Help with nipple shield pleasee (long)

[@llli*maddieb]

I have not heard of the breast sandwich or any of those you mentioned, but of course I would love to hear more!! I have tried different positions, I've tried when she was sleepy, I have also tried laying down. She CAN latch on which is why I get so frustrated. She latches, will suck for about 10 seconds then get very upset, cry, and move her head back and forth. I know she is ABLE to feed but for some reason she just wont. I am pumping as well and when I do, my nipples have no pain. When I feed with the shield, its like horrible pain afterwards. They are very red, and will eventually crack. As of yet I haven't gotten any help with the exception of the specialists at the hospital and they just told me to use the shield. She is gaining enough, She had her two-month checkup and went from 5.11 at birth, was 5.4 when we left the hospital. At 1 month she was 7.4 and yesterday at the checkup she was 9.5.. her doctor seemed to be pleased with her growth. Thank you for all the info you gave!

hmmmm-I wonder if baby needs encouragement to keep trying to extract milk without the sheild. The ideas in this article for "instant reward" may work in that case... http://kellymom.com/bf/concerns/child/back-to-breast/

OK now here is a ton of info on latch techniques:
OK here is an article with some diagrams: http://www.llli.org/llleaderweb/lv/lvfebmar04p3.html

and another long article on latch that describes the breast sandwich technique. The whole article may be helpful to you. http://lowmilksupply.org/latching.shtml

and here is a video that explains deep latch that may be helpful. http://www.ameda.com/resources/video

How did laid back positioning go? I am a big believer in this for fixing latch issues. It's more about facilitating baby's natural rooting and latching instincts than really a a latch "technique" but you can use it with other latch techniques or not as you wish. This is a relaxed nursing postion with few "rules" and you can adjust yourself and baby as you wish or need. Here is more on this: www.biologicalnurturing.com & http://www.llli.org/docs/00000000000...astfeeding.pdf


I am really upset you were given a shield in the hospital without follow up care. Not that this is unusual, it unfortunately is very common, and it is really poor breastfeeding support practice. Nipple shields are a temporary fix for the immediate issue that a baby cannot nurse, but they do not, on their own, solve the underlying problem, and they of course can cause some problems. I am not blaming the LC you saw, often they are working under conditions where basically they can only provide triage so the baby leaves the hospital breastfeeding and the hospital can claim they are thus breastfeeding supportive. It is great you have kept nursing so long with these issues and it sounds like baby is doing great, but it is really unfair to you that you have had to struggle all this time with this on your own.

Anyway, you can keep working on this on your own but if there is ANY way you can see a lactation consultant in private practice with experience with helping a baby this age latch and suckle, or helping baby wean off the shield, etc. I would suggest that. Call whoever you find and make sure they are experienced in this area and that they sound like someone you can feel confident in and supported by. Again, the issue may be the baby is simply used to the shield and can nurse without, it but what if the is more to it? In either case, COMPETENT hands on help could be good. You can certainly look into getting help from your local LLL Leaders as well but a LLL Leader is not an IBCLC-however, some have lots of experience-you never know. I suggest you ask around to see what/who may be a good “in person” helper for you.

[@llli*davidsmomma]

We are going through the same thing, while I was reading it seemed like I was the one talking! I try to wean her off of the shield but like you said, she will eat for a short time then get very upset. My daughter did develop thrush, and was prescribed medicine it went away within a few days. I have also thought about formula after being so frustrated that I was in tears, but I just refuse to give up. I'd just like it to be a little easier for the both of us. I too want to BF for at least a year. I have heard someone tell me she used the breast shield up until she stopped BF which was over a year so it's possible to use the shield for good, just a lit of hassle Thank you for sharing and good luck to you!

Thanks for sharing. It's helpful to know I'm not alone. Good luck to you as well.

[@llli*collins22]

I was told I have flat nipples too and was given the shield. I think they just didn't want to take the time to help me. Now she won't latch without it. I've been breastfeeding for a month and still use it every time. Everyone, my dr and her doctor and the lactation specialist tell me I can use it the whole time I nurse. They said you get better milk transfer with it too. I hate it too, it's hard to keep on. I almost always knock it off while bringing her to the breast. I can't get her to latch right without it though and I don't want to give up breastfeeding so I'm going to keep using it. If you want to stop though they told me to either try by starting without it because if your LO is hungry enough they'll latch on. Or to start with it then when the shield brings out your nipple after a few minutes take it off.

[@llli*raejoy]

I think---just like everything else---it depends on your baby's temperament and readiness.

My LLL Leader made a good point and said, "If I'm 'starving' and just want to eat, it's not the time to teach me how to use chopsticks. Give me a fork! I'll learn to use the chopsticks when I'm not going to get frustrated out of hunger."

She had a good point. But then that afternoon, DS had his mouth WIDE open in a hungry cry and I popped in my bare breast and lo and behold he latched and suckled. (hasn't since then, but it's a start!)

collins22, have you tried getting the shield wet before you place it? It helps to suction it on there. Or try a different size?

I know it *can* be used the whole time without problems, and like you I am soooooo glad that it's enabled us to BF, but it'll be nice to not have to get it out and fuss with it when trying to NIP!

[@llli*maddieb]

They said you get better milk transfer with it too.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is not the typical thinking on nipple shields at all. They may cause no milk transfer issues, although they (or the underlying latch issues they are used for) have been connected to poor milk transfer and low supply, which implies less than optimal milk transfer. This is why many moms are encouraged to pump when using shields, to help stimulate good milk production.

Certainly if the only other option is a baby who cannot nurse or cannot nurse effectively, they would offer better milk transfer. But as a blanket statement, I have to question this idea, that they improve milk transfer...I have talked to too many moms who suffered low supply or baby slow weight gain when using shields.

As far as using them the whole time you nurse-certainly that is possible! There is nothing in any way wrong with using a nipple shield if that is the only way a baby can nurse (or mom prefers using them for any reason-some do!) And it’s certainly much, much better & more conveninent in many ways than pumping and bottle feeding, which would in some cases be the only other option. However, many moms find the shield so difficult and frustrating to use, they want to wean baby off asap, and again, as long as whatever the underlying issue was has been solved, this is usually possible. After all, many babies are brought to the breast in the first place after exclusively bottle feeding for several weeks or months. Weaning off the shield is not the same thing as weaning off bottles of course, although both require persistence and patience and some of the tricks for one may work well for the other.