Breastfeeding with a nipple sheild

[fairydusty]

Hi - I;m looking for some help. My baby is 3 weeks old, i'm breastfeeding but at the start it was really painful and had bleeding cracked nipples so midwife suggested nipple sheilds. I have been using them since but the other day went out without them so fed son without the sheild and it went fine. Decided that i would stop using them as nipples are healed and there was no pain when he latched on.

Problem is that since that feed he fusses when i try and latch him on without the sheild, when he is latched on he will pull off crying and generaly the feed does not goes as well.

What i was wondering is - do you need to wean babies off the sheilds - if so how

and

Does using nipple sheilds cause problems when breastfeeding or am i just as well to continue with the shield (a much more relaxed pleasent experience for me and ds)

Hope someone can help

Thanks x

I am still feeding my 11 month old dd with nipple sheilds, she never ever latched on without one; as it was I expressed and syringe fed til day 8; I eventually got help from breastfeeding coordinator who suggested the nipple sheilds.
After a few weeks I tried to feed her without them with no joy; after trying and trying and me getting very upset I gave in and have used them ever since. I do wish I could have gone without them; they have to be sterilised, you have to remember to take them everywhere with you, and IME feeding took longer than average.
However, for me, they allowed me to breastfeed at all and so I will always be grateful for them; but maybe will have a burning ceremony when we eventually stop bfing!!

HTH

Hello,

I asked the same question a few days back - had some fab responses to my question, plus some other info prior to my post, here's the link:
here

GREAT to hear that littlemefi is still feeding with the shields after 11 months, I have been told scare stories that supply dries up quickly if you use shields by HVs (why do they try to scare you?!!! ). My DS is 4 weeks and since nipple shields have meant I have been BFing for this long, when otherwise I would have had to stop. The only negative I can see is that it's a bit faffy in public! I am so annoyed that I have been made to feel guilty about using the shields.

I'm also going to add a link to a blog page from another MNer that I found on an old thread about shields, which really reassured me that it was ok to use them:

here

It's a great blog in general, but the info on shields and most recent research is fab.

Hope that helps

Thank you both - I do feel that if it wasn't for the sheilds i would not have managed to get through the first few weeks cause the pain was terrible. I have heard that milk dries up quicker but not sure if that was true for everyone.

Will have a read of other thread - thanks again x

Hi - I had problems with engorgement and latching with dd when she was about 4 days old and my milk came in. Nipple shields were the only way she would feed. She weaned off them herself at about 18 months and I continued to feed her to 2.6.
Same thing happened with ds in the beginning but he just pulled it off one day at about 6 weeks and has fed without them since - he is 18mo.
To wean off I think you start the feed with one on, then after a couple of minutes when the nipple has been sucked into the shield 'shape' try and pop baby off, whip shield off and put back on again (takes practice)
They can interfere a bit with supply so I ate lots of oats to help (mmm flapjacks! ) but for me, they worked and bfing with them was better than not bfing. Good luck