Advice for weaning from nipple shield?

jrlandrigan · January 2010

DS was born a month premature and when I was in the hospital the lactation nurse gave me a nipple shield to use. The day he was born he seemed to latch on fine but she gave it to me anyways since he was premature. I was eager to stop using it after about a week, but couldn't get him to latch on without it and would just shake his head back and forth and get really frustrated. Once in a while I can get him to latch on without it but it's rare. Since it's so frustrating, I don't try without it much plus it's really painful (I know bfing hurts at first but it's now become my crutch).

LO is now 2 months old and is still gaining weight so slowly and isn't even 8 lbs yet. Today at his 2 month appointment, the doctor told me to supplement with 1-2 oz of formula after he bfs to get his weight up. It's so disappointing and I feel like a failure. I didn't want to give him formula. I feel like the lactation nurse screwed me and he wouldn't have had any problem bfing if she never gave me the nipple shield. I wonder if he'd be gaining better if I got him off the nipple shield, I read they can get the milk out better without it.

I tried giving him some formula at his last feeding and he fussed and refused to take more than a couple sips. He had shots today so maybe that's part of it but I think he only wants my bm.

Sorry so long, I'm just bummed about the formula and have been wanting to wean him from the shield since it is a pain also. Any advice how to get him to latch on without it? How long does it take?

MelodyMoonstone · January 2010

I used one and we supplemented bm after each feeding since LO was a lazy eater. You could try that if you don't want to use formula - I would feed DS and then I'd pump for 15 minutes while DH bottle fed him my milk from last time.

As for weaning off - check on kellymom.com to see what they have to say. You could start each feeding using it and then take it off and relatch him. Once your nipple is larger, it might be easier for him to latch on. We went through the flailing his head thing too, but eventually, he was able to get on.

megeliza31 · January 2010

I've been using a shield since day 3 due to latching problems and we're still working on weening. It was so painful at first and I still need to use the shield a couple times a day after my nipples become sore. I have actually found that LO seems to get more with the shield than without. To get my supply up after some health problems on my part I've been pumping after each feeding and I always get more after feeding without the shield than I do with the shield. If you're concerned about LO not getting enough BM try pumping and giving it through a bottle. This way you know how much he's getting and maybe this will help with the latching.

We used the breastflow bottles for a few feeding a day for a week and LO began latching on a lot better without the shield. He got what he needed and learned how to use his entire mouth to nurse rather than just sucking on the nipple like some bottles allow him to do.

Tara Ell · January 2010

Are you sure you're using the shield correctly? I was told it wouldn't effect how much milk lo gets. I have no advice on how to wean him from it because we have been trying to wean for 2 weeks now with no luck. I really wish my lactation consultant never gave me one to begin with because DS screams when I try to latch him. He will only latch for a minute or too and then pull off and cry. I have sort of given up on weaning from the shield since my pedi and LC both said it was fine to use. It's mostly just a pain to clean and carry around everywhere but I still think it's better than washing bottles!

Brandi-104 · January 2010

We had latch problems while in the hospital and one nurse gave us the nipple shield. The lactation consultant made it seem like I was a horrible mother for doing so, but our pediatrician said that whatever worked was fine with him. Anyways, what we did was each day when she was wide awake and not fussy for feeding I would try to get her to latch and if she freaked out I wouldn't force her. After she'd been latched on with the shield for a while I would take it off and see if she would latch without it. Sometimes it worked and other times we did not have success. Now, she's almost 4 weeks old and we're almost completely off the shield. Usually around the 3 am feeding she is just too lazy or something and we end up busting it out. So my advice is to just be patient and keep trying! Your LO will one day just latch without it!

Oh and I wanted to ask about your pediatrician wanting you to supplement formula -- could you pump and bottle feed with your own breast milk?

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