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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Nipple shields, tell me they're OK?

110 replies

bakedpotato · 29/01/2005 11:54

DS was born 5 days ago. I always struggled with breastfeeding DD 3 yrs ago, i never got the famous endorphin high, but i kept going through guilt etc (mixed from 3/4 mths, 2 breastfeeds maintained till 8 mths) and, as a result, had a rather miserable experience of early motherhood. I'd really like to enjoy the experience this time and I do think DS is a better feeder, but i'm struggling again with the discomfort, and this time i'm clear that i'm not going be a martyr to it and make my life and that of DH and poor DD grislier than it has to be.

Various midwives have told me the positioning is fine, but whatever, there is a problem with pain, esp when latching on. My main MW says i have signs of nipple trauma, tiny colourless blisters on the old nips, but seems to think the thing is just to persist regardless. She is very pro breastfeeding, which is great, but when i mentioned nipple shields to help me through this rough patch she said they inhibited milk production, and basically implied using them would be a mistake.

well, DS is a hungry chap, i'm struggling to keep up with him as it is, and i have to say that i did buy some and started using them yesterday and it's fantastic: the pain goes, and i can feel my uterus contracting gently which i think (?) is linked to let-down (it feels great btw), and he is soused in milk, esp by day. The last 2 nights have been a bit fraught, i guess my supply has got to catch up with his appetite, but i'm sure i'm feeding him for longer and in a better state of mind than if i wasn't using them, so it has to be good, right? or am i making a terrible mistake?

I have been trying to use them only for alternate feeds, but it's so much more pleasant with them... do i have to give them up?

OP posts:
mears · 29/01/2005 19:15

bakedpotato - a breastfeeding counsellor would hopefully be able to show you how to get the 'gape' wider without using your finger. You need to almost aim your nipple up baby's nose and when they open the mouth wide, flop the nipple over the tongue. It is also the knack of bringing the baby onto the breast not posting the nipple into the mouth. You should not need to use your finger to open his mouth properly. The problem with using a nipple shield is that it protects your nipple as you use it to force open your baby's mouth. He needs to learn to open it properly. If you need to readjust attachment that is when to put your finger into his mouth to break the suction.

Original poster
bakedpotato · 29/01/2005 19:52

thanks, mears. i will try this nipple-flopping lark later. the thing is, he's so excited to feed, his mouth sort of jabbers... so i don't have the time or opportunity to post anything into it, let alone a nipple, i just bring him to me hoping for the best, wait for his mouth to open as much as it can (it's quite a small mouth), move him in quickly trying to be careful about the angle and wham: AARGH. i will try to aim the nipple up his nose though. wish i had a few extra hands. (DH is fantastic and very supportive but there is a limit.)
wish i could find a BFC tomorrow. sometimes i hate the weekends.

OP posts:
suedonim · 29/01/2005 20:29

BP, I used shields for a time with my dd's. It was a last resort but I felt I had nothing to lose. I found that once my let-down had worked, after a few minutes, I didn't need the shield for the rest of that feed. I think I probably only used them for three or four days in total but that was enough time to heal the soreness.

I wish I'd consulted a BFC, though; I thought they were only for mums with 'real' problems breastfeeding - I've no idea what I thought those 'real' problems were!!

dinny · 29/01/2005 20:37

Bakedpotato, I had 8 weeks of cracked nipples with ds - am sure I had the gape problem too. Did keep going to see a BFC (she was fab) but kept getting it wrong when alone doing it. SO hard, I know. Tried nipple shields once but didn't like them. I think you should use them if it is the only thing that can get you through the rough patch. It will pass though. When I saw my bfc she said the main prob was not bringing him on fast enough - it's really forceful it's so fast. All the best. Hope it gets better soon.

Pollyanna · 29/01/2005 21:27

Bakedpotato I haven't heard anything from you. Should I have done yet?

Whereabouts in N London are you?

Original poster
bakedpotato · 30/01/2005 09:17

thanks, everyone. i think the alternate feeds without shields aren't working, nipples seem to have got more painful again and yesterday i had a bit of bleeding.
Pollyanna, I think the CAT system is very slow at weekends. I'm in north Islington btw.

OP posts:
Hosta04 · 30/01/2005 10:23

Hi, Don't worry about using nipple shields. I did so for 3 months because my daughter couldn't latch on. We managed to ditch them pretty easily (I just stopped using them)and she didn't seem to be bothered. She's 4 and half months and I'm still breastfeeding.

Pollyanna · 30/01/2005 11:10

Bakedpotato, just to let you know, if you don't hear anything from me today (I still haven't received a message), one of the breastfeeding counsellors I saw has a clinic on a Monday morning in Kentish Town at Talacre Leisure Centre(don't know if that is accessible to you). She is v good - she'll also see people on a one to one basis. I will let you have all the numbers when I get your message through.

I know how horrible the weekend can be if you are waiting to see a counsellor - I really hope it gets easier for you soon. I actually saw a counsellor most days for a week and it did get better, so there is hope.

Original poster
bakedpotato · 30/01/2005 11:44

pollyanna, yes, talacre isn't far. do you have to make an appt, or can you just turn up? how long did you have to wait? i don't suppose you could post her name? thanks so much for the tipoff.

