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feeding long-term with nipple shields?

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Category: Support
Forum Name: Infant/toddler feeding
Forum Description: From breast/bottle feeding and starting solids, to fussy toddlers, discuss it here!
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38481
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Topic: feeding long-term with nipple shields?
Posted By: Babykatnz
Subject: feeding long-term with nipple shields?
Date Posted: 20 March 2011 at 4:43pm
As the title suggests, wondering if anyone has successfully BF long-term (without constant topping-up with EBM or formula) while using nipple shields... DS has gotten the 'taste' of a bottle (thanks to a pushy midwife who refused to let us syringe/cup/spoon feed him the top-up!) and will no longer latch on and stay on for more than 5 seconds without a shield in place. All I hear is that using shields will diminish milk supply, and since this is our last baby (A TL made sure of that!) I would be extremely disappointed if once again i end up having to give up BFing so soon!

Also, has anyone managed to wean off using a shield and go back to 'naked' BFing??

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Brandon - 05/12/2003





Replies:
Posted By: thunderwolves1
Date Posted: 20 March 2011 at 4:56pm
I used shields for quite a few months, for different reasons than you, my boy couldn't latch from about day two....but it had no effect on my milk supply,


Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 20 March 2011 at 7:29pm
One of the ladies in my due date is still bf with nipple shields without any problems.

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http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">
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Angel June 2012


Posted By: snugglebug
Date Posted: 20 March 2011 at 9:07pm
I always fed with a nipple shield, I gave up breastfeeding at 8 weeks but for an entirely different reason (reflux) and he was just starting to get the hang of latching without it when things went awry, so Im sure he would have managed if the reflux hadn't gotten so bad that he wouldn't feed at all. My milk supply was always good when I was using them.

Also, you can use nipple shields as long as you are breastfeeding if you want to, if it keeps you breastfeeding I say go for it as I understand how gutting it is when you can't breastfeed when you want to.

My midwife also said it was good to express once a day as well just to keep the supply up to ensure the shields didn't drop your supply

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Me 28, DH 29
DS born 20 Nov 2010 (4 years old)
#2 due October 7
http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">


Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 21 March 2011 at 9:04am
long term BFing with a shield would be a pain in the butt but I am sure it can be done. I would keep perservering with a naked nipple. She is young enough to change back again. I had terrible trouble with my second and had a few weeks of shields, bottles, boobs etc before we got back on the breast....through a sh*te load of pain. Carried on "naked" breast feeding for 14 months!

Do you need to use the sheild for both sides? I found one side I could feed without easier...or I would let one nipple heal with the shield for a day or two and then try a feed. Maybe try a night feed when she is all sleepy????

If you really want to keep feeding then I'd be doing everything I can...including ignoring your MW if needs be. Can you find a lactation consultant or La Leche League (probably best option).

Oh another thing we did...which I dont know if it helped or was coincidence is took DS to an osteopath as he just wasnt latching on one side.
Good luck!


Posted By: ItchyFeet
Date Posted: 21 March 2011 at 9:01pm
I used a shield for 10 weeks and hated it (first baby and poor advice combined with poor latching). I still wonder if it was a contributor to me getting mastitis twice even though I sterilised it every time. Found it too difficult to swap side to side and such a pain when I went out. Definitely not discrete to put on in public either.

Both MW and LC tried to help me wean DS off it, but I found the best thing was perseverance, and no even trying it during the night feeds. It seemed to work best if DS wasn't over hungry or over tired, always started off with the shield, and then kept shortening the time I would let him use it. After a while I tried offering without the shield first, and if it didn't work, then back to the shield. Sucking through the shield drew the nipple into a better shape for him to latch on anyway, until he got used to it. As I said, took 10 weeks to wean him off because he basically had to relearn how to feed (instead of sucking into the shield and then sucking, he seemed to find it strange that the milk hit him in the mouth - he sounded like a very loud rooster crowing at first!).

In regards to supply, it took about the same time for me to establish a decent one, so it could just be coincidental, but next time, I'm going to ignore the hospital MWs and feed through cracked bleeding nipples as much as I can stand. We're nearly a year down the track and still "naked" BFing, so it can be done without shields even when it was well established. The advantage of using a shield was that DS would easily switch between breast and bottle, but as I wanted to fully BF him, I perservered with weaning him off the shield and I'm still grateful I did because it's just so much easier, especially the middle of the night feeds where you can just slide the baby straight on without having to find the shield and mess around with it first.

ETA once we got BFing fully established without the shield, he was a right pain to get back on a bottle when we needed him to!

