Breastfeeding

nipple shield

I started using a nipple shield with my daughter after about a week of bfing because my nipples hurt and were cracked. No one had really told me how to use it. It was just given to me at the hospital and a nurse suggested I use it since I was afraid to nurse because I felt like baby was going to seriously damage me. After a couple weeks they were better and I tried to get her to not use it and she wouldn't. At one point I thought I broke her of it, but then after a couple days she got so upset that she wouldn't eat without it so I used it again and she hasn't wanted to consistently nurse without it since. She will for a minute or two once in a while, then she will quit. What are some things I can do to get her to not use it? I have just continued using it because I figured it was better to use it than to not nurse her, but she is almost 4 months old and having to make sure I have that thing and hold it there is getting old.
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Re: nipple shield

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    I was given a shield at the hospital because she wasn't latching. I used it minimally at the hospital and felt bad for using it. I would start her without it. If she didn't latch, I would use it and then remove it.

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    DS 7/6/09
    DD 9/4/11
    EDD 9/1/15
  • well, I am still working on weaning from the shield myself.  But you shouldn't have to hold it there - it should create a suction when you put it on.  Are you flipping out the edges before putting it on and popping it out so it suctions on?

     

    ETA: Sorry, I ndidnt answer your q.  I am starting with the shield on and then ninja-quick taking it off 3/4 of the way thru the sessin.  Once we're good at that I'll move up the time sooner and sooner.  HTH!

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  • I used a shield for about 3 weeks on my left side due to a flat nipple. Weaning wasn't too difficult for us because LO was used to nursing on the right without it. However, it still took some work... I would take it off halfway through the feeding and then gradually lengthen the time without it. It also helped to smush my breast like a "breast taco" until he latched well, so he got more breast tissue in his mouth. Good luck! 
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  • ugh, I wish they would never have given me a nipple shield! They gave it to me like day 1 so it wasn't even like a sure thing that we would have had issues. They also didn't explain the cons, like WEANING! I can't help because I'm stuck in this rut too, but it just makes me so upset when I think about it! I feel like it's keeping my nipples from toughening up though. DD is almost 6wks and they're still very painful. I wonder if I weren't using it, if they would be tough by now..
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  • imagegwenathan:
    ugh, I wish they would never have given me a nipple shield! They gave it to me like day 1 so it wasn't even like a sure thing that we would have had issues. They also didn't explain the cons, like WEANING! I can't help because I'm stuck in this rut too, but it just makes me so upset when I think about it! I feel like it's keeping my nipples from toughening up though. DD is almost 6wks and they're still very painful. I wonder if I weren't using it, if they would be tough by now..

     

    i'm in the same boat. the same story happened to me. it was day one, we were having trouble, and instead of TEACHING us how to nurse better, they stuck a shield on my boob. it's been there ever since. i do have flat-ish nipples but i bet we could have figured out a way to nurse without the shield if the LC had any time to spare.

    he's still using it, and doesn't even come close to latching without it. i've accepted that it's there for life.

    but as a PP said, you shouldn't have to hold it onto your breast. it should stick to your skin. i always just lick the inner part so it's damp and sticks to me very well that way. good luck, i hope you can work it out of your life for good. i know i wish i could just pop LO on the boob when we are in public. it's a real pain to get the shield on, get him latched and keep from flashing the crowds while under the nursing cover all at once. usually someone gets a nip view. oh well.

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  • We needed the help of a LC to finally wean from the shield. She helped us overcome some latching difficulties and helped me master the mid nursing session shield removal. Then it was just a matter of giving it some time and practice. One day he still needed it to start a session and the next day he didn't. We used it at night (when we were both tired) for a couple more days, and then we had a night session where he fussed until I removed it... And we never needed it again. All of this happened around the 3 month mark, so we'd been on the shield for a while.
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  • but as a PP said, you shouldn't have to hold it onto your breast. it should stick to your skin. i always just lick the inner part so it's damp and sticks to me very well that way. good luck, i hope you can work it out of your life for good. i know i wish i could just pop LO on the boob when we are in public. it's a real pain to get the shield on, get him latched and keep from flashing the crowds while under the nursing cover all at once. usually someone gets a nip view. oh well.

     

    LOL! Yes, exactly! That is the pain of it.

    Yeah, it sticks most of the time, but then sometimes it likes to come off.

    Over the weekend I was trying to get her to not use it. She did pretty good on the right side several times. Once she didn't use it on that side at all the whole time even! But on the left side she didn't want to eat without it. I may be able to talk to a LC and have some help. I think she didn't latch right from the beginning (which is why the hospital gave me the shield, also pretty much day one... but I didn't start using it until a little over a week later) and then when I started using the shield it made her latch even worse. So that is the biggest problem.

    Anyway, thanks for the advice! Glad to know others are in the same situation. I felt like I wasn't doing things right and was kinda embarrassed because she's been using it so long, so I am glad to know it is not just me. = )

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