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??

@espoleta That's interesting you started with a shallow latch, bf supporters have been encouraging me to only "allow" a deep latch, but I feel I want to encourage any attempt my DD makes to grasp my nipple, rather than further frustrating her by breaking off to relatch.

All a bit hypothetical still anyway, as so far any latch is only for a couple of seconds & I'm not sure if she gets any drops of milk in that time. She did splutter a bit earlier when I tried her (I had pumped first to get a let down) so maybe the sensation of milk without the shield was quite different?

Glad it's not as painful as it was at first for you

I used shields from day 4 as I was very sore and probably wouldn’t have continued without them. He gained weight well and apart from when I left them at home once (cue baby meltdown in town and mad dash to boots) they worked well. He started pulling them off about 3 months and stopped completely by 4 months. He’s now nearly 6 months and doing well.
Don’t worry about using them if baby is doing well, they are a tool that are helping you breastfeed, if you want to wean off then try halfway through a feed and gradually increase time. You may find baby makes decision for you!
Just be proud you have got this far feeding

I used a nipple shield with my DS (13 years ago) as it was the only way he could latch on. He was born 3w early and just didn't seem to know what to do, but fed perfectly well with the shield. It was actually suggested by one of the staff on the post-natal ward after four days of frustration (from both parties!). Like you, I was really concerned about it affecting supply, not to mention all the faff of having to get it in place before feeding. I was advised to feed for a little while with the shield, so DS wasn't too hungry, and then try without. I can't remember how long it took but I think it was around the 6-8 week mark to eventually get him on to the nipple direct. It had no apparent effect on my supply, although I did routinely express so that we could use a bottle in the evenings.

Have you tried seeing a lactation consultant? I found a group locally where I got help with encouraging a good latch.

Good luck, and don't beat yourself up about it. The way I tried to look at it at the time (and it was a real struggle for us) was that every feed I provided was another small achievement

How is it going @dustpan? I hope this thread has given you some hope about weaning from the nipple shield while at the same time reassuring you that there’s nothing wrong with using it!