Breastfeeding

DS wont breastfeed naturally

DS was in NICU for 2 days  at birht due to hypoglycemia and was introduced to the bottle. He wont breastfeed without a nipple shield. I worked with a lactation consultant and he nursed without the shield like a champ...but just for that one day. Now he is back to his old self. He kicks and screams when the shield is missing. I am so very frustrated that I feel like a failure. My nipple is flat and I pump for 5 mins to bring it out and also use a latch assist to help elongate the nipple. No matter which method I try....DS refuses to feed without the shield.

Any ideas? Anything that I am doing wrong? Any suggestions? Is there any down side to feeding with a nipple shield?  BTW my DS is 1 week 5 days old now.

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Re: DS wont breastfeed naturally

  • I've never been in your shoes, but I would just continue with the breast shield instead of stressing yourself out.  Maybe check back with the lactation consultant in about a week, but give yourself a break from worrying too much, you are doing a great job and your DS will get the hang of it eventually.  Hopefully somebody else that has been in this position can help.  GL!
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  • I'm still feeding DD w/ a nipple shield. She will latch on without it once in awhile, but generally I have to use the shield. She's gained weight well and I haven't noticed any issues related to it. One LC I worked with said that she has had people use it the entire time they BF with no issues.
  • Use that nipple shield!  I truly believe babies need time to figure things out...especially babies who have been bottle fed at first!  Don't give up and don't think for one minute that because you use a breast shield, it doesn't mean he is not nursing "naturally"!  We used a breast shield and a supplemental nursing system (horrible tubes taped to me) for 8 weeks but one day she was a changed baby and bf until a year old.  Hang in there...you are doing a great job.  Don't stress out over things that are different than what you expected them to be.  BFing is hard and you will both figure it out in time!
  • Just make sure to track diapers and weight.

    The shield *can* change how much your LO gets.

    We were feeding for 40-60minutes with the shield and she wasn't gaining weight. We are now working on supplimenting with bottles and trying to get her to latch on her own.

    I couldn't use the SNS, too complicated for us.

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  • Wally3Wally3 member

    My DS was in the NICU for a week.  I used a nipple shield as well.  Around 6 weeks - 8 weeks he weaned off of it.  I know it seems like a pain most likely you will get away from it.  I barely remember using it and we have know been nursing 8 months.


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  • Hang in there!  I didn't use a shield, but I also couldn't get DD to latch on AT ALL for the first 8 weeks.  I stuck with it, though I felt like a massive failure. Sure enough, at around 8 weeks, something clicked for us, and we've been breastfeeding for a year now.  Just make sure you have a great LC, and all will be well, just give it time and don't stress.
  • Thanks everyone for your encouragement and positive responses. We just had our new born appt. today and found out great news that the baby gained 16 ozs in 12 days. So, it seems like whatever I am doing now is working. I will continue using the nipple shield and also pump a few times a day to make sure he is getting enough. I hope one day he will learn to latch on without the shield.
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