nipple sheilds

[OnlyWantsOne]

whats wrong with them, why are MW's so anti them?

Because they damage supply. Can be good as a short term solution but are hard to wean DC off.

Are you having a horrid time of it OWO?

well I was, but used sheilds since last night and my feeds are now painless and DD is having good feeds and sleeping properly, so thought it was a good thing but now im worried

Is it latching problems or cracking (or both)? Have you spoken to one of the BF helplines or seen someone?

Lansinoh is fabulous for healing things up.

its both really

without the sheilds I cant get enough nipple in her tiny little mouth and it hurts like hell the whole feed has me in tears

You really need to see a BF counceller. It sounds hellish but I'm sure you can crack it.

Have you tried biological nurturing to get her to latch more deeply? Also, squishing the nipple from behind the areola so it's longer can help sometimes IYSWIM.

Hopfully soeone more useful will be along in a mo.

bumping for you

ooh thank you

tried a feed without the sheild and was so painful had to stop

i really have no clue what im doing, with DD I gave her a bottle on day 3 because I couldnt do it and gave up - which Im determined not to do this time and im getting all worried about milk supply and my diet if DD2 is getting enought etc

When she seems hungry I stick her on which ever boob feels fullest, and when she stops, normally after about 15 mins I offer other breast or let her sleep, is that ok? But now both my boobs feel about even, bit lumpy, am I doing this all wrong? Shes been feeding on and off since 2, but yesterday she only fed every few hours so completely different

I have quite flat nipples and had latch trouble. Nipple shields were good to start but I got on really well with this: Latch Assist

well panzee I have just ordered that :)

I have to disagree with fibernachi - there is old evidence that shields damage supply, but new evidence shows that there is no change in yield of milk through shields than without. This is likely due to modern shields being made of very thin silicone, with cut-outs so the baby's nose and chin touch your skin, whereas old shields were made of thick rubber (like the material hot water bottles are made from).

I fed for 5 months with shields, NO issues at all with supply and only stopped due to returning to work. When I began to use shields, i wanted to know why HVs and midwives were generally disapproving. I did a lot of research and found the studies I mention above, and asked on MN breast feeding board and found lots of women who had used shields for months and months without problems (like I went on to do). If you are interested, do a search with my name and you will find them.

A great website is a MNers blog called the truth about breastfeeding; she had the same issues, began to use shields and wanted to know what the problem was - and found studies to prove there's no issue these days.

To my mind (and from experience) if it helps you to use shields, do it, and for as long as you like. Medela shields were best for me btw.

Ok - essay finished!!! I really feel quite strongly about this after a really tough time with BFing prior to using shields, and get angry that their use is discouraged these days for no good reason.

the blog I mentioned

thank you - im willing to try everything :)

Just to second pepperonipizza - I used shields for 6 months or so with dd1 then one day forgot and didn't look back. Didn't mind using them, but was glad to see the back of them.

I have always offered my experience to friends if they're struggling and both fed longer than they would without them...

I used to check the shield after a feed to see if there was milk in - always was and I took this as a sign that supply wasn't affected.

Congratulations by the way I followed your labour thread.

Very pleased to be disagreed with about the nipple shields. That's good news.

Still think it'd be well worth seeing a BF counseller and trying the biological nursing position.

Shields saved my life and were the only way I could continue to bf ds2. No problems with supply. One day about 2 months in I had left the house without any and so, gritting my teeth in preparation, gave a feed without one and discovered it was.......painless!

I also used them due to pain for maybe the first month or so, after that i found i didn't need them. It was a hasslen to sterlise them all the time but they really helped a LOT with the pain.

oh im a bad mummy, I havent sterilised them (I poured boiling water on them and have been washingthem undedr hot tap... bad bad bad mummy

When DS was born he was in SCBU for a couple of days (difficult birth), I was told there was no need to sterilise my expressing equipment. Just wash in hot, soapy water once a day (in fridge between uses).

Don't worry, you wouldn't sterilise your nipple (would you)?

There's quite a lot in the archive about sterilising.

I fed my first son for 19 months using a nipple shield despite hassle from breastfeeding councillors and health visitors in the early months- they had me in tears telling me my milk supply would not keep up if I continued to use it. I had no option as my son totally refused nipple without it (long story but basically down to forcep delivery and too painful for him to latch on in the early days) Took great satisfaction in telling my health visitor when I bumped in to her one day when son was 21 months that I had successfully breastfed using nipple shield for 19 months. Only stopped as son decided he didn't need his bedtime feed anymore. If it helps you breastfeed keep using it.

I was the same as AngryPixie. Shields meant I could breastfeed my DD! For the first week of her life I spent it expressing. I was desperate for her to BF. So I put on a nipple shield and straight away she started to feed.

My supply has been fine. Not sure if I would have more milk without them as I am still using them. Tend to leak quite a bit so I'm fairly confident about supply.

Dd is 5 weeks. Have been using shields since day three when I nearly bit the midwife who was helping latch dd on. No problems with supply at all. I also saw that blog, it was great. I actually like using them as i can see the milk in them. Only real issue is that when i get forceful let down, the milk dribbles down me as dd can't drink it all without choking. I'd love to see more good studies done on long term use of shields, it's such a shame that a simple aid can be derided unecessarily and women miss out on what can save breastfeeding for them. Dd is my fourth child, I am just rubbish at latching really and have never got it right despite tons of help.

Oh and you can get little steriliser boxes from boots that go in the microwave for 90 seconds. Hold three or four shields at a time. Costs about three quid i think.

I used them for the first few weeks then saw a bf counsellor who taught me to latch without them. I didn't have any problems with them but much prefer it now I don't need them. (I sterilised once a day btw and just washed after each use)