I was wondering if anyone has any success stories on using a nipple shield over an extended period of time....
I keep getting told that my supply will soon drop off if I keep using the shield, but there is no way she will latch on without it....
I'm getting concerned and anxious that my supply is decreasing and my DD is only 4 weeks old so I dont want to dry up yet....When I express (which is only about once a day if that) I usually get about 100ml out of my right side and 40ml out of my left....today when I expressed I only got 40ml out of my right and 40ml out of my left so now I'm panicking that I'm drying up.....
I have been breastfeeding my DS with nipple shields for over 10 months - no problems!
I too was told by MCHN that my supply would drop off around the 3 month mark, and so when DS was about 2.5 months old I saw a LC. The LC however didn't mind that I was using NS. We tried to wean DS off, but by then he was so used to them that he refused to feed without them. I could probably have tried harder, but I was so worried about breast refusal that I didn't persevere.
The 3 month mark came and went, and now here we are at 10 months still going with no sign of stopping any time soon!
One thing I will recommend is to use the larger sized nipple shield, as this means the nipple and areola is being taken in when feeding. I think this helps stimulate everything enough to keep the supply and demand going.
I have heard of other success stories with nipple shields - feeding their bubs up to 14 months or so. I'm hoping to go longer than that, and can't see why not . Having said all this, it may not work for everyone.
As for the expressing, I've found that's generally not a great indicator of supply. As long as your DD is giving you plenty of wet and dirty nappies and gaining weight, there's no reason to worry. You'll know if your bub is not getting enough - mother knows best .
Hun, those early weeks are so hard, and conflicting advice makes it so much harder
The amount you express doesn't really tell you a lot about your supply. Also, it is quite normal for your supply to reduce after the first few weeks, as most mums start with an oversupply. So it doesn't sound to me like you need to worry about your supply just yet.
Many people will tell you that shields reduce supply. This is based on old research with old style shields that were much thicker. There hasn't been enough research done into the newer style shields, but it does seem as though they don't have a major impact on supply. Certainly many mums find they can use them in the short term with no problem, and some mums have also had success with longer term use.
There is not necessarily anything wrong with using a shield long term, but generally mums find that it is easier to feed without them (no need to wash them or worry about forgetting them when you go out). So usually it is a good idea to work towards not needing them - but this is totally up to you. Are you comfortable explaining a bit about why you are using the shields?
Another thing that springs to mind for me is that there might be something going on like a tongue-tie. This can be one reason for babies being unable to attach without a shield. Tongue-ties can also cause other problems later on such as tooth decay because the tongue doesn't clear the mouth properly, and speech difficulties. So it can be worth having your baby checked by an LC to see if this is the case as it's easier to have the tongue-tie snipped when the baby is very young.
Also, if you haven't already tried Baby Led Attachment, that might be worth a try for you. Many mums who are unable to attach any other way find that this works. There is some information here: Australian Breastfeeding Association - Baby-led attachment that explains a bit more about it.
Best of luck hun. I hope this is of some help to you.
With my DS I got myself in such a state about him not latching on etc when he was born I put him on the bottle after about 1 week. I was never offered a shield or anything while in that particular hospital and I was a wreck as I was getting completely pressured about b/feeding him.....
At the hospital where I just had DD they were really great - on about the 3rd day they could see I was having problems and wasnt confident so I was offered the shield once my milk came in and it has been great.... I wouldnt have kept b/feeding up if I didnt have it so it has worked wonders for me....
It's just all the articles out there about supply dropping etc that had me concerned so thanks for your advice....I will keep going with it - the way I see it, the longer that she is able to b/feed the better and even if for some reason it only lasts another 2 weeks or something it's better she had breastmilk for that long than nothing....
Shayna, my DS1 had a tongue-tie and was only able to attach with shields. However I was told that I had flat nipples so until I found out by accident about the tongue-tie, I just assumed it was my nipples that were the problem. It was only after the tie was snipped and he was able to attach by himself that I realised there was nothing wrong with my nipples. And then when DS2 was born I was told I had great nipples for bfing - go figure!!
If you are happy with the way things are that's fine hun. But I thought I'd mention this, because it is common for midwives and doctors who don't have bfing training to assume it's flat nipples when there's an attachment problem. It might be something to think about.
Hi there JD's mum. Just thought I would pop in and share my experience with nipple shields. I had flat inverted nipples too. At around day 3 the hospital also gave me a nipple shield in the hope that it would help to bring my nipples out. It worked great on the right side, but I still had a lot of problems with the left. Around the time I left hospital I tried to stop using the nipple shield and ended up with the most horribly cracked, bleeding nipples (it looked like I had been butchered) and I was in incredible pain when feeding. So I went back to the nipple shield. I did plan on using it for the rest of the time I breast fed. But around the 8 week mark when my nipples were healed and DS was a bit bigger and used to feeding I decided to give it a shot without it. While I found the nipple shield gave me comfort, it meant that I wouldn't feed in public or when people were around because lets face it who wants to be mucking around trying to get a shield on in front of everyone.
Every now and then I would give him the second breast without the shield (so he wasn't starving and didn't get too frustrated trying to attach to the nipple). As I found he could attach (with a little work) I started off trying to do one feed each day on each breast without the shield. As we both got more used to it I gradually started doing more and more feeds without. By the time we got to 12 weeks we were able to stop using it all together. TBH I am glad I no longer have to worry about it, now I am happy to feed in front of people cos he is big enough to attach himself easily and I don't have to worry about baring all.
I think it is probably worth seeing an LC about the possibility of a tongue tie like MR said. If you're happy to keep using the shield then keep going with what works for you, but if you think you might like to not have to use it then maybe give it a try. Don't put pressure on yourself though, just every now and then to see how it goes, if you find that you can get a good attachment then maybe just slowly get rid of it like I did. If not keep going with it. GL
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. Having said all this, it may not work for everyone.
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