Struggling to wean off nipple shields

[dustpan]

My DD is 10 weeks and EBF using nipple shields. She was completely unable to latch without them due to tongue tie, and I was so grateful for them as they've given us a bf relationship we simply couldn't have had otherwise.

She is gaining weight well but I'm constantly nervous in case the shields affect supply. Every time she has a hungry fussy day I panic thinking my supply is lowering. I would so love her to feed from my breast directly rather than with this silicone aid.

We had TT divided at 4 weeks & from then until 8 weeks I had some brief moments of success where, with persistence, she could latch to one side for a few sucks, but we never got any further than that. Always lots of tears and frustration, always needed the shield to get a proper feed.

Then at 8 weeks I stopped trying for a while as we had a family bereavement & I just couldn't hack the stress of her crying during attempts to latch.

I've tried again past couple of days but she has completely forgotten how & just screams in anger - she makes no attempt at all to touch my nipple, like she has no clue what it is - she just screams for the shield. Absolutely nothing I try can get my nipple in her mouth, it just frustrates her & we both end up in tears.

I'm really miserable & disheartened. Frightened of putting her off the breast altogether if I keep trying, frightened my supply will reduce if I stop trying & never wean her off.

What to do??

I was in the same situation; I was advised to pump to keep my supply up, and just kept trying without the shield - not every feed, but every so often. One day he just got it! I reckon he was about 10 weeks. I think he was hungry enough and big enough to manage, and after that we never had further problems. The shields saved our bf relationship, but like you, I wanted to get rid as feeds took ages because I wanted to be sure he was getting enough milk. I found it helpful to go to a bf drop-in for encouragement. Well done for getting this far!

Huuuge well done for getting this far👍 I did it for 16 weeks, and then decided to combi feed with pumped and formula. Some babies get it & some don't unfortunately - just keep trying to take it away & see what happens. The main thing is that baby is fed - how you do it is entirely your choice xx

Thanks mamypoko good to hear from someone who gets it :/

did you pump after every feed? And for how many minutes? I currently pump once after morning feed but even that is a bit of a feat as I'm also managing a toddler who is pretty demanding since his baby sister arrived!

I recently tried fenugreek and saw an increase. But baby suddenly started screeching with windy type pains so I discontinued as suspected it disagreed with her.

Thanks tiredmum- did you use shields for those 16 weeks? And if so did you have any progress at all with latching? I really want to bf my baby, I don't hate formula at all, but I just long to feed her from my body. Sort of a primal urge i think

Ps congrats tiredmum on pumping to feed - I admire anyone who pumps as it is such a dog!

I fed both of mine with nipple shields - one for 14 months and one for 9 months. I never had a single problem. Okay, this was back in the dark ages of the 90s, but I doubt if they have changed. So I wouldn't worry about using them unduly.

My son was ebf and we used a nipple shield for every single feed until he was 5 months old and suddenly got the hang of feeding without. I worried incessantly about my supply, whether he was getting enough, whether he would ever feed properly etc, but all I can say is that it turned out fine in the end and he successfully bf without the shields for another 5 months.
Looking back I wish I had spent less time and energy worrying and just been glad that feeding with the shields was possible. I did pump, usually in the evenings just after he has gone to bed as that was usually his longest stretch of sleep, and I ended up with a freezer drawer full of milk that was useful when I went back to work. But i did seem to suffer more than other people with engorged/painful boobs and I think that was due to the pumping. I'm not sure I would bother if I was doing it again.
Congratulations on your baby and don't worry about when/if you get off the shields. My life changed for the better when I started keeping one on my nursing bra between my boobs so I could just whip it out at any time and not faff about with a carry case!

Ginger - yes, I keep one in my bra too!! So much easier than trying in a hungry rush to find where I put the case !

Thanks for replying. Yes the worry is draining, isn't it. Baby is having another hungry fussy night & I'm convinced my supply has dropped & she is starving. But of course it could be wind or tiredness or a growth spurt. It's just so difficult to trust she is getting enough milk from me.

Did your baby latch at all in those first five months or refuse completely? What made the switch possible for you?