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http://lilypie.com"> http://lilypie.com">


Posted By: mothermercury
Date Posted: 21 March 2011 at 9:25pm
I used a nipple shield for... two or three months? My nipples were cracked and bleeding and sore and GROSSSSSS in the week after birth, and I just thought, "screw this, I've got to do something!" It was heaps better with it!

Personally, I never had any supply issues at all, nor did I ever have clogged ducts or mastitis. It was more an annoyance than anything else.

I really believe that, although Chloe's latch looked okay, her mouth was too small or something, so she didn't latch right. When she was a bit bigger, I weaned her off the shields with minimal difficulty (I think by this point she had grown enough that her latch problem had fixed itself). I just started the feeds with the shield, took her off quickly, whipped it out, then put her back on. I also would start offering feeds without the shield. This worked better when she wasn't frantic, so when she was nice and relaxed or a bit drowsy. It also worked when the breast wasn't so full, so maybe express a little if you're having that problem. Makes it easier to latch onto.

My midwife also told me not to stress about it, that she knew ladies who breastfed with the shields for many months with no problems (although I can imagine how much of a nuisance that would be ).

Good luck! I'm sure it'll be fine. Just keep trying to get him onto the breast without the shield, but don't stress if you need to use it for now (rather use it than have to switch to formula right away). Persistence is key; I'm sure it'll come right with time if he's given the opportunity.


Posted By: Babykatnz
Date Posted: 22 March 2011 at 10:25am
MissShell I'm wondering if thats our issue too (mouth too small to latch properly) rather than just the feel/taste being preferable...

So far feeding has been easier with the shield, mostly because he isnt popping on and off all the time and filling up on wind, and the midwife visited yesterday and gave me a medela shield to try out which has been easier to use than my cheap one! In the meantime I'm pumping inbetween the morning feeds to keep supply up, and using as top-ups if necessary in the evenings when milk isnt quite as fast-flowing.

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Brandon - 05/12/2003




Posted By: Babykatnz
Date Posted: 25 March 2011 at 7:50pm
Well, after a couple of days in hospital due ot still not being back at birth weight, turns out he has a slight tongue tie which explains the slipping on and off after a perfect latch! Hoping something is done about it and fast so we can get feeding back on track! In the meantime I have to keep using shields as its the only thing keeping him on there!

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Brandon - 05/12/2003




Posted By: Plushie
Date Posted: 26 March 2011 at 2:37pm
That was our problem too Babykat DS couldnt latch for three days at all and was spoon fed and it was taking me 10min PLUS each side each feed to latch him through many many attempts. I never used a shield so a bit off topic but he had is tounge tie (a moderate one that was borderline to need snipping) cut at 5 weeks and we're much improved so hopefully you get the same effect! Word of warning though it changed the way he sucks so i had to go through the whole sore nipple because we're new at feeding and it hurts thing all over again.


Posted By: Danda08
Date Posted: 30 March 2011 at 10:04am
I BF my girls for 6 months using nipple shields (the Medela ones) and there was no probs with supply etc.

It was a bit of a PITA but I tandem fed so didn't do it in public anyway.

I was keen to wean them off the shields but the reality fell in the too hard basket - 2 babies, tandem feeding, huge supply, fast letdown and babies who fed in about 10 mins just made it not worth the hassle for me.

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http://lilypie.com">


Posted By: Babykatnz
Date Posted: 12 April 2011 at 9:40pm
looks like 6 weeks was our limit... hes now refusing to latch for more than 5 mins per feed, due to weight gain issues I'm not allowed to NOT give him top-ups via bottle so doesnt look like I have any other choice but to let him have his way... at least with Jae I made it to 12 weeks before this happened...

Apparently my boobs arent designed too well for feeding... too much fat/muscle tissue and not enough milk ducts to get a full supply (And if they dont make enough to sustain a 6w old, they'll never make enough to feed him without topping up)... wish it had been pointed out before i failed 3 times when i could have enjoyed much more time with my babies just going straight to bottle!

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Brandon - 05/12/2003




Posted By: UpsyDaisy
Date Posted: 18 April 2011 at 9:26pm
Sorry to hear BF hasn't worked out.

You should feel proud that you gave BF your best try and probably persevered alot longer than many would have. We can't control circumstances like the way we are made, good luck.



Posted By: JadeC
Date Posted: 02 May 2011 at 9:36pm
Aw chickie, you did not fail! You did your best to make sure your bubs had the best start to life, and if it didn't work out, then it sounds like it wasn't for lack of trying!

