XP:If you have used or are using a nipple shield, I need advice!

Bella263 · November 2009

While in the hospital I was told I had flat nipples and LO had a hard time latching. I also had a LOT of pain while nursing. I was given a Medela nipple shield by a nurse who said it would help, and it did. Bella latched better and my nipples became a lot less sore and were able to heal.

However, 2 weeks into breastfeeding she is now completely unable to nurse without the shield. And I hate the shield. It's become a complete pain to put on, to clean, to find... I want to have her nurse naturally but am not sure how to make the transition.

She has become lazy with the shield - she doesn't have to open her mouth wide for it, she can pull on and off and relatch easily, etc. And when we try nursing without it, those things cause me a lot of pain. She also swallows a lot of air and spits up 3-4 times after each feeding because she initially sucks only air until my milk fills the shield which I know isn't good.

Any suggestions for trying to get her to latch properly on just the breast? I've talked to a lactation consultant who offered a few suggestions until she can meet with me, and I see my Dr. tomorrow. But I'm looking for things that have worked for moms who have been through this.

Thank you!

deltagirl79 · November 2009

We had to use one on my left side for about a week and a half, maybe two weeks. It was a little easier for us to wean off I think since I was only using it on one side. What worked for us was that I would start nursing him with it on, then about half way through I would take it off and relatch him with out it. We had to do that for a day or two but then he was fine. It was not the end of our latch issues though, we had to keep working on his latch for almost a month, but they were unrelated to the shield. GL!!

FlaCourtney · November 2009

It's still early for you guys. I'm sure the LC will have advice on weaning from the shield. One thing they might suggest is to pump for 5 minutes before you feed her to draw out your nipples and then clamp her on. I always found this too cumbersome but I can see how it would work.

We used it for 3 months. Every time I tried to wean him off it, he would freak and get so worked up he couldn't eat at all, so I just kept using it. But once he started day care and getting regular bottles, he completely rejected nursing, so now I just pump. :-(

bethCT · November 2009

This is not what you want to hear but I used the shield for maybe a month? I know it was a long time. I had flat nipples too and DD had a short tongue and we could NOT get her to latch for the longest time! We saw an LC every other day at one point! Then she would only latch on one side, so I used the shield on the other side. Every day I would try to latch her on the shield side once or twice and one day it all just clicked.
Good luck!

cfitz16 · November 2009

I'm still breastfeeding and still using it. Not sure there is any extra air b/c of the shield....my take is obviously if it works, don't fix it. We got it to work well this way.

DarcyLongfellow · November 2009

DD is 4 months and we're still using it. I honestly don't really mind it. It's kind of a pain to always have one with me, but I have them all over the house. Literally. I keep one by the chair I nurse in in the living room, one in my bedroom, one in DD's bedroom, one in my purse, one in the diaper bag, and one in my car. And I have a couple of extras. They're only $6, so I figured I might as well make life easier for myself. I keep them in retainer cases (my dad's an orthodontist, so he gave them to me). I only wash them every few days -- I just wipe them with a burp cloth when DD finishes nursing.

As far as weaning from it, we're not because DD has a tight frenulum on her upper lip and can't latch properly. We did wean from it at one point, and she lost weight that week, so now we're using it permanently.

But, when we did wean, I would start off using it, then take it off after a couple minutes. When I was trying to get her to latch, I would squirt a bunch of milk on her tongue so she knew that the bare breast meant milk (otherwise, she might have thought she wouldn't get milk because the shield wasn't there).

Good luck!

alaskabride2be · November 2009

My DS is just over 7 months and we have been using one from day 1 because I also have flat nipples. For us we got into a good routine with it. I have nursed a couple of times because I forgot the shield at home and it was painful. Since that time I have gotten a few more and am like the PP as I have one on my nigh stand, one in the living room next to the chair that I use and then one in the diaper bag. I just wash mine 2 time a day, but wipe them done after each use. I always make sure that I have a washcloth with me as I tuck that under DS chin so if he dribbles then I don't get soaked. I also use the washcloth to wrap the shield in when he is done. Good luck and I hope that you can find what will work best for you and your LO. Also remember that just because you are using a shield does not mean that your LO isn't getting the milk that she needs.

