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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Weaning from shields

10 replies

Paranormalbouquet · 21/12/2018 08:16

Hi all- had a rough start to breastfeeding my 2 week old. Completely unable to latch until tongue tie was cut 1 week ago. Since then latching with shields. Gaining weight and doing well now but would like to remove shields as quickly as possible.

Any tips or tricks? Baby had a very severe tongue tie so is still learning to use tongue and has a quite recessed chin which is probably not helping.

OP posts:

30birthdayholiday · 21/12/2018 08:44

I'm not sure if this is an option for you, but I kept going and my girl stopped herself at 16 weeks

Original poster

Paranormalbouquet · 21/12/2018 12:13

Did you do anything in particular to get her off them? Part of me thinks once she’s a little bigger she’ll just get the hang of it but then I read about how they should be avoided like the plague and start worrying!

OP posts:

DevonRosie · 21/12/2018 12:46

Hi paranormalbouquet, firstly well done for keeping going. My lo is 14 weeks now & we had a similar start. Weight loss of 10.4% tounge tie cut at 3 weeks & we used nipple shields. After the TT cut we just got lo latched on with a shield till he got the milk flowing then when he was pausing a few mins into a feed whip the shield off. Within a week he didn't need them. But I still had to shape the nipple & hand express a drop to get him interested for a couple of weeks.

Please don't feel worried/pressure... remember fed is best for you & your baby, however you achieve that. Good luck, it does get easier.

Original poster

Paranormalbouquet · 21/12/2018 13:49

I have quite an oversupply at the moment from pumping so I’m thinking I’ll need to regulate that a bit before I can remove the shields anyway but very keen to be rid of them!

OP posts:

purplerainbows · 21/12/2018 13:55

My LO never managed to wean from them, I fed her with them until she was 6 months old. Didn't have any problems with my supply and could have kept going longer if had wanted to.

keeponrunning85 · 22/12/2018 21:52

Hi paranormal! (Waves from the pregnancy after loss thread.) So pleased to hear your DD has safely arrived.

We used shields until DD was 9 weeks. I tried the gradual weaning off to begin with for a couple of weeks but she seemed to be quite confused by that so in the end we went cold turkey on the advice of my local breastfeeding support team. I had about a week to ten days where it was hard going and pretty painful at times with cracked nipples again, but we got there eventually. I think the main difference was at that point I was mentally more able to persevere.

Nipple shields absolutely saved us and kept us breastfeeding, but I wasn't sad to see them go.

Original poster

Paranormalbouquet · 22/12/2018 23:11

Hi Keep! Hope all is well with you and your little one! DD arrived in dramatic fashion at 37w- laboured with my cerclage in place and my uterus had started to rupture when I got to theatre. But thankfully was repaired and she’s lovely and healthy.

I’m being somewhat impatient- DD couldn’t latch at all until Monday so shields are infinitely better than pumping round the clock. Just irritating and would prefer to be without them. The lactation consultant I was seeing thinks it will just be a matter of time- waiting for her to get a little bigger, mouth to grow and get used to her new tongue movements. Loved breastfeeding my older DD because of how easy and convenient it was so am hoping to achieve that again.

OP posts:

keeponrunning85 · 23/12/2018 09:03

Gosh that does sound dramatic but very pleased you're both safe and well.

It was definitely me that wanted to get rid of the shields in our case. I had a bit of an oversupply and with the shields was constantly soaked in breast milk. They also meant feeds took a lot longer.

I'm sure you'll get there in the end. I hope you have a lovely Christmas with your little ones. I keep meaning to set up a postnatal thread for all us ladies but never quite getting around to it!

polarisation · 23/12/2018 09:26

We were advised to use shields by an NCT consultant after still having blistered nipples after a tongue tie was snipped at 8 weeks. I have really large breasts and very small nipples and I'm not sure that getting a small baby to latch is actually all that realistic! When we started using them I had read all the things online about how they were not ideal and to be avoided and used with extreme caution and I was desperate to get off them. The NCT consultant said that "baby would let me know" when she didn't need them any more... In any case I think I missed the boat and we're still using them at 12 months We've had absolutely no problems with supply, blocked ducts or anything, and it actually doesn't bother me that much... In fact I'm secretly a bit glad that she can't bite me too badly because of them!

The only time I bitterly resent them is in the middle of the night when I haven't put the shield away before we both fall asleep and it gets lost in the bed and DD wakes up to feed and I can't find it But we absolutely would have stopped breastfeeding without them and I don't have any regrets! But good luck with getting off them

30birthdayholiday · 25/12/2018 17:41

I don't think I did anything in particular, just once a day or so I would try her without them and she always refused my bare nipple. Then one day she grabbed the shield in her mouth and pulled it off and that was that! No more shields after that.

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