OP posts:
Pollyanna · 30/01/2005 11:50

You can just turn up - the session is 10.30-12.30 and her name is Ruth Tamir. She is an nct teacher, and an ex-nct breastfeeding counsellor (I don't know if she is a mumsnetter?!). She has other sessions which she will be able to tell you about - I used to lose the knack once I got home and have to go back another day - she is very helpful.

Original poster
bakedpotato · 30/01/2005 11:59

that's so helpful, thankyou, will go tomorrow.
are you really out of the woods now? pain-free? would you go so far as to say you are enjoying it? [agog emoticon]

OP posts:
pupuce · 30/01/2005 12:29

Ruth also trains doulas !

hewlettsdaughter · 30/01/2005 13:20

Hope you get through today ok bakedpotato - and you manage to see the counsellor tomorrow.
(Glad to hear things are improving for you, Pollyanna - I have been thinking of you ).

Pollyanna · 30/01/2005 14:54

erm, yes I would say I am actually enjoying it now, although sometimes, in the middle of the night it hurts a bit. The cracks actually healed very slowly, and to start with I didn't think I was doing any better. I don't want to depress you though, but I had problems with my last baby too, and she was 6 weeks old before I started feeling better (she had a reflux though so it was quite painful for her to feed - she was only diagnosed at 6 weeks and then things improved very quickly).

Do you know Ruth pupuce? (omg are you Ruth??).

ediemay · 30/01/2005 15:24

Dear bakedpotato, I can't add much but just wanted to send you some cyber support. I had this problem with my DS, he fed and fed and my nipples cracked and bled. The shields were a last resort but like you, without them, I would sweat and shake with the pain, I really know what you're going through. It was a wonderful West Indian midwife who got them for me and said that the problem was not the latch but the fact that he "clamped on like a threshing machine!"

I had to use the shields for 6 weeks solid as the nipples were so damaged. He went on to feed without them with no problem at all and has never used a dummy although some unhelpful people said he would need one after the shields. Totally untrue. I tried without them a few times before the nips had healed but it was agony again. When they were completely healed I breastfed happily until he was 12m and my nipples now look just as they did before I was pregnant. I wouldn't think twice about using the shields again, I almost had them framed!!

Take care of yourself, get plenty of rest if you can, beacuse this just adds to the worry and tiredness. I'm sure you'll soon have lovely peaceful feeds with your DS xx

mears · 30/01/2005 16:24

Will this link help?

Hopefully you will get help dirctly soon but the link above might give you pointers till then.

aloha · 30/01/2005 16:26

I seem to recall that it sometimes helped ds to get his mouth wide open if I brushed his cheek with my hand before a feed - it stimulated a reflex by which he'd simultaneously turn his head and open his mouth. Not foolproof, but useful sometimes.

mears · 30/01/2005 16:41

Found this useful site \link{http://www.asklenore.info/breastfeeding/latching_diagrams.html\here. At the bottom of the page is a link to short video clips. They take a minute or two to download but they are enough to let you see how a baby should latch on properly. The 'open wide' one shows you exactly the point to fix a baby. Hopefully you will have a bit of time to have a look - they really are pretty good. It is much easier when you can see it in action.

mears · 30/01/2005 16:42

here

mears · 30/01/2005 16:44

videoclips

Original poster
bakedpotato · 30/01/2005 18:57

well, that was interesting. i just had the best shield-free (in part at least) feed. i've been using the shields all day, so perhaps the nips have had a chance to recover. anyway, i took suedonim's advice, used the shields for the initial excited onslaught. then when he'd calmed down i relatched him, and because he wasn't quite so bananas, i managed to aim my nipple at the very top of his mouth (a la mears) when i brought him on, rather than him just grabbing it in a frenzy, and it felt fine: well, it felt like a ring of steel clamped around my breast, rather than my nipple, and that's totally bearable in comparison to what i've been experiencing -- literally, no sweat. this was on my 'worst' side, too.
oh and the other thing that helped from the site mears posted (i didn't have a chance to read it in full with DS howling on my shoulder) was the thing about ensuring eye contact with the baby while it's on. I think i've been latching him on in profile. when i adjusted his head so i could see the furthest eye just in the distance IYSWIM it felt much better.
so that's a very big thanks to the MN cheerleaders. early days but you have all given me a big boost. the difficulty, as Pollyanna says, is remembering all of this every time, even in the middle of the night. we'll see.

OP posts:
Original poster
bakedpotato · 30/01/2005 18:58

he was very sleepy though, it might not be so easy when he's wired

OP posts:
mears · 30/01/2005 19:14

Well done bakedpotato. I hadn't actually looked at those sites before - I thought the eye contact thing was a good tip too. Baby needs most of the 'underside' of the nipple in - not central. It is obviously hard for you to look at sites when you are in the thick of it all, but if you get a chance, have a look at the latching videos. You will need a bit of peace though 'cause they take a minute or two to open. The correct latch makes all the difference.

mears · 30/01/2005 19:15

A tip is to watch for him starting to wake then feed him. Don't wait till he is frantic. If he is desperate then start him off on shield as you did before. You will crach this - scuse the pun

mears · 30/01/2005 19:16

meant to say 'crack'

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