I just had a meltdown

DMG122183 · February 2013

My baby has been refusing my right breast and when he does latch it's extremely painful. It's better when I use a nipple shield. I just had to pump the right side and got about an ounce. Any ideas or encouragement?

DMG122183 · February 2013

I should mention the left side is absolutely fine even without the shield.

TeachR24 · February 2013

Always start him on the bad side so it stimulates milk production and you don't lose your milk on that side. Nurse him for as long as you can handle and then switch to the good side. I don't know if you are consistently using a nipple shield, but I did find that my supply dropped a bit while using the nipple shield (I had to use one on one side for a few weeks as my daughter tore my nipple open so I used the nipple shield to let it heal). As soon as I was able to wean baby off the shield my supply shot up. Try starting the feeding with the nipple shield and then when you have a letdown quickly take it off and see if baby latches better since milk is already pouring out. :-) Good luck!