? for nipple shield using mommies

Irishmomma84

My LO is 6 weeks old yesterday and I have been using a nipple shield since he was born. Well, I have been reading (good and bad) experiences with using the shield and also reading about mommies who exerienced supply drops.

I have noticed that after 5pm I'm not able to keep up with DS's hourly feedings. The last 2 weeks I have been having to supplement with formula before DS's bedtime, which is discouraging bc I thought that I was going to be making enough milk to EBF for the first year.

So here is my question: if you are/were using a shield did you have to supplement with formula? If so, did you wean the shield to increase your supply? Did it work?

 

maggielw

I have used a nipple shield since LO was born also....she never would take just my real nipple, and we are still bring at almost 13 months. I never supplemented with formula once, and never noticed any sort of detriment to my supply because of using the shield.

Irishmomma84

Do you suggest that I take a supplement to boost my supply and still continue to use the shield? I have tried not using it as of tonight and have fed DS 3 times w/o it and my nipples are so sore and kinda are burning.

BeachBlondie456

How do you know your supply is low and what made you decide to Supplement? To up your supply you need to let baby nurse more so your body needs to make more. I used the shield for a couple weeks and weaned off of it slowly. First I would nurse her on one side with it switch sides and not use it and she would usually latch. It's a process.

Irishmomma84

I am guessing that my supply is dropping bc DS feeds every hour from 5pm until bedtime and is next thing to screaming when he ate the previous hour. I also notice that when he is hungry he tries to shove his fist in his mouth and he keeps spitting out his pacifier and his fussiness turns into crying, and then into screaming. After I nurse him he is fine until the next hour. Also, my boobs don't feel full like they do during the day so that is another reason I am thinking that my supply is dropping.

I tried pumping after his feedings after 5pm, when I feel like my supply is low, but I stopped bc it seemed to interfere with the following feeding. It's almost like I was emptying my breasts but they weren't filling back up as much in an hour. And whatever had filled back up, DS quickly drained when he fed that hour.

kitkat145

It is very common for babies to be fussy and want to nurse more at night. Here is a great article about it: https://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/fussy-evening.html

 Just keep nursing!! 

kitkat145

Also, just because your breasts don't feel full doesn't mean that baby isn't getting anything. 

Heres a link that discusses if you have a true low supply:

https://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/low-supply.html#supply

amjo8286

I had to use a nipple shield for almost three months. He just would not latch on without it. In my opinion it was better than nothing. My supply did suffer a bit but it's been enough to satsify him.

bluerevolution9

i have  an oversupply and DD still fuses and cries and wants to eat constantly from 6-9pm every night. she is nearly 7 weeks. we used a sheild for a little while b/c of latch problems

AliandJimmy

I used a shield for probably the first 6-8 weeks (not quite sure everything was kind of a blur with lack of sleep!)  Weaning off of it takes time.  Best way to do it is to either start the feeding with the shield and then take LO off the breast to remove the shield and then try and put LO right back on.  You can also pump a little bit to make the nipple pop out a little and then put LO on the breast.  This may take a few days or longer before you no longer need the shield.  I can't say I ever noticed a decrease in my supply when I was using the shield. 

Annie984

I think what you're describing sounds more like normal evening cluster feeding than lack of supply.  When my LO was that age, he nursed pretty much non stop from 6:30pm to 10pm.  Women naturally produce less milk in the evenings due to daily hormonal changes.  It's *very* common for babies to nurse more during these evening hours.  My breasts almost never feel "full" at all, but I promise that my LO has gotten plenty of milk.  As long as he's gaining weight and having good diaper output, I would keep nursing him instead of supplementing.  You need to nurse to build your supply, pumping just isn't as efficient.  So instead of worrying about nursing then pumping, just sit down, watch TV, and nurse for an hour and a half straight if he wants to.

 We used a nipple shield for 3.5 months.  He was very resistant to getting rid of it, and he refused to latch on at all until one day he took his hand, tore it off, and latched on like he had been doing it since the day he was born.  Kelly mom has a whole page of techniques for weaning from a nipple shield if you want to try different things.

 

Don't let the evening cluster feedings make you think something is wrong!

jhopkins.574

I used a shielf for the first 3 months (just now working on weaning).  I also had to supplement b/c LO wasn't gaining quickly enough.  My LC told me to pump a couple times a day to keep my supply up and that worked for me.  I supplement with pumped milk when I have enough and formula when I don't.

My LO also clusterfeeds at night.  More so when she was younger than now, but she still does sometimes.