Nipple Shield Help....,

[1sttimemama1986]

Hi all, looking for some suggestions/recommendations for small sized nipple shields. Long story short, after delivery baby and I were poorly and various other methods of feeding utilised, alongside tongue tie babe who is really struggling to latch etc. So at present breast feeding is only possible with shields but want to try and transition to nipple but shields we are using are quite big so looking for a smaller, more nipple like type. Currently have Phillips avent. Any ideas much appreciated, xxx

I had some avent ones but switched to boots as they were more nipple shaped and less cone shaped, if you know what I mean.
I'm not saying this will happen to you but just a few words of warning, they can and did for me, affect your supply. My little boy struggled to latch, though no tongue tie involved. Without them he would fuss and bob and cry. With, he would latch but was constantly feeding and not getting much. In the end we had to give formula top ups.
I can not stress this enough, if you have to do this, DO NOT BEAT YOURSELF UP ABOUT IT! I told myself I wouldn't and then felt like a failure.
As it turned out he suddenly latched on without the shields at around 10 wks. He feeds fine but I still don't make enough milk because of our start, so he is still mixed fed.
My sister had a baby, 5 years before me, with tongue tie and found she didn't get much support and beat herself up much more than I did (hence promising myself I wouldn't). Again, she mix fed. Even after her little boy had his tongue tie sorted, he struggled and still can't stick his tongue out very far.
I hope your baby is happy and healthy and you manage to get to a point where you don't need the shields. Lots of people manage ok with them, without a reduction in supply but I would ditch them if you can. However, I was glad I had them and don't think they are the work of the devil, as some midwives and health visitors would have you believe. Good luck.
Any questions pm me. I'm on a lot at night to relieve the boredom of night feeds.

I used the Philips Avent ones too. I really struggled to BF as my DD was quite small and I have inverted nipples. I had to express for 6 weeks until she learnt to latch on with nipple shields. I then kept trying without and eventually she got the hang of it at 10 weeks. What I'm saying is that I think they'll wean themselves off the shields when they're ready.

I know many people do have supply problems if using shields but it was never an issue for me and I managed to BF for 11 months despite the rocky start.

Good luck!

Thank you both! My supply seems ok at the moment but will keep an eye out for that. Baby is 15 days old and gaining weight well so far so that's a relief. Interesting and good to hear both your babies eventually latched to nipple at the 10 week mark. I have quite high expectations of myself so have created a lot of pressure to progress feeding without the shields, when ultimately I know baby could t care less as long as getting his feed! I guess the fact I know this is a start.

I am anxious about being able to feed whilst out and about with the shields as I find them a bit of a faff? Xx

Have you tried medela ones? They come in different sizes - for different sized boobs! They worked for me, and no problems with supply.

I know what you mean about them being a faff, but the initial faffiness of getting them on is more than outweighed by the ease of being able to breastfeed when out and about. Hopefully you'll only need them for a short period of time anyway, although don't be tempted to stop using too soon. Try a feed every now and again without the shield and see how you get on.

Thanks Lund, i actually have the Medela ones, only other ones I could find in shop. Has led to less wind I've noticed too which is good. Thank you for the advice and the reassurance re: faffness haha. I need to just get a feed done out and start the ball rolling may take away some of my anxieties about it all. Xx

The Medela ones were the best in my experience, Kellymom has great advice for weaning off shields so look it up. I fed with shields for a year so it is feasible, much easier not having them though.

I also didn't have a problem feeding when out and about with the shields. The only other thing I would add, is make sure you have plenty and keep in sterilised cases/ pots ready to go. It was a faff when I only had 2 and baby was feeding really often. I was constantly sterilising and was a nightmare if he needed a feed and one fell on the floor, or something.

Yes I will have a look at the Kelly mom site lots have recommended this. I'm out to get more shields today as only had 2 and yes added faff for sure. I have reached a milestone and currently in mothercare feeding room thank you all so much really appreciate your advice and support xxx

Well done! Yes I used to hate using shields if I was out in public - it's one thing getting your boobs out and other having to stick a bit of plastic on your nipple whilst grappling one handed with a hungry baby! I just used to find somewhere fairly secluded where I could sit with my back to the room. They do wean off them fairly quickly and then it's sooooo much less hassle.

Remember too that it's better to BF with shields than not BF at all so well done for sticking with it!

Hi. Congratulations on your baby. I fed for an entire year on shields. DS had a posterior tongue tie which was snipped twice but that didn't help. I used the Medela ones in a small size (available in S,M or L) which I purchased from Amazon. I had eight in total about the house and in changing bag. Plus one of those Milton ball dummy steriliser thingies to keep it in when out and about. I never experienced supply issues luckily and you get very adept at slipping them on without drawing any attention to yourself very quickly. As pp said, good advice on kellymom about weaning off them. This sadly didn't work for us but it didn't stop me feeding him, for which I am very grateful. Good luck with your feeding journey, whichever path you ultimately go down. Remember it is what works for you and your baby that matters and as long as you are both happy and healthy it is not anyone else's business.