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Nipple Shields
By Tamar Krantman Weiss
At first Abbi was happy with the shields because her baby was actually sucking and receiving well needed nourishment, which to Abbi, was the most important thing. She was disheartened, though, when she tried to feed the baby without the shields and the baby refused her, whereupon Abbi turned to a breastfeeding expert for help. It was suggested that Abbi make the four small holes in each shield in to one larger hole, creating a more authentic feel for the baby when the milk would be released.
Abbi was also told to progressively shave off small amounts of the silicon on the nipple shields, thus over time exposing her daughter to larger amounts of the natural nipple so that the baby would become more comfortable with it. Although she found this to be physically painful, (silicon can be sharp, where rubber nipple shields are easier to cut back) Abbi persevered. At the age of 4 months her daughter was successfully weaned from the shields.
Abbi notes that the entire ordeal was "extremely trying, both physically and emotionally," but her end results were very positive. She was, however, rather upset with the feedback that she received from various nursing mothers and others who made her feel inadequate by using the nipple shields. She affirms that she and her daughter have a very close bond and a few months of "using a piece of silicon did nothing to hinder that."
Like Dr. Zimmerman suggests, Abbi continually encouraged her daughter to nurse without the use of the shields, and of great significance, enlisted the help of professional lactation consultants. As Dr. Zimmerman emphasizes, so much of the time, difficulty with breastfeeding can be solved with learning to properly position oneself and the baby.
Before finding herself in a difficult situation of overusing nipple shields or trying to wean a baby off of them, a woman should be sure that her particular situation warrants their use to begin with. Of equal importance, a woman already using the shields should not give up hope that her baby can and will be weaned from them. If a mother continues to encourage and offer her natural breast to her baby, the effort is likely to pay off in a natural and rewarding breastfeeding experience.
