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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

nipple shields

66 replies

LucyJones · 08/04/2004 06:27

Hi. Does anyone know if you can buy disposable nipple shields so that you don't need to sterilise. My 1 week old has already shredded my nipples to ribbons and midwife recommended shields but sterilising them is a complete pain. TIA

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AussieSim · 08/04/2004 07:57

Lucy, I used nipple shields for quite a while and I generally just washed them in warm water and detergent and rinsed them thoroughly before each feed and only sterilised them once a week or so and we had no problems. I would get a couple of sets so that you don't have to hold onto screaming baby while you wash them which happened to me a few times. Make sure you get ones that fit - there are a few different shapes and sizes. Good Luck.

Original poster

LucyJones · 08/04/2004 09:25

Thanks Aussiesim. Another quick question while little 'un is sleeping I also keep feeling hot and cold, kind of feverish - is this normal with the milk coing in and everything? Thanks

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bundle · 08/04/2004 09:39

lucy, i'm not sure you should be feeling like that. do you have any hard lumps in your breasts or redness? i had blocked ducts/mastitis a few times with my 1st baby and got a shocking temp with that.

tiktok · 08/04/2004 09:51

Lucy - do speak to the midwife about your feverishness. It's not normal and could be mastitis

Also - get another opinion about those nipple shields - yes, they can sometimes be a useful short term measure, but they have serious drawbacks. They are helpful for some, but everyone needs to know the downsides as well.

AussieSim · 08/04/2004 12:48

Lucy, just to tiktok's point, I was absolutely indignant the first time a MW suggested nipple shields to me, as I was determined to do everything 'properly' BUT, DS was premmie and had jaundice and so I couldn't breastfeed for the first 2 weeks while we were in hospital (but I was expressing) and the nurses had given him bottles without even asking me before I roomed in with him - so by the time we got home he had a major nipple confusion problem. So nippleshields it was (no mentioning my cracked and v sore nipples). After a while I started to see what he would do if I didn't use them. He would latch on initially but once his hunger was partially sated he would object and wouldn't latch again. In the end he rejected them himself at about 4 months old and I am still bfing at 14mo. Good site for nipple shield info is www.medela.com

Re the not feeling well - have a look at your boobs to see if they are red and blotchy or have lumps. Next time before you feed warm them up - particularly where the lumps/blotches are, with one of those wheat bags you can put in the microwave (a very handy device for motherhood) or if you don't have one yet, splash warm water on your boobs. Make sure bub empties one boob before putting him/her on the other one. Then express whatever is left in your boobs and then apply a bag of frozen peas to them (not your nipples) or splash them with cold water. This is a common problem at this stage of BFing - is probably just blocked ducts but you should check it out with your MW when you can. HTH good luck.

gothicmama · 08/04/2004 12:51

if you don't want to use shields there is some cream can 't remeber what it's called but it is in yellow packet with camomile flowers on it , my MW recommended this and it worked , but they do heal up on their own if you can cope with the pain

bundle · 08/04/2004 12:51

also if you do find a lumpy/red area then massage it towards the nipple - in the shower is good - and gently try and squeeze out some milk. i managed to squeeze some blockages out (!) and didn't get mastitis with dd2.

tiktok · 08/04/2004 13:10

The way to heal sore nipples is to correct the positioning and attachment of the baby.

Proprietary creams and stuff may speed healing, but you gotta do the P&A thing as well

bundle · 08/04/2004 13:14

i agree tiktok, but had loads of help/advice from midwives/counsellors who said dd1 LOOKED like she was attached properly and my nipples were VERY sore (literally toe-curlingly) until 3 mths in, then I was able to stop using the nipple shield (most sore side) and things were ok. had similar but much shorter experience with dd2. I did tum-to-tum, made sure lip curled back, you name it I tried it, different positions etc. made me v determined though, to get it right

gothicmama · 08/04/2004 13:17

yes I forget about that I remember holding dd like a rugby ball under one arm or alternatively on a pillow to get everything right

Original poster

LucyJones · 08/04/2004 18:01

Thanks for all the advice. I think I might be feeling a bit ill because I'm still losing a lot of lochia. My breats don't seem to have any lumps. The midwifes seem to think baby is latched on properly but I guess as it hurts and bleeds so much he can't be. The midwife is coming again tomorrow so I'll ask her about breastfeeding classes or a counsellor Tiktok.

