I just weaned my son off of the nipple shield but now he isn't nursing as long. He is still satisfied when he is done but is this ok?
Thank you everyone! It is reassuring to know that I'm not the first and everything is fine :)
yup. a nipple shield slows down how much milk baby gets each suck (one of the reasons it is used for an overactive let down). My baby takes about 20 minutes to nurse on a shield and only 10 minutes without a shield.
yes - he's probably become a bit more efficient. Don't worry tho - once a growth spurt hits - he'll be cluster feeding like crazy (which is normal - they feed constantly over a course of 3-7 days to up your milk production for the next stage). Good job getting off the nipple shield!!
My answer is: yes!! :) I had to this with all 3 of my kids! The reason he isn't nursing as long is because he doesn't need to. . .babies have to work harder to get the milk out of the nipple shield vs. the natural breast. The shield helps the baby to latch on to the nipple or helps the mother with the discomfort but the baby actually has to work harder--the shield acts as a barrier against the bare skin therefore, when you don't use the shield, it is easier for your son to get the milk.
Maybe he's just getting more milk per suck... Not only is he getting more efficient with age, but the shield may have made your flow a little slower or something. I would think that as long as he's satisfied, it's fine.
I'm sure he's getting plenty if he's satisfied after the feeding. I just wanted to clear up something though...the new ultra-thin contact nipple shields do not cause babies to have to "work harder" to nurse. Studies show that they don't decrease supply or anything like that. They may slow the flow just a bit, but have you ever run water through a nipple shield? It still flows really fast! Those holes (4 of them) are MUCH bigger than the single hole in any bottle nipple I've ever seen. Glad everything's working out for you!