I had similar issues but my LO fed using nipple shields until she was 6 months old. Just to reassure you it didn't affect my supply (but I did worry about it.)

I used shields for all 3 DC for 6 months plus. I had no issues with supply (well too much if anything) despite doom and gloom comments from midwife and HV. I was glad that the shields enabled me to bf and after my first child stopped stressing about trying to wean off them. They are a pain but less washing up than bottles.

Don’t panic! You are doing brilliantly. If you want to try and wean off start the feed with them on and then half way through when you take the baby off to wind take them off and try to relatch. Just persist with this. But honestly lots of people use them with no problems x

@dustpan yes- shields for 14 weeks (one week SCUBU with hypoglycaemia through feeding 😞 we think). Sadly no progress (preemie baby) also boy so is a lazy Monkey but ironically will take any bottle you give him 🤣 I was desperate to BF, which is why I lasted so long- if he would latch normally I would happily do it now, but he doesn't at all,
So I've had to deal with the HUGE Mum guilt (& pressure) & rethink - my boy is fed, healthy and he is happy- I can't ask for more x

Dustpan - no, apart from one tiny slurp on day 3 which we achieved with the help of the world's most patient midwife and then couldn't repeat, he didn't latch at all for 5 months. He was a tiny baby (0.4th centile) with a particularly tiny mouth and I think latching was just beyond him until he got a bit bigger and stronger.
In the first few months I was told to offer him the breast without the shield at every feed, but pretty quickly I just gave up and resigned myself to using them forever because he would scream and thrash about and I couldn't bear it. It was only at 5 months when he started fiddling and pulling at the edges of the shield while feeding that I gave it another try without. At first he could only latch for very short periods before getting tired so I would pop the shield back on, but it didn't take long (maybe a fortnight) before we did away with them altogether.
I know it's easier said than done, but try not to worry about your milk supply. Your baby's weight and nappies will soon tell you if there is a problem. Her seeming extra fussy and hungry at times is totally normal and if you feed on demand your supply will always match her needs because boobs are magic. When she's feeding non stop just get a good box set, a pint glass of water and a big plate of flapjacks and settle in. You are doing brilliantly.

Lots of babies are fussy in the evening, it’s most likely not a supply issue but I completely understand your worry and have felt the same myself.

We used a nipple shield for a while. Have you tried putting it on, then taking it off and trying to latch? Another idea is to separate out “eating” and “latching practice” - so you feed enough for the baby to settle, practice latching for a bit, and then feed some more.

Are you getting external support? A lactation consultant helped us get off the nipple shield. I actually hated her methods but it did show the baby and me that he was able to latch. I couldn’t get the hang of the breast sandwich and aiming the nipple to the back of the mouth by bringing the baby to me. In the end, I started thinking of it as bringing the nipple to the baby and that helped a lot. I found the flipple technique and the koala hold extremely helpful.

Thanks ginger that's amazing that he managed after 5 months! I know exactly what you mean about latching for a little bit but then seeming tired, that's what my DD did the few times she latched .... as if just hanging onto the nipple had exhausted her. Congratulations on lasting so long & then moving beyond the shields

Hi I used nipple shields with my premature twins. They were the equivalent of 36 weeks gestation when we took them home fully bf using shields (but they were over 8 weeks old as I had them at 27+ weeks) and still to tiny - less than 5lb. They had tiny mouths and I had flat nipples (apparently !). The NICU staff said the sucking reflex is towards the back of the baby's mouth and nipple shields help with that.

We used them for another 6 or 7 weeks at home then just stopped - the morning feed was when they were hungriest and I just tried without and they were fine.

Could you try one side maybe without a shield (feed with the shield on one side then offer the other (full) breast without it?). Or like I said, wait till hes hungry and try?

As far as I know, the shields don't make any difference to your supply. The worry about supply/ whether your baby's had enough are the issues with bf full stop whether you're using shields or not.

My consultant told me to eat like a horse (it's the quantity of food you eat as well as your water intake that can affect your supply) and just feed on demand. Don't get stressed about routines in the early days.

