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Nipple Shields?

Alyssa - posted on 02/08/2012 ( 5 moms have responded )

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I had so much trouble trying to get my son to latch on the first few weeks because I have 2 flat and 1 inverted nipple. he wouldn't eat at all so I had to formula feed him at the beginning (which i HATED). after a lot of frustration and failed attempts I tried a nipple shield by Medela and he latched the very first time! he has been gaining weight very good and is now 2.5 months and exclusively breastfed.



however, I am trying to get him to wean off of the shield and hopefully eat at the bare breast. he attempts to latch, but can't seem to get it without the shield and then get frustrated and starts crying.



Also, if I cannot wean him, is it bad to continue using the shield long term??



Anyone else that went through this or has advice out there?

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5 Comments

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Ruth - posted on 02/13/2012

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I used it for about 8 months, because I have flat nipples and my daughter was born early and had latching issues. Eventually I weaned her off of it, but she didn't really want to, and I didn't want to argue with her every time she fed. When I started weaning off the nipple shield, I started without it, and let her switch back to it when she got frustrated. We'd go longer and longer without it, and eventually she preferred to nurse without it.

Alyssa - posted on 02/13/2012

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ahh i'm so excited right now out of nowhere last night he latched on without the shield all by himself! this makes feeding him so much less of a hassle. i felt like it would never happen

Leah - posted on 02/08/2012

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I had a similar issue, I managed to wean my boy off by six weeks, usually by starting a feed with it on and then taking it off part way through the feed. I don't think it matters how long it takes you so long as you feel you are getting enough stimulation to keep your milk going. Way to go for persisting with breastfeeding, so many give up.

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 02/08/2012

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I had the same issue with flat/inverted nipples. I used the shield for three months. At that point it breastfeeding had drawn them out enough that we could wean off. I started with the shield on and latched baby. When I felt my milk letdown I quickly took her off and removed the shield. I put her back on and since I had a letdown she was rewarded with milk for staying latched. The first few times she only stayed latched a minute or so then it gradually became longer. When she started staying on until the end of the feed we started each feed without the shield. Sometimes she nursed great, other times she got frustrated.



I made sure that I never let her get too upset. We just kept working at it. It took a full month to wean off of the shield from both breasts. You can continue to use it if you want or if you can't get baby off of it, but it is possible to wean. It takes a lot of patience, but you can do it. Good luck!

Emily - posted on 02/08/2012

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I have a friend who's daughter was born 3 months before my son and she had to use shields for pretty much a full year. I know she wore them all the time to help pull her nipples out as well. The important thing was she was able to successfuly breastfeed for a full year and is still nursing strong at 14 months. Good luck!

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