My son is about two weeks old and only breastfeeds with the nipple shield.
I have already seen a lactation consultant, but wanted to see if anyone has had to deal with this problem and were able to break the baby of this habit. If so, how did you do it?
Why do you want to stopusing the nipple shield? If he latches on better with it I would keep using it. It was the only thing that let me keep nursing my baby. She couldn't latch on correctly without it. My lacation consultant said that for some unknown reason the milk is digested better that way and they can get more. After i finally got my nipple shield I had no more sores or scabbing! It was a miracle in mylife!
My kids both had to use the nipple sheild to nurse. My first used it until she was 6 months old, and my second had to use it until about 4 months. It was a huge pain, but it was worth it so they could nurse. Hang in there, and use it as long as you need to. I kept checking every month or so to see if my kids could nurse without it, and finally they were able to. My problem was having small nipples, so my kids had to get big enough so they could latch on without the help of the nipple sheild. Good luck. It won't be forever!
I ended up using the nipple shield for 9 weeks with my son. I gradually got him off of it by starting with the nipple shield, then putting my finger in the corner of his mouth to pull him off, then put him on my breast. After awhile he did not want the nipple shield at all. He is 15 months old and still breast feeding. Beware! I had to recondition my nipples after the nipple shields.
I used a nipple shield for awhile with my little one. To break the habit, I would feed her on one side with the shield, then try the second side without it. If she cried or wouldn't latch, I would use it and try again the next feeding. Eventually she weaned off of it, I think around 6 weeks of age. However, once she weaned from that, she would never take a bottle again--we tried various bottles, different nipples, all with my expressed milk, but she once she was done with the nipple shield, she was done with any sort of artificial nipple!
my son had latching issues too so we used the shield for several weeks. Then one night I couldn't find it. He was starving (been a whole 2 hours without food) and I was so tired I just stuck my nipple in his mouth and he went to town. If your son can latch without it, you may concider going cold turkey with the shield. If he isn't getting it, go back to the shield for a while more. I don't think there will be a problem with attachment to the shield.
With my first daughter I too had to use the nipple shield due to her being sick and not able to latch on very well. We used it exclusively for about seven weeks, then to break her I would start nursing with the shield on and after a couple of minutes, maybe 7 or 10, I would unlatch her, remove the shield and offer her my nipple without the shield. It worked sometimes, and sometimes I would need to put the shield back on, but I kept trying and within a couple of weeks we were shield free. Good luck and congratulations!
My little guy was a preemie and a lactation nurse started us on the nipple shield in the nicu. Although it wasn't as convienent as natural nursing, I nursed him for 16 mos (11 mos justational). I tried to retrain him to nurse without it nothing worked, so I figured he was a good eater with it. Good luck, from others I know who have used nipple shields they are a hard habbit to break.
My son had to use a nipple shield as well. We also met with lactation consultants many times. I did have some success with starting him on the shield and then pulling it about half way through. We worked really hard on it for about a month and a half and sometimes he would have a sommth transition to the shield half way through and other times he would just cry until I put the shield back on. I was getting so stressed trying to get him to nurse without the shield and it was frustrating both of us. I ended up deciding that if it was working better for him and me we should just use the shield. I felt much better when I just let him use it and nursing became an enjoyable expiereince for us both again. So he used it until he stopped nursing (about 5 months). That may not be what works for you or your baby but just thought I'd share. :) Good Luck.
You can call a La Leche League leader or attend a meeting - find both at www.llli.org. Meeting other mothers who have dealt with nipple shields can be an invaluable resource. What I've heard is that you try it without the shield a couple times a day, and eventually it just happens. When it happens will depend on your baby - some a couple of days, some a month or two, or more. It can be reassuring to hear it from moms who have been there, though, and you'll meet other breastfeeding moms. You can take your kids to meetings, too. Good luck!
The shield is a tool that helps teach your baby how to latch well, and nurse thouroughly, don't stress. Your baby is only 2 weeks old and you have alot of time. Take it a day, week or month at a time. Most baby's are so good at nursing by 6-7 weeks, that its easy to stop using the shield. (I know from experience).
Hi L.,
My son and I used a nipple shield for many weeks. I, also, worried that I had let it go on too long and that he wouldn't give it up. Eventually, we just starting doing what was mentioned in your first response -- trying a couple of times a day without it. If it worked, great. If it didn't, we waited for the next time. He actually adapted pretty quickly once he got the hang of it. Don't let yourself get discouraged because it will come with time. We breastfed all the way until 10 mos., the large majority of that time being without a shield. Good luck!
