Nipple shields

I’m 13 days PP and really struggled with extreme pain/cracked nipples etc after feeding direct in the hospital for 3 days. I tried nipple shields and they’ve been a life saver and mean I can now regularly feed my baby with no pain. However the midwives are trying to get me off them as they say they can reduce your milk supply and not give enough to your baby. I’m so worried as I obviously dont want that to happen, but when I have tried without it’s immediately painful again and sore after and I worry it will make me give up. Whenever I feed him he generally feeds for about an hour with good sucking motion and always has milk round his face after so it’s not like he’s not feeding. What have others experiences been with shields? The more research I’m doing the more they’re demonised and I’m feeling like a crap mum for using them but I don’t want to give up the BF or not enjoy the experience :(

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Hello Tegan! First of all, congratulations on your new baby and for doing an awesome job of feeding your baby despite all of the issues that come with it. I struggled with feeding my little one in the early days but eventually got through it and we are still nursing at the moment (he is 28 months old already 😂), so I can say it will feel better. I am not an expert and I can only say that I have used breast shields once or twice as it didn’t really help me. However, I joined a Facebook breastfeeding group, followed some reliable lactation consultants on social media and I also joined a La Leche League support group in my local area and they have helped me through my issues. When I was struggling, these resources were a good source of updated and reliable information. What I found is that most of them say that breast shields are a good tool to use especially if there is pain/discomfort with breastfeeding. If your baby is gaining weight whilst you are using the shield then, your milk

Supply is probably not affected by the nipple shield. It only gets a bad rep sometimes because, sometimes the problems that might be causing the painful latch are not directly addressed because the shield might be providing a stop gap measure. I hope that makes sense but here is a video of an NHS midwife and lactation consultant explaining why nipple shields are great but also why some might not advocate it: https://www.instagram.com/tv/Cc2ZK3igaWf/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

The long and short of it is, there is nothing wrong with using a breast shield, especially if it is helping save your breastfeeding journey - as long as all the issues for the cause of painful latch are explored and investigated. Hopefully, if any issues are identified, they can be resolved and you can continue your breastfeeding journey shield free and pain free ☺️ If your hospital has an infant feeding specialist or you have a la leche league group near you, you can also try getting in touch with them for support. They will be able to assess your baby’s latch and possibly help you identify any issues. You can find an LLL group near you through this link: https://laleche.org.uk/find-lll-support-group/

Thank you SO much @Angelica for taking the time to share this info and encouragement with me 🥺 I really appreciate it. It’s reassuring and I will definitely look into that support xx

Get some silver nipple cups!!! They are great for healing

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