Nipple shields saved me!

[Jen2727]

I just wanted to put it out there in the big wide world that nipple shields can be an absolute life saver!
I had really sore nipples and had got to the point where i was in tears every time i fed my DD. Nipple shields stopped me from giving up!
I am nervous now about stopping to use them. How long have people used them for without them affecting your supply?

Hi Jen
Glad you found that nipple shields helped you continue feeding - they did for me as well. In answer to your question, i fed DS1 for 17 months (when he decided to stop) using shields with no problems. I am now using them to feed my twins, who will be 15 weeks tomorrow. Personally, because I had no problems with DS1, i will be continuing to use them with the twins until we stop.
Hope that helps and good luck

That is good to know ... you hear of so many people banging on that it will damage your supply. They don't seem to stay on me very well though as my DD comes on and off so frequently and never seems to open her little mouth wide enough, so pulls the shield off too! Any tips? I have tried vaseline.

hmm, no tips on keeping them on sorry - mine always come off too if the babies are being really fussy!
i know that shields are often 'frowned on', and there are times when i wish i didn't have to faff about with them, but i prefer to feed with them, than not feed at all. i just make sure i get the twins weighed regularly so i can check they are growing ok, that way i know the milk is getting through ok

I'm like you - nipple shields saved my sanity and kept me bfing - 11 weeks tomorrow and counting

Sorry to hear you're still not having much joy with getting them to stick - just lately i've found that i have to hold them on at the start and end of a feed otherwise if DS doesn't pull them off with his mouth he grabs and wrenches with a little hand

I'm also nervous about stopping using them - have tried a few times midfeed but DS just seems to say 'Eh? What the HELL is this THING mummy is trying to shove in my mouth!'

I'm in the same boat been using shields for about 4 weeks now, DS is 6 weeks today. My supply is great. DS still has a really shallow latch and I'm still getting sore around the bottom of the nipple but we are hanging in there. I started using the boots shields but have now swapped to the medium sized Medela ones. These stay on better and he does not take in so much air while feeding. There is another woman at my breast feeding group who has been using them successfully long term. Don't be put off I would have given up breast feeding if it was not for the shields.

They saved me too and kept me breastfeeding at 5 weeks. I was in agony and it wasn't getting any better. Dd is now 5 months old and we're still going. They never affected my supply, and I'm not sure why they would?

The HV asked when I was planning to stop using them - er, why would I stop???

I have both the Medela ones and the Boots ones, but I find the Medela ones are much better and dd much prefers them. They don't fall off, where the Boots ones do, plus the Boots teat is too large for dd to comfortably get a grip.

I used them too! It was the only way I could get DS to latch on! I found the medela ones by far the best. I was stressed about feeling pressure to stop using them, but I persevered at every feed and eventually managed to get him latch on. But for a while he would only latch on at the bedtime feed - maybe because he was tired- and only on the one side! Then he just gradually got better at latching on without them - which I found much easier feeding in public etc. I successfully BFed for 10 months. I don't think people should be put off using them if it means you can BF.

I'm another nip shield user. Been using them for five months and DD is thriving.

I couldn't get her to latch when my milk came in and the only way she would feed from me is with a shield. So grateful for nip shields!

So few weeks down the line I thought I'd try feeding without but she wasn't up tor it and when I stopped beating myself up about it I realised that this was ok!

As it happens, now DD is bigger she feeds without shields from time to time. Sometimes when we are in the bath together or shes a bit restless and knocks it off. I think its more a case of me not wanting to give them up!

I uses the small medela ones. They fit my nipple well and stay stuck on when DD creates a vacuum. She tends to rub/ wipe her face on them at tines so they fall off. I always feed with a muslin underneath to catch drips though.

I wish I knew then what I know now about nipple shields. I felt like such a failure and worried constantly that DD wasn't getting enough milk. Turned out to be just fine!

I WISH I'd remembered about shields when DS was tiny. The pain was beyond ridiculous and I had started to hate him with every feed. Shields may well have saved BF for me.

I think that they can supposedly affect your supply because the breast is not stimulated as effectively by the baby's mouth movements. I could be wrong though. Also the milk pools in the nipple shields so the baby uses a different sucking and swallowing pattern which can potentially cause confusion when presented with a bare breast. I would say that if anyone is bothered by either of these two scenarios, then they are clearly not in enough pain!

Like everyone else on this thread I used nipple shields without any problems, twice in fact. Both times around there is absolutely no way on this earth I could have continued feeding without them.

I can't remember how long I used them for the first time. This time I fed my DD with nipple shields from 2 weeks old to 14 weeks old, so 12 weeks in total. She had an absolute killer suck, my nipples were shredded, she flailed her arms around when I was trying to latch her, frequently grabbing an already agonisingly painful nipple. I was so scared of latching her on I would pull away at the last minute, making matters even worse. I found that nipple shields dulled the pain just enough and provided a physical and psychological barrier. It was definitely worth the undoubted faff.

I think you kind of get to a point where you're more comfortable with feeding and nipple shields start to feel like a hindrance. That's the time when you start thinking about weaning baby off the shields. I say weaning them off, for me both times it was simply a case of taking the plunge and trying without. Within a couple of feeds we had adjusted. It was scary feeding without shields at first, but when you realise the pain is nowhere near as bad as it was you just get on with it.

