nursing with a nipple shield

Hey there, when Archie was born, it was quite a few hours before they tried to get him to take his first drink - he had no idea how to latch on and the problem only got worse. My milk didn't come in until the 7th day, I was in agony and VERY stressed out which obviously passed on to him. I was determined to feed my baby and found that nipple shields were the only way he could latch on and drink properly. I attended a lactation class and they told me if I trained him to use the shield I could also train him to drink without it - Not a chance!!! I fed for 6 weeks with the shield and tried to get him to latch on without it at every feed, I was getting really sick of using the shield by then. Along with a lot of guilt I ended up putting him on the bottle, it was only stressing me and my baby out more but without the shield I don't think I could have fed him at all - I would recommend them to anyone who is struggling. Next time may be different, I might have a baby that can latch on properly, but if I don't, then at least I know I can still feed them myself with the help of the shield.

My baby is 12 days old and we are using a nipple shield. I am trying to wean her off slowly but after reading your article and the article you linked to at the bottom of the page I think i will try to get an appointment with the lactation consultant to get off asap. Very valuable information. Thanks again.

Nursing was really hard for me to start with as well with major issues. I think the second time round I know what to do but who knows.  But as the first time it sounds like you are doing great . I could only use a nipple shield on occasions, and every mom has different experiences so don't worry about your advice not being solid, you have helped me already...