If it helps, we came off top-ups and shields, and I have a friend who does both bottle and breastfeeds alternating. If you want to continue there may be ways to have the best of both worlds, but if you go on formula then thats fine too!

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http://pregnancy.baby-gaga.com/" rel="nofollow">


Posted By: Babykatnz
Date Posted: 03 May 2011 at 4:50pm
So far I'm managing to express enough off over a 24 hour period to bottle feed him EBM during the day, and hes having formula at night ( struggling to maintain supply as it is, let alone increase it to cover nightime feed too) but we finally have a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, appt with surgeon who specialises in grade 3 and 4 tongue ties is on 23rd, so just a few more weeks til we know if its going to get sorted so we can try and re-teach him to latch on, or if they are going to leave it and we keep going as we are til i dry up... really hope its the former, will truly be gutted if they decide not to do anything and I have no options left! I'm only managing to get him on (with shield and supplementary nursing sytem) once a day as its getting too hard to feed him, express, top-up, express enough for next feed etc, on top of the usual day-to-day stuff...

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Brandon - 05/12/2003




Posted By: kiwisj
Date Posted: 26 May 2011 at 1:08pm
How are things going now? A bit late in the piece, but just wanted to share that my good friend's DS2 had a tongue tie that wasn't snipped till about 8 weeks old so they had all kinds of issues with BF as well. She mixed fed him formula (from a bottle) and BF and he has just stopped BF now at 10 months. S never seemed to have "enough" milk for R either, but she just went with the flow giving him bottles when that's all he'd take and offering boob the rest of the time. Hard work but it can be done

Re the nipple shields I used them the whole time I BF'd my first son (till 5.5 months) and for the first 2 months with DS2. Both my kids' mouths seemed to be too small to get a good latch especially with me being particularly well-endowed

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SJ
Callum - Dec 2008
Daniel - Oct 2010


Posted By: Babykatnz
Date Posted: 30 May 2011 at 10:41pm
Specialist took a 5 second look and announced he is either not tongue tied, or has grown enough that its not noticeable... and now the LC wont help us as she believes 12 weeks is the cut off for baby being 'hard-wired' to latch on at the boob...

Out most of tomorrow, but taking the rest of the week to stay home all day, every day and work on getting him to latch on, have a supplementary nursing system and nipple shields back out ready to go, have managed to maintain the supply i had when this all started, but havent been able to increase supply at all (been exclusively pumping, and using formula for night feeds) so am hoping that expressing and using SNS will give my supply a much needed boost... if by Sunday hes still fighting it, then I will have to just admit defeat, and carry on as I have been until it dries up.

I really need to change my ticker... providing him with EBM doesnt really class as being BF lol.

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Brandon - 05/12/2003




Posted By: kiwisj
Date Posted: 30 May 2011 at 11:08pm
Are you also taking domperidone to help your supply? That sounds pretty rubbish from the LC, I am surprised she doesn't want to help It sounds like you have a plan in place, I hope you have some lovely friends coming to keep you company as well. I found when I took the step to drop the nipple shields, it helped to think - just one more day, just one more week, just until he's 3 months, just until 6 months.. now he's 7.5 months and I can't imagine stopping!

Good luck

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SJ
Callum - Dec 2008
Daniel - Oct 2010


Posted By: Babykatnz
Date Posted: 31 May 2011 at 8:57pm
Yep, have been on max dose since he was 2 weeks old, currently taking fenugreek capsules as well, was using blessed thistle but ran out last week, another March 11 mum got me some lacta drops from a herbalist down her way, so am trying that to see if it increases supply more.
Another LC service I am enrolled with is coming for their 3 month 'check' (they do home visits at 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months) and will talk to her about where to go from here.

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Brandon - 05/12/2003




Posted By: LeeG
Date Posted: 03 June 2011 at 11:32am
I bf for ages using the nipple shield ... well I think it was 4 months at least? Abi was prem and couldn't suck properly to start with, she had a bottle in the nicu (of ebm) and then I used the shield. She decided she didn't want it when she was around the 4 month mark ... once I stopped stressing about it - also I didn't find it diminished milk supply ... Abi always seemed to get enough

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http://lilypie.com">


Posted By: Nothing
Date Posted: 03 June 2011 at 5:41pm
http://mamaandbabylove.blogspot.com/2010/12/make-your-boobs-happy-place.html - this is a great read about getting babies to re-latch. Good luck and keep perservering, you CAN do it

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