Use of a Nipple Shield

Emily - posted on 05/13/2010

I had the exact same experience!!! My baby boy had trouble latching and a lactation consultant gave me a nipple sheild. At first I thought it was great, but then I tried to go without it. Oh the pain and frustration!!! He had trouble latching and it hurt horribly. I would cry. Sometimes I would go back and forth between using the shield and not because I just couldn't face the pain. I don't know if this was a good idea or not. Anyway, after a little while, a lot of patience, and some practice he learned how to nurse and we have now been nursing for many months (he is almost one). Best of luck!!!!

Mary - posted on 05/13/2010

My daughter had trouble latching for the first couple days, and a nurse gave me a nipple shield. It worked getting her to latch, but then we were stuck w/ it for several months. I think she wasn't getting milk as fast as she would have without it as was often fussy at the breast. It took lots of time and patience to get her to nurse w/ out the nipple shield. In the middle of the night she was more willing to try nursing w/ out the shield. Perhaps she was too sleepy to care? Then once we had down nighttime feedings w/ the the shield, I'd keep trying at feedings during the day to eliminate the nipple shield. It eventually worked. Persistence is the key!

Annette - posted on 05/13/2010

Renee, thank you so much for your response. I will give it try, however on a side note, the pain (burning) that started about a week or so ago i think today that it is actually thrush. It isn't as painful until the end of the feeding on each breast and then it feels like he is pinching the nipple but this is not possible with the shield. Then after he is done I feel the burning pain in my nipples. So now I need to deal with this. Actually this would be the third time that I have this. How can I keep getting it? One time I took the oral medicine and gave it to my son too. He has never shown signs of thrush, never had white spots or diaper rash, it is just me and the awful pain. So after I get this taken care of, i will get those shells. Thank you!

Renee - posted on 05/11/2010

I would suggest trying these by medela.
http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/pro...
You wear them in your bra, they help speed up healing, and also help pull your nipples in a more outward position that helps the baby latch on easier. They can fill up with milk until your body gets used to them, so check them often at first. You don't have to wear them constently, only about half a day or so and perferably before bestfeeding, after breastfeeding can help you not be so sore. You do have to stuff your bra a bit if you want to wear them in public, they make your clothes not look natural and people would be able to tell that you have something in your bra. I had breastfeeding problems with my first child, so I followed a lactation consultant's advice and used these with my second child. It worked so well, I only needed them for a few months. With my first child I had to use the sheilds, but because of those shells, I never used sheilds with my son. I think that if you used the shells and got your nipples to protrude a bit more for your son, you wouldn't need the sheilds and could go cold turkey with those after a few attempts. Make sure he does latch on correctly when you don't use the sheilds, be prepared to take him off and get him to open his mouth more, be patient take some deep breaths and help him find the right way to feed again. You can try different postitions, that sometimes helps, but really you need your nipples to come out more so that he will be more likely to latch on without so much effort until he gets used to the difference between breast and bottle. Don't bother getting a bunch of sheilds, you wont need more than 3 really, they are rinse and wear.

Angelina - posted on 05/11/2010

I'm kinda in the same boat :( My little girl is only a week old and she won't latch on properly. I'm hoping she'll get the hang of it soon because it really is a pain to use!