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Original poster

LucyJones · 09/04/2004 21:02

Just to update - one nipple seems to have recovered so am just using shield on the other one. Midwife said its very unlikely wound will come back so hope she's right. She also said it was normal to be feeding for several hours at a time - I've got a v. hungry baby - for example last night he fed from 8.30pm-3am and then slept til 8am when he fed til 11amish. Anyone else have a babe like this? I've been feeling v. tearful but she said thats normal too and to be proud that my baby is already back 2 his birth weight after only a week so I keep trying to remember that

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gothicmama · 09/04/2004 21:29

That's good - dd feed on and off like that, Mid wife suggested a dummy but dd tehn forgot to feed and lost weight. Tiredness and tearfulness pass I think the two are related ie less sleep more tearfulness

Original poster

LucyJones · 09/04/2004 21:36

Thanks - what did you do whilst feeding at night - I tend to feel very lonely being up at all hours and cant concentrate on a book...

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Lisa78 · 09/04/2004 21:40

I stocked up on girly magazines - easier to read than a book, plus you don't have to hold them, you can just lay them next to you

gothicmama · 09/04/2004 21:42

Watched TV and read talked to dd about the most ridiculous things. Magazines are easier to read, or anything not heavy going. Have you tried resting baby on a pillow on your lap that worked quite well for me at night or propped up in bed (I tended to doze though)Also planned food to eat for the week and other really boring stuff

Original poster

LucyJones · 10/04/2004 00:35

Thanks! Am feeding whilst using Mumsnet at moment which passes the time nicely too

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Original poster

LucyJones · 10/04/2004 06:09

He fed til 3am and then woke at 6am - sound about normal? Everyone in bed this Easter Saturday?

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Pook · 10/04/2004 09:12

Hi LucyJones!
Poor you, you must be shattered. About the tearfulness - I think I cried for about 2 weeks solidly after dd was born. Was banned from reading newspapers/watching the news, because was particularly badly effected by any sad stories, and even happy ones. Was convinced I had depression, but was just hormone explosion.
My dd used to feed for hours and didn't know when was day and when was night. I think it's practically impossible to get such a tiny little one into a routine, and it's just a case of rolling with the punches for the next few weeks. It will pass.
I used to make a thermos of tea and sit with dd and the tv on, with subtitles. But often just used to fall asleep with dd lying next to me when feeding. Also fairly frequently fell asleep on sofa with dd asleep on the boob - not recommended at all, but I was so knackered I couldn't help it.
I'm sure everyone has said this, but sleep when your baby sleeps and try to eat as well as possible.
And maybe start having bathtime at a set time, just to introduce a tiny bit of a marker into your baby's day, and you can then start, as time passes, to build more of a bedtime routine around that.
Good luck

gothicmama · 10/04/2004 09:21

Hi, Ywes sound sabout right, I agree with Pook sleep when you can and try to establish some evening routine with bathtime , we did not and it is harder to establish one when they get older. Hang in there what ever people say or however tired you are it gets better and it gives you lots of time with your baby which looking back is very special

hilz · 10/04/2004 09:34

I had some cream which helped. My nips were bleeding after three days, ds had such a strong suck and fed 18-19 hours a day!!!! The cream was just a simple calendula and chamomile. You can get it in boots. Stops nips drying out and cracking and very soothing. It did help. Found expressing caused a lot of nipple pain for me too.
As for the temp...sounds like mastitis. Are your boobs hot and hard? (more than ususal when bfing i mean!)

toddlerbob · 10/04/2004 09:55

Hi Lucy Jones, I took ds to bed with me and fed him there. Once he came off asleep I gently burped him and put him back in his basinette. I tried to keep lights off apart from positioning him initially. I didn't want him to always think it was okay to be up in the middle of the night. It was hard though to not be tempted by mumsnet!

Original poster

LucyJones · 10/04/2004 12:27

Hi - thanks for all the excellent advice. He managed to sleep from abot 7am to 10am and he's just stopped feeding at 12.30pm. I changed his nappy twice as sometimes he looks like he'll go down but changing his napy wakes him up so i have to feed him back to sleep. Have also tried changing nappy B4 feed but because he feeds for so long i have to change it again.

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Original poster

LucyJones · 10/04/2004 17:02

Me again! He didn't go down, has been feeding all day now - he often falls asleep at the breast and then just won't go down.

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JeniN · 10/04/2004 17:18

I taped films off the tv and then watched them at night, or read loads of books when I could concentrate enough. My dd used to feed for hours too, and she's still a big eater, so I guess that's just what she needed, but I did find it exhausting..also I found it useful talking to a bfing counsellor, because they asked loads of questions to establish whether she was really feeding properly all that time, or whether it was just 'fluttery' feeding, ie more habit/comfort.

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