Of course, I then found that I was experiencing the initial sore nipples at 14 weeks instead of right at the beginning, but that soon resolved itself. With DS it never did work out unfortunately due to an undiagnosed tongue tie. But I am still breastfeeding my 7.5 month old DD - totally thanks to nipple shields!

I really really dislike the bad press that nipple shields get. I didn't try them early enough with DD and as a result she ended up getting a few bottles of formula she wouldn't otherwise have had - I kick myself for that now. If anyone is so desperate they're about to give up, of course they should try anything that might help them - I can't understand how anyone would argue otherwise. I suppose the problem is that if they don't advise against them then women will use them because their nipples are a bit sore, thus running an unnecessary risk of having problems as a result.

I wish wish wish wish wish WISH WISH that I'd thought about/remembered nipple shields when DS was a week old.

His latch was GOOD. It was his de-latch which was the problem. He'd latch on very well, drink well, and then torture me on the way off. toe curling isn't the word.

Nipple shields really aren't the work of the devil, I'm glad to hear they have helped so many people :)

I haven't needed to use them myself but just to clear it up - they tend to be advised against as a first resort - not a total ban. They are a bit like top-up bottles in that if you jump to using them at the slightest problem, they can cause more trouble than they solve, as many of the initial difficulties will sort themselves out either with some latch adjustment or just with time, and interfering before this point can disrupt the body's ability to do this. But for some mothers and babies this is not the case and yes, in that situation nipple shields are most definitely worth trying.

I've just sent this link to a friend who is thinking about trying nipple shields so any tips for a beginner would be helpful :)

I think the thing is BertieBotts that it seems to get lost in translation. So you get HVs and the like almost whispering to you about nipple shields - saying they're not allowed to mention them at all. As with so many other things, they grasp hold of the wrong end of the stick and just keep on running.

Yes, I agree with you - I wonder if it's inadequate training, unfortunate wording, or just misunderstanding?

I think it is the lack of a thorough understanding of the mechanics of breastfeeding, meaning they don't really understand the reasons why nipple shields can cause problems. That means they can't adapt their advice to the situation in front of them, they can only quote broad guidelines.

This applies equally to expressing in the very early weeks, the use of bottles and the use of formula.

They saved me too. DS wouldn't latch on and I had a horrid first couple of weeks expressing. As soon as I tried shields he latched on and eight weeks later we haven't looked back. As I understand it (and I'm no expert) the supply worries can come from reduced skin contact which can cause supply issues. I have never had this problem and DS has excellent weight gain. Perhaps lots of skin to skin would work as a solution if anyone were to experience supply problems.

Yep; I will just add that nearly 15 years ago breast shields saved my life too. I went on to feed each of my three children for 12 months and nearly used them again with my LO a year ago when I saw how cracked my nipples were after just a few days of feeding. I think as long as they are used as a temporary measure (giving your nipples time to heal) then they can do little harm.

Maybe they are a bit better designed than they used to be and that is why fewer people have problems with them.

There's also an article on the 'how breastfeeding works' website that has research that shows that the majority of women found they didn't affect their supply.

Would be interested to know if our resident bfcs on here recommend their use in certain cases?

Me too, me too, me too! Though I did knock them off when ds and dd were bigger. Couldn't have managed without them to start with, though ...

Me too!
BF with nipple shields for 8 months. No problems with supply. Without them I couldnt have breastfed at all - nipples not long enough for him to latch apparently [feelings of inadequacy emoticon]

Its so great to hear other stories of nipple shield success!! My dd1 is now 16 weeks and still using shields to great success with great weight gain and no problems with supply, sometimes too much in fact!! Latch was impossible without shields as I have one inverted and one very flat nipple.

My midwife told be to wean dd1 off them asap before I got to 6 weeks so it would not effect my supply but gave up after a fews days trying - what was the point of stressing me and dd1 out when everything was going so well! My HV actually was the one who told me to stop worrying as she had other mums who had previous success using shields - as long as the weight gain was good, i had nothing to worry about!!!

They aren't successful for everyone but its such a pity they get such a bad press

It's more than a pity they get such a bad press, it could be positively harmful to many breastfeeding relationships that fail when nipple shields may have helped. It sounds like it's time for new research into the use of the modern, thin silicon nipple shields.

Gaelicsheep - I so agree!! without them I wouldn't still be EBF at all. They were really proposed to me by the hospital midwives and BF coordinator as a last resort and something that was just a temporary solution.... if they were given a more positive press I've no doubt many more mums would continue with breast feeding when many give up at the first hurdle t

Yes. While I don't think they should be actively promoted as such - because for most women they are unnecessary - I really don't like the grudging way they are treated as a total last resort.

I think the problem is that whilst nipple shields are probably totally unnecessary in the normal course of breastfeeding, for a lot of women the normal course of breastfeeding is interrupted at the very beginning and different factors come into play.

I'm just bumping this thread again so that people in breast feeding despair can see another option! Thank you everyone for all your comments and own stories! :o