Keep perservering with and without the shield hun. I had to use nipple shields with my DD for about the first 3 months as she just couldn't latch on without it. I got sick of them and started trying her without them. Sometimes she would feed sometimes not. If she was hungry she wouldn't have the patience to try. But eventually she got it and we haven't used shields for a long time. The most important thing is she is getting your milk, you're doing a great job