nipple shields- positive/ negative experiences?

[lau86]

well after my post yesterday about how sore my nipples were i was in tears last night trying to feed LO it was excruciating. I started to feel the benefits of breastfeeding just weren't worth me feeling like that as i was sure LO could sense the negativity. so i did a bit of googling and came across nipple shields. today i went to get some and for the most sore breast its been absolute heaven. he has fed really well and my breast is now empty, no soreness. i know there are some downpoints but i'm just wondering if anyone has had experiences with them and whats happened?

 

[katnav]

Hello. I found feeding extremely painful at the beginning (despite being told my latch was perfect) so like you googled and found shields. It was that or give up so I sent my husband straight out to get some. We used them for 5 weeks. Everyone kept telling me they would reduce supply and LO wouldn't put on enough weight but he was thriving. We only gave up using because I got fed up steralising them and using them at night in the dark. So one day I just tried without and although a little difficult at the beginning (I had to hold nipple in his mouth) I am so glad we came off. Having said that if i needed to use shields for the whole 6 months i plan to breastfeed I would have because I really wanted to do it and they worked for me. Hope that is helpful!

 

[tabitha561]

I have been using them four months,and its not true that they decrease your supply... That was the old thick ones they use to have do The medela contact shields are great that is the only ones I will use. My supply is as good as ever.. She has gained 6lbs in 4 months that tells you a lot lol. I will eventually try to wean her off the sheilds just havent yet. She has latched a couple of times without one.

 

[Hannah]

I used them for about two days on my right and almost a week on my left breast to let them heal as they were very cracked and painful, try did no harm and LO came back to the nipple with mo issues. No supply issues either. I asked the midwife and she said if it was a choice between the shields and stopping then to use the shrields, but to be aware they are not designed for long term use. Hth.x

 

[cutie4evr01]

I used them for 8 weeks with my first DD and I did struggle with low supply - I have no idea if that was due to the shield or not. Having said that, with lots of perseverance, pumping, and fenugreek, I managed to BF her for over a year, so my supply wasn't so low that we didn't make it! I think if it's a choice between using a shield and giving up on BF, by all means, use the shield!

 

[summer rain]

Nipple shields, even the modern thin type can and do cause low supply in some cases, there have been several ladies on baby and bump who suffered supply issues from using shields and ended up having to quit BF; however if it means a mum BFs for longer than they would have without using shields at all, then its probably the lesser of two evils xx

 

[fifi-folle]

If it wasn't for nipple shield my son would not be breastfeeding. However it seems the reason for using them (not able to latch) is caused by a tongue tie (and maybe lip tie).

 

[_phoenix_]

i use them i have from the first week he was born. and now he is 4 months. my doctor said he will probably always use it. i still try without every now and then but no luck yet.
one thing that does suck about using them is having to clean them all the time and at night too.

 

[_phoenix_]

and I've never had trouble with milk supply ether. I take Jayden to school with me and he is bigger then all of the other babies and they are 6 -9 months. he weighs 16 pounds was 9 at birth.

 

[starbuck83]

I used nipple shields for a few days during the first week or so of BF, DD wouldn't latch on once my milk came in, I think I was too engorged for her wee mouth. This approach was suggested by my midwife as a short term solution. The shields probably saved me from giving up BF, but I did find them painful to use (used the medela ones) as I have smallish nipples and it seemed to stretch them to the shape of the shield. I'm not using them at the moment but will be holding onto them incase of emergencies!

 

[lau86]

thanks guys thats great to know. each time i feed i am still trying to latch on at the breast but its just good to know they're there if its too painful. and i havent given up on finding out why the latch isnt good. i just dont see why nipple shields are seen as the evil of all evils, i suspect that they would benefit many women who are kinda on the fence about bfing and then when they get pains just stop.

 

[summer rain]

The reason is because they can cause problems and in most cases they are used for flat or inverted nipples as opposed to pain when feeding, and this is usually unnecessary because there are other solutions to flat/inverted nipples that do not interfere with breastfeeding at all. Also its not a given that a woman with flat nipples will need nipple shields to latch-most women with this type of nipples do not need nipple shields; but very often, particularly in the states midwives or nurses in the hospital will tell the mum to use it from the get go or her baby will not be able to latch at all. So mum uses them from the off, experiences problems and stops BFing when in most cases had they tried to latch baby without them baby would have latched fine. xx

 

[Ruth 1980]

I fed my LO for a week without nipple shields and have fed her with the shields for the 4weeks since. I can appreciate what you're saying above about the negatives but I have flat nipples and had LOTS &lots of help with latching during my 3days stay in hosp from multiple midwives &bf specialists but I can honestly tell you I would not have been able to carry on bf that way. Every feed was a fight, me grabbing tissue trying to pucker it &get it in her mouth, LO struggling to keep hold of it- disaster. So I don't think that good latching advice necessarily deals with the problem of flat nipples myself.