Mrs.Greg · November 2009

I could have written this exact same post. DD wasn't able to nurse at all without a shield because I had flat nipples, I tried repeatedly to get her latched on myself without it and she'd scream bloody murder every time. I used a shield for six weeks. By that time, I was just about fet up with it. It was a pain to use, it was messy, it was always full of milk when I pulled it off. I hated it! I tried at every feeding to get her latched on with out the shield and finally one day, she just did it. And we haven't used a shield since. DD is six months old. I worked with a lactation consultant too and she told me to feed DD with the shield for about 5 minutes and then break the seal, pull the shield off quickly and put her on without it. I tried and tried and it finally worked. I could have cried, I was so excited! AND she'd spit up sooooo much when we used the shield! It was awful! I wondered sometimes if she was keeping anything down. She was, of course, because she was gaining weight like a champ! Once we got off the shield, she spit up a lot less AND she went longer between feedings (3 to 4 hours rather than just 2 or 3 hours). I think she was getting a lot of air with the shield. I also pumped for about 5 minutes after every day time feeding to help my supply and also to pull my nipples out more.

Good luck!!

Mrs.Greg · November 2009

Mrs.Greg:

I could have written this exact same post. DD wasn't able to nurse at all without a shield because I had flat nipples, I tried repeatedly to get her latched on myself without it and she'd scream bloody murder every time. I used a shield for six weeks. By that time, I was just about fet up with it. It was a pain to use, it was messy, it was always full of milk when I pulled it off. I hated it! I tried at every feeding to get her latched on with out the shield and finally one day, she just did it. And we haven't used a shield since. DD is six months old. I worked with a lactation consultant too and she told me to feed DD with the shield for about 5 minutes and then break the seal, pull the shield off quickly and put her on without it. I tried and tried and it finally worked. I could have cried, I was so excited! AND she'd spit up sooooo much when we used the shield! It was awful! I wondered sometimes if she was keeping anything down. She was, of course, because she was gaining weight like a champ! Once we got off the shield, she spit up a lot less AND she went longer between feedings (3 to 4 hours rather than just 2 or 3 hours). I think she was getting a lot of air with the shield. I also pumped for about 5 minutes after every day time feeding to help my supply and also to pull my nipples out more.

Good luck!!

I wanted to add that when I started BFing without the shield, it was extremely painful for a few days until I got used to it. You might be having pain when you try to BF without the shield because you're not used to it.

Sharra711 · November 2009

We used the shield because DD was hospitalized 2 days after being born and spent 3 days taking bottles and never learned to latch. Then my milk came in and made my nipples flatter.

We used it for about 2-3 weeks.

Every day I offered her the breast w/o it, when she wasn?t screaming hungry and we were both calm. If she took it, or not, no big deal.

I then started using this to help draw out my nipple and get a let-down started https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2970262

I was also pumping after each feed and giving DD that milk in a bottle.

Eventually I didn?t need the shield, and then didn?t need the latch assist.

Just give it time and set yourself and your LO up for success; don?t try to hard to change things, wait till you are both calm and alert, give it time.

Uiowachick01 · November 2009

I used a nipple shield for the first 2 months all the time. I had very flat/inverted nipples. The LC told me that I may not be able to nurse LO but I didn't want to taake that for an answer. I slowly tried to introduce the nipple alone once a day. DS used to scream and it upset me so I started to pump during the day and nurse at night. One day last month DS just started to nurse like a champ. I still have to used the shield on my right side but BM is best so I'm doing whatever it takes to keep on BFing.

At1stsight · November 2009

We used it on one side only for about 1-1.5 months. When I was weaning him off of it, I would start with the nipple shield and then after let down and he took a little break, I'd remove it and put him back on. It took a while of doing that and then I'd start trying to begin without the shield and put it on only if he seemed like he needed it. He was off it about 1 week after we started the weaning.

Hang in there! I lost mine once too and had to replace it- they ARE easy to lose since they're transparent!

XP:If you have used or are using a nipple shield, I need advice!

Re: XP:If you have used or are using a nipple shield, I need advice!

Choose Another Board

Search Boards