Hello! I am a new mom of a 2 week old beautiful boy. Breastfeeding has been challenging so far, but I am determined to stick with it! He was having trouble with latching on (would latch but come off and on several times...my nipples were bleeding and severely painful). The lactataion consultant recommended using a nipple shield for a few days to help my nipples heal and help him with the latch. It worked wonders! However, now my son is having trouble latching on without it. My question is...does anyone know if it's harmful to use these sheilds long term??
Sorry, this is a long overdue thank you to everyone for their warm wishes and advice! Things have been going much better with the breastfeeding! My son still needs to use the nipple shield the majority of the time, but he is steadily gaining weight. The lactation consultants I've spoken with have said there's no potential harm with using them on a lon term basis, just that it's an inconvenience. Thanks again, everyone!
Hi J.! I was given them in the hospital b/c my DD was a bit rough with me. She is now 6.5 months and I am still using them. She is growing and heathly so I don't think they are harming her (and certainly not me). I also think using the shields has helped her transition to bottles. Good luck!
Not to worry! I had to use one for around 3 months. My son just couldn't latch on properly on one side. Once he got older and his mouth was bigger he didn't have an issue. The shield didn't affect my milk production in the slightest or my son's ability to get enough. Good luck on breastfeeding! It's worth it!
Hi J.
I breast fed all 4 of my children and like you had to use the shields because of how painful it was with the first one and the fact he was eating every hour and he really WAS eating not just for comfort. I used the shields til I healed and went back to nursing, yes he got confused but I just stuck with it til he latched again. The lactation consultants will tell you NOT to use them long term as they did with me.
I had to use a nipple shield for at least one month with my daughter until she could latch without it. She continued to nurse for 13 months until we had to stop because I am expecting her little brother/sister. Good Luck! Don't give up!
J.
Congratulations on your son! And big kudos to you for sticking with it through a rough spot & nursing!!!!!!!!!! Very few women make it past the first hurdle these days!
I totally agree w/ Donna--you need to talk to a good LLL Leader. If you can make it to a meeting, that would be even better!--I can't tell you how priceless the support & info is!
Nipple shields, in my opinion, are used FAR too frequently & really can have a lot of negative side effects (blocked ducts, leading to mastitis, decreased milk supply over time, etc...)
I prefer to suggest a BREAST SHELL instead--Medela makes them & you can often get them @ Babies R Us. These are usually used for women who have flat or inverted nipples. If you don't have those problems, shells & shields would be of little benefit to you.
There are so many things that you can do to correct the latch, which really is what needs to be done.--A shell or shield is just a band-aid for the problem, NOT a solution.
Chiropractic adjustments are often helpful for newborns too. Especially if there was forceful pulling during the birth (either by doctor's hands, a vaccuum, forceps or c/section). I have an excellent one in Forks Twp if you live close to there.
Good luck & congratulations again!
A.
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I have a friend who used a nipple shield for months before her DD would finally latch without it. I used it for about a month with one of my twin boys and then he started latching no problem. So, no harm!
J., I used them with both of my kids are at least 6 months each! The make it easier for the baby and easier on you!
I haven't heard of it being 'harmful' persay, but I have heard that it can cause nipple preferance, and that the breast doesn't get the same stimulation as if the baby is suckling directly on the breast so it can cause a reduction in production.
What I have always heard is - to get your baby back on the breast you have to out-stubborn the baby. They will latch back on. It will just take some patience on your part.
Hello! I've nursed six and the first couple babies tore my nipples up! I used shields to help and the thing about them is you will only end up using them for a very short time, days even. The first two weeks is the hardest time in breastfeeding. The best advice I can give you is to make sure you're nipples are pliable or soft. If that means pumping out a little milk before hand to soften them up then do it. That helps so much, and don't worry about your body producing too much milk because of pumping. That's never been a problem for me. The pumping out of the extra milk was what I learned by trial and error and I've succesfully breastfed my last four with no bloody, cracked nipples. I hope this helps. Good luck and never give up. It's such a special bond many moms miss out on because of work or just plain selfishness. God Bless!
I had a similar problem, I had a slightly inverted nipple on one side and the nurse gave me a nipple shield at the hospital to use. I've been using it for almost three months and at this point I use it on both sides because my son is so used to latching on to the shield. I did ask my pediatrician about it and he said that the baby is getting breast milk and doing well so don't worry about it. I know that many lactation consultants want you to have skin to skin contact with the baby but I don't see using the shield interfering with that too much. I use a medela silicone shield that is BPA free and so light weight and has a cut out so that it only really covers the nipple. My son is growing well and is a happy baby so that is really all that matters to me.
I used them as well. They are not at all harmful, but it stunts your milk development since it isn't skin to skin. Your body apparently reacts as though you are pumping. So, make sure you pump after for 5-10 min to keep that milk flowing! I made the mistake and slacked on that part and dried up earlier than I had wanted to.
I used a nipple shield for the first month with my older son. It was the only way he could nurse. Then one day when he was about a month old my husband suggested trying him without the shield and he did really well. He nursed until he was 15 months old. My younger son is now 9 months old and has never needed the shield.
So in my experience the shield didn't cause any harm. Just make sure to pump after every nursing (it's fine to skip the overnight ones) to keep your supply up since your breasts don't get as much suction with the shield.
Congrats on your son! I went through the exact same thing with my son. I used the nipple shields for two months. It was a long two months : )
I would spend time every day offering and trying to get him to latch without them. After some practice he got the hang of it. It was a tough transition for both of us. He didn't like it very much at first with out the shield, but eventually he got the hang of it and we had a very successful nursing experience until he was 11 1/2 months old. Good luck to you!
hi, I am a mom of three boys and i breast feed all of them. My second son had a very powerful suck and could'nt or wouldn't stick his tongue out to latch on properly. It made breast feeding very painful. I also found relief from the breast shield.
I used the breast shield for at least 6 months and it was a life saver. I never would have been able to continue without it. after that he started to latch on correctly and we continued to breastfeed for another 6 months. Don't sweat the small stuff. Alot of people will have opinions about whats right and whats wrong to do with your baby, just do whats right for you.
You won't to use them forever but if he's only 2 wks it won't hurt. It will just be a matter of weaning him off slowly. You're still in the developing stages right now of getting the hang of things. Try waiting a few more weeks and then alternate times and breasts where you take away the shield so that he can try latching on.
I used it my entire time I breastfed my little girl and it was great! And I found that it helped her take a bottle as well because the nipples mimicked each other. I think she latched onto me once in the 10 1/2 months I nursed her. She never had any problems with the shield and if the lactation nurse never told me about it, I probably wouldn't have been able to nurse. So I am so happy she brought me one!
Hi J.,
I also had that problem. I used the shieds for 6 weeks. It was the only way I could get through it. Trust your instinct.
L.
I would recommend getting help with latching. I used one with my first born when he had latching issues from day one (inverted nipples). Unfortunately, he began to suck so hard that my nipple was blocking the holes in the shield, so he wasn't getting any milk, and I didn't realize it. (I was supplementing from day one with him, so he was gaining slowly.) By the time I realized what was happening with the shield, my supply was gone.
