Breastfeeding
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Nipple confusion
Hello everyone! My LO is 11 days old today 
We are ebf and I've had some trouble with really sore nipples. So sometimes I give the girls a break and pump and feed him through a bottle until I think I can stand bfing again. I usually give him the bottle twice a day out of the 10 or so times I feed him. Sometimes I use a shield, but I use it rarely. Maybe 1 time every other day. Am I setting him up for failure at the breast? Anyone switch it up like I do? I am trying to toughen up and there isn't any pain when he latches on correctly, I'm just getting used to all this.
We are ebf and I've had some trouble with really sore nipples. So sometimes I give the girls a break and pump and feed him through a bottle until I think I can stand bfing again. I usually give him the bottle twice a day out of the 10 or so times I feed him. Sometimes I use a shield, but I use it rarely. Maybe 1 time every other day. Am I setting him up for failure at the breast? Anyone switch it up like I do? I am trying to toughen up and there isn't any pain when he latches on correctly, I'm just getting used to all this. 
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Re: Nipple confusion
IMO, it depends on your LO. My son was born early and had to take a bottle for the 1st week, then we introduced the breast, he only got that (mixed with bottle feeding) for several days before learning I had a major infection and the antibiotics I needed were not safe for bfing, so I had to pump and dump for 9 days, so that was 9 more days with the bottle, then after that another week or so of bottle/breast, sometimes I would use the nipple shield while bfing. All the while he was getting a pacifier....
At 5 weeks he quit taking the bottle all on his own and went straight for EBFing with no nipple shield. He still gets a pacifier.
So in my situation and my LO, there was no such thing as nipple confusion.
Are you setting him up for failure? You are doing a wonderful thing for him and I truly don't think that you are doing anything but what is best for him. A happy mom = a happy baby.
I would not be concerned about nipple confusion if I were you. My son took a few bottles a week and took pacificers since his first day. He did great with breastfeeding and had no nipple confusion.
My best friend gave her baby a bottle once a month or so for the first few months and then she wanted to go away for a day......her poor little girl wouldn't take a bottle and ended up crying almost all day. My friend said that with any other children that she has she will make sure to give bottles of bm regularly.
You're doing a great job!
My baby is 12 days old today and I just went through a similar situation. Feeling the stress of being a FTM and trying to figure it all out, I have switched between bottle and breast to keep my sanity and ensure I have a well fed happy baby. At 6 days old my DD "found her tongue" and no longer found BFing appealing. With the help of my lactation consultant, a nipple shield, and a lot of patience we are back to BFing without the nipple shield on most occasions an only rarely bottle feeding after almost exclusively using the bottle for several days.
According to my lactation consultant, nipple confusion doesn't exist. Whether it does or does not, I truly believe you make it work. If BFing is important to you, you'll find a way to make it work for you and your baby.