How to get baby of nipple shields and feed directly from breast again?

[wintersapproaching]

Hi

My friend would dearly love to get her baby off nipple shields, every time she tries the baby cries and wont latch directly onto her breast.

Baby is 14wks old and started using the shields about 6 wks ago when baby was getting v frustrated at breast after lots of bottle feeding with expressed milk.

Friend is worried about her supply as HV says baby is skinny (weighs 10lbs 13oz now and was 6lbs at birth). baby on 75th centile for height and 2nd for weight

any advice?

I've had to do this with both mine. Basically, just persevere and it will happen. Aquidging some milk around the nipple may help ...

I would try things like, feeding him when he is sleepy (they tend to just latch on then automatically) even if it isn't a feed time.

or, let him have some, then take him off and remove shield and re-attach him?

expressing a bit so milk is there and trying to get baby to taste it in the hope that he'll latch on.

i wonder if any of the nipple shields are softer than others? if she could find a softer, more flexible kind then maybe she could use them, and then go for none at all?
erm.
cut the end off????

grasping at straws here. she'll prob just have to persevere and keep at it. don't try when he is really hungry though or he'll just get cross.

Someone did suggest cutting bits away from the shield so it got smaller and smaller so she could try that. Also to start a feed with the shield on, wait until nipple ahd filled the shield then pop off and back on again asap.
Good and bad news here - dd didn't come off nipple shields until she was over 1. OTOH, it never stopped me as she fed until 2.6!
She also followed similar centiles to your friend's baby and she was absolutely fine.

thanks VM and TIY

she hasnt tried any of that so I'll pass on the advice.

If she continues with the shields will her milk eventually dry up? She's pumping a few times a day as well.

Can anyone comment on the weight? She feels baby does 2 small dirty nappies a day and some wet ones (using cloth nappies) and knows baby is skinny but says her husband is (she is slim too). However baby sleeps 12 hrs at night and she doesnt wake him for a feed like HV advised her to.

if she is worried about supply then waking the baby for a feed would be a good idea.
it would also be a good time to try going without the shields. almost like a dreamfeed really, she needn't actually wake the baby right up, just enough to get him latched on.

she really needs to see a breastfeeding counsellor if she is worried about his weight,. they're best placed to advise.
I am not sure that nipple shields actually interfere though. as long as baby is feeeding often and seems content after feeds then I would presume he is getting enough.

some babies are just small. has he actually lost weight, or just been slow to gain? has he dropped a lot through the centiles or has he always been small?

Sorry Jackstini, cross posted. Its encouraging to hear the shields didnt interfere with your supply as I am told it often can. Ive passed on the idea about cutting a bit off the shield.

TIY, baby has always been small and slow to gain weight, started on 2nd centile then went up to 25th then down to 2nd and remained there. Friend has been to a BF clinic at the hospital but from what she's told me it seemed to be very general advice and noone watched her feed etc.

WA - could be worth her getting a bf counseller to watch her feed then and just see if there is anything else she can do to help.
Try NCT, La Lache League or Assoc of BF mothers