Nipple shields

[dancingmummy]

Hi, i'm new to mumsnet,hav 2 children, my 1st was born at 37 weeks and struggled to suck so I ended up using avent nipple shields to help him latch,managed to wean him off them and onto the breast at about 3mths, now hav a 16 wk old son who I started off breastfeeding really successfully without any shields, but during the 2nd week of feeding him i was in such agony that i thought i would be sick all over him, so turned to the shields during a night feed, fast forward to now, he can't feed without them as he's so used to them! Just wondering if anyone had any advice at all!?!? They seem to give him quite a bit of wind which upsets him

A few things you can try....

*watch for hunger cues before he gets too upset and offer the breast at that time...crying is too late

*let him "practice" when he is just quietly alert or when he is about to fall asleep....hold him next to your skin, tempt him with a bit of breastmilk on the nipple, and offer the breast as you quietly talk to him

*try not to get too frustrated as it will cause him to do the same...if he isn't interested, hold off and try again later

*always offer the breast without the shield first...use it if you must and see if you can slide it off when he takes a pause in feeding

*express a bit first to help the flow get going so he doesn't have to work as hard for it

He will get used to it, sometimes it just takes consistency and patience.

My DS used them til he was 5 months old - if you can both cope with the wind, it might be worth persevering. Or, could you express and use a cup/ bottle?

Thanks so much for the messages, had a feed today, tried slipping them off during the feed, he pulled a bit of a face, fed a bit then cried, but hopefully if i try at each feed i can eventually get rid altogether!!! xx