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.
Re: DS wont breastfeed naturally
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.
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.