must have" item by countless women
- DISCREET AND COMFORTABLE - no more nursing pads or milk-stained shirts! The best baby shower gift for new moms.
Description
Beware of Counterfeit Product: Pregnancy Store is the ONLY authorized seller of the Milk Saver on amazon. Recently, counterfeit Milk Savers have offered here by multiple sellers. These are inferior Chinese knockoffs and are not tested for safety. Ask any mom and she'll tell you: breast milk is a precious commodity. Women will go to great lengths to ensure that not a drop of "liquid gold" gets wasted. That's precisely what makes the award-winning Milkies Milk-Saver such a wonderful invention for breastfeeding mothers. The patented Milk-Saver collects your leaking breast milk as you nurse or pump - allowing you to store extra breast milk effortlessly with each feeding. Easy to use, simply slip the Milk-Saver into your bra-cup on the non-nursing side before you breastfeed. The Milk-Saver collects the "liquid gold" that is leaked as your breast milk lets down - no more wasting that milk in a breast pad! Once you've finished your breastfeeding session, simply transfer the collected milk into storage containers (check out Milkies Milk Trays for this!) and keep it in the refrigerator or freezer to feed your baby at a later time. Slim, durable, and portable, the patented Milk-Saver is comfortable to wear, holds a little more than 2 ounces of breast milk, and includes a protective lid to prevent milk from spilling out of the Milk-Saver during normal use. And with its stylish, durable case, your Milk-Saver will stay safe and clean when you're on the go. Like you, we care very much about the safety of the products we use while breastfeeding. The Milk-Saver has been rigorously tested to ensure zero chemical leaching and contains no BPA or phthalates. The only product of its type, the Milk-Saver has received accolades from lactation specialists, pediatricians, and breastfeeding moms the world over. It makes the perfect baby shower/new mom gift - or as a treat for yourself! * Protected by US Patent No. 8,172,791
To be honest, I hesitated on buying this product only because I didn't know how useful it would be and it seemed costly for what it does.
My baby was born at 36 weeks and I have over active letdown. He is so small that he will frequently choke on my milk because it comes in too fast. I was advised to avoid pumping as it would increase my flow further, but to increase feeding frequency to decrease flow.
Yesterday I used this for the first time and I am so glad that I did. I had no idea how much milk I was wasting by just wearing nursing pads while feeding. I collect on average 1/4-1/2 ounce of milk per feeding. That doesn't sound like much but it adds up when you nurse 12-18 times a day. I also use this to hand express on top of just catching milk which means that even though I don't pump yet, I can still collect some milk to freeze for future use in the meantime. The only things I wish it had is measurement lines and a way to seal after use.
It's pricey but worth it if you have over active letdown, hand express or produce an excess of milk.
Probably one of the best things I have EVER purchased. I just received this yesterday and in 4 feedings have saved 3 oz of my hard earned milk. I was leaking so much that I was wondering how I was going to afford all these nursing pads, but thankfully I'm saving my milk and my money on nursing pads. I'm so happy I purchased this! I've already suggested it to two of my best friends who are pregnant and plan on nursing. Thanks to this thing my stock pile will also accumulate quicker to help with going back to work!
Oversupply ladies-rejoice! This product will be excellent for you.
I was dealing with engorgement and oversupply a good three weeks after the hospital. I tried everything there was to help deal with it and had little success. Finally a LC suggested I try milk savers. I was needing to hand express in between feedings for relief and she thought this might help catch the letdown from the side I wasn't nursing on. Boy was she right! I got over 2 ounces each feed! Instead of it going to waste in a breast pad and the breast pad preventing it from expressing, the milk is collected into this saver. I'm killing two birds with one stone! I don't need to hand express and I can collect the milk and save for later all while breastfeeding on the other side.
This has helped me manage my pain tremendously. I am so thankful. I tried Medela shells before this and I was constantly leaking out of them during feedings. I also had to toss the milk out after. I save about 8oz a day that was previously wasted by the shells/breast pads.
This in combination with the freezer trays are a must have!!
Wow! I wish I had gotten this sooner. This solves two problems for me: my son is two months old but I don't have much extra time to pump to build a stash. With this, I can! I collected 3 oz during the night time feed last night! Another benefit is no more soaking wet nursing pads! Like many other has said, I didn't realize how much I was letting down on the other side. I thought it would be good to collect a few drops, but it's close to 1 oz! And again, my son is 2 months old already, so I am not engorged anymore. Should have started this earlier when I was probably letting down even more.
One last thought, I like this over the other kind that looks like a hand pump because I like that the container is inserted securely in my bra and the baby won't accidentally tips it over it it being in baby's way. I will now be telling all my nursing moms to get this.
I absolutely love these. It'd be nice if they held a little more, but if they were much bigger I'm not sure they'd be usable... I've collected 2 oz without issue, but it's pretty full at that point (to just below the opening hole). At first I was using these on the opposite side I was nursing on at every feeding, but then we realized I had oversupply and these were likely to make it worse. So now I use them if I'm engorged one one side - I nurse on the other and this allows the engorged size to get some relief before I try to nurse on it (latching a newborn on an engorged breast is a nightmare).
I've read concerns about this only collecting foremilk, but I can attest that there are different fat quantities to the milk it collects, so it's certainly not all skim. :)