Nipple shields ang long term use

[ILoveGregoryHouse]

DD is a week old today. I bf all 3 previous babies for up to 2 or 3 months, giving up for various reasons but mainly pain and frustration. This time I want to feed for as long as possible. However, I already have the cracked bleeding nipple issues i always have despite fantastic support from midwives. The past three days i have been using nipple shields and they have saved my sanity so far. I know the general wisdom on this is to discontinue use asap but after 4 babies and the same problem every time, I want to use them all the time so I can do my best for my girl. My question is, has anyone used shields long term?

yep. i did.

apparently its not the 'right way' but it worked for me and DD and as i told the midwife, if Breast Feeding is the goal why does she care how i do it?

there was a thread a little while ago where someone was explaining that using nipple shields can hinder breastfeeding, because steralising the nipples and using them while out can be fiddly and that women 'gave up' because it made things more difficult.

this was not my experience, and as DD ate like a pig at a trough i was never under any illusions about being a serene coffe shop BFing mom.

plus, i was happier with things being fiddly than agonisingly painful!

good luck though, hope it works out :)

Thanks. "pig at a tough" made me laugh. Dd is the same. Will also not be bfing in the shopping centre or coffee shop. Fiddly better than agony.

Trough, not tough, this i pad drives me mad.

I'm currently trying to wean my 8 week DD off them. But they saved my life. It was the only way she would feed at my breast. I also feel I have good milk supply even though they say nipple shield fed babies get less milk.

I would just like to be able to feed my DD now without the use of a nipple shield incase I was to leave the house without them.

Maybe DD will always prefer a shield, if so then, that's fine with me! They gave my nipples a chance to heal, and it's very easy for the baby to latch on and apparently babies don't have to work as hard to get the milk!

If you have cracked and bleeding nipples, it is very likely that the baby's latch is not right. Bad latch leads to nipple damage and pain, and also leads to the baby getting milk more slowly/less effectively. So it's really sensible to try to see someone and see if the latch can be fixed, before resorting to nipple shields.

i did used to express for when i wanted to go out with DD which eliminated the problem of the shields. but of course, there are people who feel that is not a good idea either due to nipple 'confusion'.

damned if you do, damned if you dont. welcome to motherhood!

Yes, I used them for 14 weeks. It took a couple of feeds for DD to get used to feeding without again. We stopped using them 6 weeks ago and haven't looked back. They totally saved me, I'd have had to give up without them.

NotQuiteCockney - IME with two babies, I think sometimes you have to resort to nipple shields in conjunction with seeking help. When you are in agony at every feed, and throughout every feed, you are in no position to work on correcting a bad latch. Better to heal your nipples first IMHO. And the fear of latching the baby on shouldn't be underestimated either.

Yes, they're a faff, but if you're worried about to the point that you give up, then you'd probably give up anyway. I fed with nipple shields when out and about btw. A bit more fiddly but perfectly doable.

I used them for about 5 weeks and didn't have any problems with supply or anything. You might find if you use them for a while, when your baby gets bigger she might be able to latch well without them. My problem at the start was that ds couldn't/wouldn't open his mouth wide enough to latch onto me. Now he's bigger he can. I do find feeding more enjoyable and less of a faff now I've stopped using them but i would have carried on if he still couldn't latch properly.
If I'd carried on with them longer I would've bought more than two so as not to have to wash and sterilise so often.

I've been using nipple shields for the last 2 weeks and managed to use them in the baby feeding room at supermarket. My DS is 5 weeks old but was 8 weeks early and was tube feed for first 3 weeks. He couldn't latch on properly as mouth too small but really wanted to suck so nurses in neonatal unit suggested nipple shields. He has lost a little weight since coming home and I was worried that not getting enough milk but put seems to have stabilised and is now also feeding like pig at trough . Yes they are fiddly but prefer to use them than formula.