 

[popat]

I have one very flat nipple and after the first 6 days, I was in agony. I think I was possibly not feeding enough on the flat side and had the signs of mastitis. I started with a shield and found it to be great. LO latched on with it fine and my nipples started healing. I never bothered to sterilise, I just washed it before and after use with hot water. After 5 weeks, I started getting annoyed about losing it in bed etc so decided to stop. The first few weeks after that I was sore again but then started to rapidly get better.

I didn't have any weight gain issues, LO was born on the 10th percentile and stayed pretty much there for the first 10 weeks. Now it's a different story, I think he may be closer to the 50th.

My mum was really sceptical at first (she wasn't able to BF for more than a couple of weeks due to flat nipples and no support) but now she wishes she had access to them so she could have also BF successfully. We also think that DS took the bottle (for expressed milk) very easily because he had been used to the shield.

 

[summer rain]

I fed my LO for a week without nipple shields and have fed her with the shields for the 4weeks since. I can appreciate what you're saying above about the negatives but I have flat nipples and had LOTS &lots of help with latching during my 3days stay in hosp from multiple midwives &bf specialists but I can honestly tell you I would not have been able to carry on bf that way. Every feed was a fight, me grabbing tissue trying to pucker it &get it in her mouth, LO struggling to keep hold of it- disaster. So I don't think that good latching advice necessarily deals with the problem of flat nipples myself.

I'm speaking from personal experience here, not only do I have very flat, teeny nipples and am an H cup, but two of my LOs have been tongue tied that means they have even more trouble latching; although it has been tricky at first I have never needed to use shields. I'm not saying they are not useful in some cases but they are often recommended or even given to women off the bat as a cure all for many problems; which I don't think should happen. I was speaking to a specialist from the local BF support team here and they see so many problems involving the use of shields as a just in case measure; due to their experiences they believe shields should be used strictly as a last resort, and never in the first few days while milk is coming in because that is when most problems can occur because supply is not stimulated properly and colostrum cannot easily come through the holes in the shields.

Another thing is because shields can cause weight gain problems; a baby where the mum is using them needs weight to be more carefully monitored in the first few weeks, but this doesn't usually happen. Also if someone has flat nipples there are something called 'nipple formers' that actually work much better than shields, because they are worn between feeds and can have permanent results (and can be worn from 32 weeks of pregnancy; so in some cases the problem can be sorted before birth). I haven't used them myself but have recommended them to some ladies on here and IRL and they were so pleased with the results; and they never had to use a shield once, I am definitely getting some myself if I have another baby.

 

[jennijunni]

My first baby had tongue tie, and it was very severe, he was unable to nurse, or even drink from a bottle. I pumped and cup fed him until he was 10 days old, and had his frenulum snipped. We then tried nursing, I was determined to nurse my DS. ANd he was having a really difficult time, so we started using a nipple shield. It worked well, and he nursed like a champ. The only problem was that I became a slave to the thing. I was always worried I would lose it, or forget to bring it with us, and my letdown was diminished. So at 4 months he was sleepily nursing, and he popped off, and when he did the shield popped off, and then he latched on without it. So I went and cut up the shield, and tossed it in the garbage, and it took him a few tries, but he got the hang of it, and nursed until he was 2 and I was pregnant with his brother. So, in my experience they do work, but they will diminish letdown, and milk supply, and can become a crutch, and some children do not take well to nursing without one once you are ready to stop using the shield. And I know the bleeding, and scabbing hurts, but it gets better. I bleed, and scab up, with every baby!! And I nurse them until they are 2 and am pregnant with the next, and they typically wean at around my 6 month, and I still get awful bleeding, and scabs. Some woman are just like that, but in a few days it will get better, and lansinoh, works wonders to keep the area moist, and they will not get hard crusty scabs on them. Hugs!!! You are doing great!!!!

 

[Mork]

I used nipple shields for the first 7 weeks as otherwise i would have not been able to continue as my nipples were in a very bad way. I experienced no supply issues and am still enjoying a healthy bfing relationship with my dd 16 months later - as others have said, isnt it the lesser of two evils to bf with shields or not to bf at all? I weaned off the shields in a couple of days starting by alternating feeds - with and without. You are doing a great job doing all you can to bf your baby - well done xxxxx
PS Feel free to pm me xx