My little girl is a week old today and we have been having a lot of problems with her latch. She seems shallow and doesn't want to put her bottom lip out. The nipple soreness has gotten a bit better but I think she is not getting the proper amount of milk.
How do nipple shields work? We bought one lastnight and I used it once and it seemed awkward. How do you hang on to it and get the baby to latch. Do you just let baby get the best latch possible and just let them feed? Does this affect your milk supply?
I used a nipple shield for the first few weeks. Hated it! Because my baby kept on grabbing it and taking it off. It worked for a little bit but it was frustrating for both the baby and I. For nipple soreness there are ointments for it. Latinosh something like that, it comes in a purple tube and it really works. Try it! BTW There is no reason why nipple shields should affect your milk supply. Good luck! :)
I used it with my first baby. I went to a lactation nurse and just like you I was given a nipple shield. I was warned to wean it as soon as I could because it would indeed mess with my supply.
But here is how you do it. You wet the entire thing with breastmilk. Just get it on your finger and rub it on. Then stick it on your breast and that should make a nice seal. Then let the baby latch.
My son gained on his curve so I'm certain he got enough milk. But sure enough my milk started to diminish just as she said because my baby wouldn't wean off it. He never figured out how to latch to the breast with the shield which is different than the actual breast.
So get the baby off it as soon as possible! I resolved myself to never use it this last baby. I didn't want to stop nursing. Luckily I was successful but He self weaned at 11 months but till then it was great. He does seem to miss it though. At nearly a year old when he see's my breasts he get VERY excited. he he
I have had two preemies and have used a nipple shield with both. The nurses and lactation consultant at the hospital showed me to kinda fold the shield down, nipple and all, almost but not quite inside out and then put on the nipple. Once it is on the nipple, push it so that it goes back to its original shape and it will actually suck the nipple into the nipple part of the shield. The sides still sometimes fold down on the baby's face, but the other suggestions you've received should help with that!
Hope this helps and good luck! Oh and congrats on the new baby!!!!
I've needed a nipple sheild for 2 of my 3 kids. I have very flat nipples so my girls weren't able to get a good latch. I used it for 5 months with my first because she refused to latch on without it for the longest time! I didn't mind using it, once you get the hang of it it just becomes second nature. I loved that I never got sore nipples and I never had any problems with getting them to use a bottle. With my second (the one who didn't use a sheild) it took me 6 months and trying EVERY bottle ever made before I got her to take a bottle!!! So frustrating! It does help to wet the back of the sheild to help it stick. The milk does pool in it so be carefull if it pulls away while nursing, it makes a big wet mess down baby's shirt. After I found that out the hard way I draped a burp rag under baby's chin and across the shoulder to catch any spilt milk. Keep working with it and call a lactation consultant if you are still having trouble with the latch.
Good Luck!
take a little breast milk and wet the underside of the shield, then stick it over your nipple. that will help it stay on better. as she goes to latch on, push down a little on her chin. that will help with her lip and get her to open a little wider for a better latch. shields are a little awkward at first, but you'll get used to it! they used to make hard plastic vented shields for under the clothing to keep cloth off of the nipple and let it get some air between feedings, those helped me with the soreness and sensitivity and a good lanolin ointment for the cracking around the nipple. none of the products will interfere with your milk production.good luck!
i HATED those it hurts after a while i gave it up, helps give the baby more to latch on to. what i did instead, was stretched a bit of my surrounding flesh around my nipple (pinching) to give her more to latch on to, and she did fine after that, i did that the whole time i breast fed
I would contact a lactation consultant, they can help you figure out if there is a latch issue, or if you are sore because your nipples are trying to get used to this. Good luck.
I used a nipple shield for at LEAST a month (maybe more). It helped with the pain, as I had nipple bleeding. It IS a little awkward, as some milk can pool up in the shield. I had to go to a lactation counselor for ideas - one suggestion - act as if the baby is biting into an apple. We don't bite into an apple straight one. We lift our chin and 'latch on". Maybe imagining that visually is better than words!
I used a nipple sheild with my first for 4 months! Second only 6 weeks - I have very flat nipples,and the kid had a hard time getting that initial latch. Yes, the sheilds are awkward at first, but what part of nursing isn't, LOL? It takes practice, I always kind of bent the "brim" if the sheild up, sat i over my nipple, and then flipped the brim down, so it would kind-of stick dow like asuction cup....put some lanisoh lanolin under the outer rim to stick it to your boob maybe? We sould sometimes have to latch a couple times to get enough in her mouth, and then just let her go, I never took it off in the middle of a feed, we sued it ever feed for four months, then quit cold turkey, pretty much. it never affected my milk, I had an oversupply, and always had , both times, beginning to end of 9 months of nursing for each baby.
Definitely make sure she is opening wide, I used to tickle her lips with the sheild tip, till she opened really wide like a yawn, and then basically smashed her mouth into my boob, in the beginning, really quick, so she wouldn't close up too quick. We got th ehang of it eventually, but it took 6 weeks or so of learning till we were really confident.
Keep working on it, it i shard to learn, but you can do it!
Jessie
I used a nipple shield for about a month (didn't need it after that as baby figured out how to latch on properly) and I would get it to stay on better by putting some war water on the back - basically whatever the directions said. It did not impact my milk supply at all.
Nipple shields are pretty awkward to use at first...I remember having all the same questions when I started using one with my older son. I ended up using it for the full year of breastfeeding with him and now I'm on the same track with my second (8 months) :)
What I usually do to latch my baby on is cup my breast with the opposite hand (thumb inside and the rest of my fingers out toward my armpit) and hold the shield on with my thumb on one side of the shield and middle finger on the other side. After baby latches on you can let go and it should "stick" on with the suction. I try to get a good latch, otherwise it will still hurt to nurse, plus it's just good training if you plan on weaning them off the shield later on. As for milk supply, I never had any issues with decreased milk supply from using a shield - in fact I tend to oversupply, so I never pump afterwards or any of that. But keep an eye on things...if you think you aren't making enough milk, you may need to pump.
One other bit of advice...if you end up using the shield for a while, get a Shield Shell. It's a case that holds your nipple shield between feedings. I LOVE mine because I can always find my shield quickly (even in the dark), plus it keeps it clean and safe from my dog and older son. It's great for diaper bags and hooter hiders too - it fits right in the pocket. I got mine at www.shieldshell.com
