Breastfeeding in public with nipple shields

9 replies

eeyore2 · 08/12/2009 20:36

Hello all. I'm breastfeeding my three-week old baby and am using nipple shields on the advice of midwives because I've got completely flat nipples. It's going pretty well and my baby is putting on weight nicely which I'm delighted about. My question is this - has anyone got any experience of breastfeeding in public with nipple shields? I am really nervous about this because it seems to take ages to get ds to latch on and there is lots of faffing about placing the shield as ds tends to knock it off a few times before he eventually latches on. Any good ideas about how to do all this discretely?
Thanks!

OP posts:

whomovedmychocolate · 08/12/2009 20:54

I wouldn't worry, people don't really look - once they realise you are feeding they just avert their eyes anyway. But I used to have a pashmina which I draped with my first baby to provide somewhat of a curtain effect

By the second baby I didn't give a stuff.

MistletoeNoelPresents · 08/12/2009 20:57

Have the nipple sheild in place and held there with some first aid tape like micropore, maybe using avent breast shells would also help and it would prevent them being flattened in your bra?

A muslin with a corner tucked under your bra strap to provide sheilding can also give you peace of mind.

thisisyesterday · 08/12/2009 20:58

no advice on feeding with shields, but have you tried him without them?
it is possible to breastfeed well even with flat nipples, so it might be worth a try because it would be a lot easier for you i guess if oyu didn't have to use them

good luck though, and hope more peoeple comealong with answers for ytou!

gorge2003 · 08/12/2009 21:46

Hi i have completely flat nipples and i managed to feed fine for a month (thats different story though) what i found helped was giving them a quick pinch to bring them to life haha and then as soon as dd latched on it was fine, i didnt have a problem feeding with flat nipples and i mean flat!!!!

sparklycheerymummy · 08/12/2009 22:03

i have bought a fab breastfeeding cover for 7.99 on ebay..... its black but there are a load of patterns...... bit like a nice pinny with a strap round your neck and a rigid band at top so you can see baby.... there is air circulating but noone else can see!! Worth a look x

Original poster

eeyore2 · 08/12/2009 22:50

Thank you very much everyone! I will take all these suggestions very seriously. I am also trying to get ds to latch on without the shields, although he still seems to be relatively unimpressed when I do so...

OP posts:

SunshineYellow · 08/12/2009 23:00

Hiya

I fed my babies with shields for 5 months each, so it can be done. I second the micropore tape for when you are still learning - I put a strip on the top of the shield, which held it eough to get started. I also found I needed to tuck a muslin under/in my bra, as when babe came off, all the milk in the shield would run down and soak me!

I only fed in feeding rooms to begin with, as I needed quite a lot of equipment, but it did get easier - much - as things went on.
Persevere!

I kept trying without the shields with mixed success - with my babies, they just needed to get bigger before they could feed without them. It was a combination of tham and me and fast letdown that caused the difficulties, not just my flat nipples, as my nipples got quite big during a feed, but my babies still couldn't latch that well.

If you can, try to find MAM/NUK ones - they are best, and I found they did not inhibit my milk supply at all.

I fed till my babies self weaned - at about a year, and couldn't have done without my shields in the beginning. they are a terrible faff, but were a lifesaver for me.

Best of luck !

ejbab · 08/12/2009 23:04

Hi eeyore2
I breastfed my baby with nipple shields for the first month because of pain. I used to put the shield on before getting my boob out (by wetting it with a bit of spit putting it on down the top of my bra) and would have a muslin sort of under my breast mostly for catching leaks but also to catch the shield if it fell off. I was always a bit self conscious about having this extra appendage attached but no-one ever noticed unless I mentioned it. I'd always have a little tupperwear box to hand so I could decant the used shield into it or reach for another one if I needed to. If she pulled off mid feed I'd just leave the shield in place and hope it didn't leak too much!

archie1horse · 09/12/2009 20:31

eeyore2
I breast fed my 4 year old for 4months using nipple shields. And I?m currently feeding my 4 month old again using nipple shields. I'm just in the process of making the transition from breast to bottle... but that's another story. I know exactly what you mean about all the faffing around. I too have extremely inverted nipples and I?m so proud of myself for sticking with the nipple shields for so long as it's not the ideal way to breast-feed. I felt uncomfortable in public too but once I got going I began not to care. As others have suggested using a muslin or blanket of some sort, I have/had some great tops that made it more discrete. But then this is no different to other breast feeding mums.
I didn't go down the tape route... worth a try maybe. I used to carry them out with me in the case that had also been sterilised. If with my husband he used to shield me while baby and I both got settled.

Stick with it. You?re doing a great job. Well done and enjoy.

Flip