Hi there,  My left nipple was flat so I attended at day clinic for breastfeeding and after only 5 minutes my son was attached.  I bought nipple shields before I had my baby thinking this was the only way I could breastfeed him on the
left side, well I never needed used the shield once. After a few weeks of the follow information my nipple was no longer flat. The lactation nurse told me to gently squeeze the nipple and surrounding area with your thumb and index finger to stimulate milk flow (allow a little milk to come out) and to help the nipple to protrude then to gently rub your nipple against your babies nose down towards his/her mouth. As your baby will smell the milk he/she will open up there month and you gently push your nipple and surrounding breast tissue into the mouth.  Your baby does not attach to nipple it self.  You will find the midwives in the hospital are very pro breastfeeding and will do there best to help you establish breastfeeding or they will point you in the right direction.  Also if you have a breast pump you could do a few pumps to draw out your nipple and then place your baby on your breast.  I personally would use nipple shields as a last resort even though when I was pregnancy I thought it was my only resort.
I wish you all the best of luck as breastfeeding your baby is such a beautiful bonding experience for you both.
Goodluck

I used the nipple shields b/c I was too bloated from the fluids they were pumping into me ( I had a c-section). I wouldn't have been able to get her to latch on at all if it weren't for those things. The only thing about them is like the first 2 weeks, I had to use a dropper of sugar water and give her a little first so she knew that she would have to suck, but would get food.

yay for you, franni!  i wrote an article about this awhile ago--i'll try to find it and republish with some comments about nipple shields.  you can do it!

I found the nipple shields worked well for me, but I didn't use them until she was nearly a year old so breastfeeding was fully established and she could have fed underwater through a wet suit, I'm sure of it, the way she was feeding.  The Australian Breastfeeding Association is an excellent group to get involved with even before bubby comes along.  Don't be afraid of being judged, that's the one place I could be myself and parent as I wanted where nobody was judged and everyone did things differently.  They are very experienced counsellors who have all breastfed for at least 9 months themselves and many with multiple babies and a wealth of infomation shared from member to member.  And they have the best morning teas around!

thank you for all your comments iam looking at the websites you all suggested and they seem to have alot of information thank you.

Thats fantastic to hear that you are wanting to give breastfeeding a go.  Its one of those things that takes time, persverance and a patience.  But the rewards are so great.  The bond you have with your baby is amazing and the once everything is running smoothly, its such a wonderful experience.  I am the mother of two girls and I only breastfed the first for 6 weeks and then with my second, I breastfed for 9 months ( I wish I had of kept going).  I had a lot better experience with my second and I believe the bond was stronger.  I joined the Australian Breastfeeding Association and they were fantastic.  They offered so much support and were always there when I needed them.  They would have great advice for any of your difficulties ( you should be able to get in touch with them via your local Maternal Health Clinic or hospital.)  Also from personal experience, I have tried the nipple shields and found them to be useless and the baby cannot attach properly to the nipple.  I hope this helps you in some way, Good Luck!!

Hey Franni, Please talk to a lcatation consultant or a breastfeeding counsellor about using nipple shields. They are helpful for some women (I used them for a flat nipple) but they should only be used under supervision of a LC or BC as their use can cause problems in milk supply and also some women find that they actually rub and cause friction. There are many things and LC or BC may suggest to help you without the use of a nipple shield. So discuss this with them sooner rather then later. visit www.breastfeeding.asn.au and check out breastfeeding information. I'm pretty sure ther is an article about flat nipples there.

Hope this helps and good luck with bub

actualy heres the whole link to the google search page with many other things on there about this

but I would still ask the hospital or the nurse at my next  check up just to see what she thinks also ,,, after all thats what they are there for

http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=breastfeeding+with+flat+nipples&btnG=Search&meta=cr%3DcountryAU

ok look at this site there are heaps of help about this ,, i got this from google and just typed in what i wanted to ask

http://www.betterhealthchannel.com.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Breastfeeding_dealing_with_nipple_problems?OpenDocument

Breastfeeding with inverted nipples
For mothers who have flat or inverted nipples, a little more patience may be needed while you and your baby learn to breastfeed. Strategies that can help include:

• Breastfeed within the first hour of birth – when the baby is alert and ready to suck.
• Use the baby-led attachment technique in the first few days after birth.
• Express either manually or with a pump to draw out the nipple – use a cup or spoon to feed the milk to the baby if necessary.
• Avoid the use of bottles and dummies – they can cause sucking confusion.
• Occasionally the use of a nipple shield for breastfeeding with flat or inverted nipples is helpful – the clear silicone types are the most suitable. Once the baby is sucking well and the nipple is drawn out, the shield may be able to be removed. When using a nipple shield, the baby should still be correctly positioned and attached to the breast.
• the hospital also will be the best to ask  when you go for your next check up