Wean my baby off of nipple shields and back onto my breast- help!

[nrvsmum2b]

My baby had stopped breastfeeding entirely and went to the bottle at 3 months- someone suggested nipple shields which we used and she latched back on right away. Now, because there is no skin to skin exposure and her suck is not as strong through the nipple shield- my milk supply is rapidly dwindling. It is getting less and less by the week (by about half) how do I wean my baby off of the nipple shields and back on to my breast?

How long have you been using them and how old is your baby?

There are some tips here/

I was very lucky that the sheilds didn't affect my supply too much although feeding took ages. I used them exclusively for 3 months with DD1 and she just suddenly managed to do it without one day when I tried to latch her on.

I have been using them for about 6 weeks, even though I also feed her expressed milk via a bottle too for most feeds- (she wont feed for longer than 10 minutes even with the shield) my baby is 4.5 months old...

This worked for me when DD got nipple confusion from me mix feeding, I don't know if it would work for you or is "proper advice" but I will share with just in case it could help you. She was never intersted in a dummy, she would suck on one for 3o seconds or so then spit it out when I tried her with one. So, at feed time I would pop a dummy in and when she strated to suck on it I would put her in BF position then whip the dummy out and pop my nipple in. gradually I didn't need to and she would BF fine again. I did end up conitueiong with mix feeding and it wasn't a problem again. She was still completely uninterested in a dummy for comfort too.

I fed my DS using shields, and one day when he was about the same age as your DD (maybe literally a week or so older), I just tried without and he latched on fine for a whole feed for the first time in two/three months, so it really could just click one day. Not doubting you, as I know it can be a risk with them, but what is it that makes you think your supply is down by half?

DD and I went through this panic. I am NOT an expert but what helped us was... Don't judge your supply on what you express. I found I could express less and less but DD got enough (we just finished BFing at 13 months). She's enormous so the expressing wasn't an indication of what she was getting. I think maybe your breasts start to respond to the baby and not the pump. I found BFing in the bath was great. Just floating around (and obviously skin to skin) she would feed without shields.

Keep trying her. Like RedKites she just got it one day.

What didn't work... Cutting the shields down (told to do it by nurse). OWW. I don't recommend it. Taking it off halfway though. DD would just stop feeding. And be pretty pissed off.

Good luck. It will get better. And, in a few months, you'll be like me and just be happy and proud you fed her for as long as you could.