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Nipple shields

Hi, I'm hoping to bf my baby when he/she arrives in November.  I'm also hoping to express so hubby can do a feed a day or every other day or so.  Because of this I wondered what people could advise about nipple shields?  I didn't even know anything about them until my friend has just started using them due to her baby being tongue tied.  I'm presuming that if you use them, the baby will then switch easier between the nipple and a bottle? 

Please put me right if I'm being thick here though image xx

Replies

  • hi ive fed my 11 month old with them the whole time due to soreness that wouldnt go away, then he got hooked on them and wouldnt feed without.

    they've been a godsend to me as i wouldnt have been able to do it without them.

    however, there is some discussion that they can reduce milk supply (didnt happen to me, so i cant say theres truth in that) but it is a faff to sterilise them and take them everywhere with you if you dont need to.

    People tend to use them for soreness or problems latching - eg if they have flat nipples, not for getting baby used to a bottle. best advice on that one would be let feeding establish for 3 weeks or so, then introduce a bottle of expressed milk every so often after that. despite the nipple shield my lo still refused a bottle til 4 months! so 2nd time i would definately introduce this earlier. too early though and it can confuse a baby going on the breast, 3 or 4 weeks old should be fine. x

  • i used them at first  as we had poor latch and they bled so i wore them whilst i healed, i bought the medela ones in a yellow case, our lo has a bottle of expressed every day from early on and had no confusion and was happy as long as she was getting milk! also had a dummy no problem! good luck x

  • Good to know you can use them if need be image I'll try without first! x

  • I've just tried them yesterday, they work a treat, I was bf with a smile all the way through yest, and lo was content all way through, she fed for far longer than normal but this didn't bother me as I felt no pain.

    I got the medela ones they come with yellow case, I wash with warm water after each use and will try boil them for five mins each morning,would def recommend, I can't imagine feeding without them now
  • agreed rabya such an amazing invention where needed!!

  • Obviously they're great if mum needs them, but I wouldn't say to try them for helping baby switch particularly. I bf for 17months. Ds had a bottle every 2-3 weeks from 4 weeks old, and was combination fed from about 9 months old. Never had any probs switching back and forth.
  • I tried them in hospital as i was so sore, but my baby found it even harder than normal to latch on. I expressed for him from 6 weeks, and he had no trouble switching between breast and bottle, so they're not necessary for this. xxx

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