What brand of nipple shields do you reccommend?

[Mrs Little]

Hi All. :wave:

My DS is 2 weeks old. He was able to successfully latch on to my left boob at about 2 days old. However, my right boob is inverted and i have had no end of trouble with it. So i started using the nipple shield on the right side. Bub then decided that he only wanted the shield no matter what side he was feeding from.

I successfully BF my DS1 using a nipple shield. He gained weight well and i had let downs and the 'full' feeling and everything. I used the shield with him because my nipples were both so flat. Obviously the use of the sheild with DS1, has pulled my left nipple out enough for DS2 to feed on it.

However, my supply seems to have decreased since using the shield this time round. I don't have the full feeling, i don't get a let down and i'm not engorged- AT ALL! . I don't understand why this is happening when it worked so well with DS1.

I had a look at the nipple shield i have this time ( which was reccommended by the MW in hospy) and it has 4 holes and looks bigger in the nipple area than the other one i used with DS1. The other shield i had used with DS1 had 3 holes.

I'm looking for some advice from BH mums that are BF and know a little about nipple shields: which one is best to use?? Does the amount of holes descrease milk supply as baby doesn't need to suck as much?

I am currently using 'Medela- large'.

Any advice is helpful as i really don't want to give up BF right now.


Thanks in advance,

Mrs Little & Sons.

P.S. On a side note- is it normal for your supply to be lower during the night?

[GeorgiaAnne]

Hi,
I found the Medela one the best, so maybe i'm not much help. Yes, it is normal for your boobs to feel emptier in the evening. Also, different babies will apparently have different breastfeeding "skills" so that is quite normal too.
Can you keep trying to feed on the inverted side if it doesn't hurt rsther than using the shield? Maybe one feed on, one feed off? Can you get help from a lactation consultant or early childhood health nurse (if you like them!)

[reAllytee]

Whilst i havent used them yet as i have a few weeks to go lol i was told the Avent nipple shields are great !

They are very very thin so bubs doesnt even know they are there & very flexible !

[cheezelkat]

I used Avent and they were fantastic. The problem with shields is they stop skin to skin contact and don't allow as much suck on the nipple, which will decrease the milk supply which is made on a demand basis. For now, I would be allowing as much skin to skin contact and letting your baby lie next to you, both topless.

I really suggest you get to your local breastfeeding clinic for help. We used shields from birth to 4 months, because it was really hard to wean him off them. But I was retaught how to latch the baby on and it took about 3 weeks from that point to not having to use the shields (and we are still breastfeeding at 16 months)

[mummajuice]

I used the Medela shields with DD1 for the same reason as you, however found that by 6 weeks my supply had virtually disappeared! It seems that for me, there wasn't enough contact/sucking to maintain the supply. I was even expressing to try and boost it but that didn't work.

Have you tried nipple pullers? From what I understand you wear them between feeds and they push your nipple out. Also, there is a thing you can buy from adult stores that is supposed to make your nipples more erect (a flat nippled friend discovered these with her 3rd child).

Congrats for trying to persevere with BF, that itself is a great effort considering the troubles you've had each time

[Mrs Little]

OH LADIES...you are wonderful.:hugs: I was beginning to think that no one had ANY advice.

I was told the Medala nipple sheilds are best because have a small section of the shield cut away so that baby can smell my boob. Allyoo- these sheilds are quite thin and flexible too.

I have been perservering with trying to latch him on without the sheild during the day feeds. I will keep trying.

I also started taking 'fenugreek' to increase my supply- it's worked wonders! His suck has improved and he is feeding better- i don't have to constantly keep him awake at the boob anymore. I think he was becoming sleepy and gave up coz my supply was dwindling.

I looked everywhere for a lactation consultant before bubs was born. There is NOTHING in my area. I can't find anyone. So i really am doing this on my own. The community nurse doesn't seem to be as good as a lactation consultant. I did ask a few questions to a lactation consultants in hospy. But they don't do house calls or have appointments- they are midwives.


Donna- those pullers sound excrutiating!! I have been trying to pull my right nipple out myself. The shield is also helping.

I know this might sound silly, but my aim is to be able to breast feed for 3 months at least. So i'm hanging in there. I don't mind changing to the bottle after this time.

Thanks soooooo much for all your advice everyone. I will keep working on latching him on without the sheild.

Mrs Little & Sons.

[jamb]

You can call the ABA, they do phone counselling, might be able to help.

I used the medala ones too, but i did become reliant on them. I didnt have an overly successful BF time lasting 4 months before throwing in the towel. So that said, i did use nipple shields the whole time and had enough milk for him, didnt seem to affect my supply. I also expressed 2 feeds a day.

It can be done, good luck and i hope you BF for as long as you want to!

[cheezelkat]

*hugs* you can do it!

here is a lactation cookie recipe - http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/showthread.php?t=29207&highlight=lactation+cookies

don' stress too much about it.

[Mrs Little]

Just wanted to let all your supportive mummies know that i am now successfully attaching bubs to my OWN nipple after the half way feeding point. :yelclap: :smiliedance:

I generally feed for 15mins with the nipple sheild on- this allow bubs to pull the nipple out and then he doesnt get to cranky coz he can't latch on. Then i burp and change his nappy. I then take the shield off and attach him properly for the last 15 mins of the feed. It's even worked for the middle of the night feeds - when i'm sure my eyes are half closed. LOL.

I am interested to know though...how long should i/can i let bubs sleep between feeds- at night. He is only just 3 weeks old. I also don't wanna let him sleep to long- otherwise my supply will go away again.

A friend told me that if i feed baby every 2.5 hrs during the day...then he will be less likely to want to wake at night time as he has got more food during the day. At the moment bubs is feeding every 3 hrs 24/7....it's exhausting.

Thanks,

Mrs Little & Son.

[cheezelkat]

At that age, every 2 - 3 hours is good. I fed on demand at that age and some days I was permanently glued to the bed. It's really important to feed often to get your supply up and running.

It is exhausting but get comfy with some books and feed as he wants it and don't stress too much about housework or anything. You are doing so great! It does get much easier with age as they become more efficient at sucking and require less time to feed.

[GeorgiaAnne]

Well done Mrs Little :yelclap: great to hear you are doing so well. Yeah, we were going 2-3 hourly 24/7 for the first 8 weeks and then she started going 5 hours at night and then 10 hours at about 10-12 weeks.