I bf the twins exclusively for 6 months then carried on (with solids) until they were a year old. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself.

Good luck x

My breasts aren't best - congrats on weaning off it. I also find trying to bring baby onto breast hard & tried to bring nipple to baby but bf supporter told me that was wrong & I was all hunched over (yes, desperate to get my boob in baby's mouth!) Now when I try to bring her in with my hand on her shoulders she arches back and screams.

Have tried removing shield mid feed but strangely that makes her madder than trying at start

Also flipple seems no good as my nipple and breast tissue seem so soft that it doesn't really "ping" into her mouth, more like flops against her lips

Great idea to separate eating and latching practise, will try this, thanks!

I couldn’t really ping my nipple in either, I know what you mean. But thinking about trying to get my nipple in there at the right angle, instead of aiming his mouth at me made a big difference. And doing it in the koala hold position helped a lot. I have fairly flat nipples so I really couldn’t do the ping. I also really struggled with the hand on back, guide the baby in method.

I’ll try to explain what I did in case it helps - I’d position the baby approximately nose to nipple, with my hand on his back and neck near his ears but already close to me. It’s better not to touch their heads as sometimes that makes them refuse to latch. So his mouth would more or less be in the right spot already, then I’d sandwich my breast and rub my nipple down his lip like they show in flipple, and then just kind of get it in there at the right moment! It wasn’t easy but that worked way better than trying to aim his whole head at me. That was in the cross-cradle hold. I did essentially the same with koala.

Good luck!

Babies often do just fine on nipple shields. Yes, they're a pain and a faff to have to hand, but baby will be fine. I sort an awful lot time worried about using them even though all three of mine successfully weaned off them eventually.

I know babies who've suddenly got the hang of feeding without the shield very suddenly after the 12-week mark. But equally, I've known tongue-tied babies who've had a tongue tie release, but been unable to sustain shield-free feeds for any length of time, but continued successfully feeding with shields for a year.

The thing to remember is that without shields, you likely wouldn't be able to breastfeed at all, so they're a pretty amazing bit of kit.

My DD is 9 weeks old and we've been off nipple shields fully for almost a week. She had a bad TT and is slightly unreasonable about food (think goes from being completely content and won't even look at a boob to absolutely screaming at the hunger in two seconds) so I started taking them off in the middle of the feed and during the day and keeping them on at night. Then the time I kept them on got shorter and shorter until I just stopped using them.

I never worried about supply. I had a lactation and breastfeeding consultant to support me and neither of them even mentioned supply (if anything I have a bit of an oversupply).

You're doing great. I wouldn't spend too much energy worrying about them there will come a time when you think it's right and give it a go and it will just click. IMO it's not worth getting upset over. You're providing your baby with milk and keeping her happy!

@mybreastsarentbest thanks for the description that is really helpful! I'm going to try that as I have flattish nipples too. I think maybe squashing my breast at the right angle might be key too. Thanks v much

@SpacePenguin You're very right, without them I wouldn't be nursing at all and I'm so glad I am, so yes, they are an awesome bit of kit.

That's really interesting you know some who weaned after 12 weeks... I wonder what made the difference... my baby is definitely growing in spirit each week & getting more definite about what she wants, so maybe if they really want the bare breast they are more determined to work at it.

Or maybe we'll never know what makes the difference and it's all plucking at air!

@espoleta Congratulations on getting off the shields, that's exciting! Nice to hear it's just happened for someone else. Did you have any particular technique for getting him to take your nipple without the shield? TIA

I fed first with nipple shields for 11 months + tried to wean several times without success. Baby gained weight fine.

Second baby latched without shields no bother. Guess just down to the baby

I used my hand to make the breast flatter the direction of her mouth (if that makes sense). At first her latch was very shallow which I was ok with but made my nipples sore, and when she was off them completely I worked on getting her a deeper latch.
I found doing it in two steps easier, and I knew there would be some discomfort but I found it easier than trying to get her to do both things at once.
Also after her wrecking my nipples when I was feeding her and she was TT it really wasn't that sore!