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Breastfeeding
evenstar2110
member
weaning from a nipple shield and going back to work
evenstar2110
member
Hi ladies. I've had to use a nipple shield with DD since week 2 as my nipples were not being pulled out enough for her to latch properly. I have been trying to wean her from it for weeks and have not had success. She can latch without the shield now, but after let down she starts getting mad and pushing off, I assume because the milk is no longer coming fast enough. She hasn't seemed to figure out that if she keeps sucking, she will get a second let down. It seems like with the shield, milk tended to pool in the tip of the shield so when she sucked she got a lot at one time. If I start the nursing session with the shield and then remove it, she will latch but then almost immediately stops sucking. I am worried because I have to go back to work this week, so will only be able to nurse her in the mornings, evenings and during the night. Did anyone have success weaning from a nipple shield after going back to work and having to nurse part time?
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Re: weaning from a nipple shield and going back to work
I did...although unfortunately it took a while. I would try about 2-3 times a week without the shield and she would do the same thing it sounds like your baby is doing most of the time, although rarely, when she was really calm she would latch and complete feeding. When it would work I would try again the next session. One day she just started being okay with doing it every time...right around 4 months.
I breastfeed in the morning before work and then when I get home once or twice, depending on when I get home/when she's hungry...she usually gets 3-4 6-8 oz bottles a day in addition to this. On the weekends I would try to EBF except maybe one bottle. I think it starting working on the weekend, but am not sure.
There reached a point where I just accepted the nipple shield and that it might be a permanent thing and bought a few and kept them in various areas of the house...one upstairs, one downstairs and one in the diaper bag. This helped relieve the stress of using it too because I was no longer scared I'd forget it or lose it.