breast feeding with nipple sheilds

crissrn27, RN · Mar 25, 2007

Ahhh, someone who understands. I have thought about getting the LC, too. Just so I can make these decisions without the fussing. Since I am just the stupid staff nurse and not qualified to make this desicion........lol...kinda.

magz53 · Mar 25, 2007

You can tell if a mom really wants to breastfeed or if she is going through the motions for whatever reason. ( We have midwives that are a little too pushy in that department.) I will work with a Mom til Christmas to overcome her problems when I know she will be heartbroken if she can't nurse and sometimes that includes shields. It is an individual judgement call on the part of the nurse if you ask me.........given the fact the LC is home sleeping soundly as she works M-F day shift.

SmilingBluEyes · Mar 25, 2007

It is a judgement call but in the wrong hands or use, a bad one. Truly, not all nurses are all that well trained/educated in proper BF assistance, particularly in moms who have real problems/issues. And still others don't want to or can't take the time to really work on proper latch/positioning techniques to overcome even slight problems. I have personally observed and myself, experienced this. I have been guilty, in darkest nights, of wanting to throw up my hands and give a mom a bottle in some very extremely tough circumstances. I have helped people til my back ached, only to get nowhere, either due to my own lack of ability and experience, or unwillingness, exhaustion or frustration on the part of the mother.

It takes a lot of dedication and hard work. I have had to educate myself more on being a breastfeeding advocate; that I have control of. Understaffing, I often don't. But I still try. Nippleshields sometimes make problems worse, not better, that I have learned the hard way.

crissrn27, RN · Mar 25, 2007

I work with alot of people that strongly encourage bottle feeding in the middle of the night when moms are having trouble breastfeeding......I think I am the only one who will at least try alternate things (like nipple shields) before saying....lets just bottle feed. Well, probably not the only one, but sometimes it feels like that. They don't always work (the shields), we might try once or twice with it, then move on to something else. Moms seem to get frustrated so easily, at least some of them. With my dd, it took over a week of work and tears, and when the LC gave me that nipple shield and she latched right on and had her first real nursing since birth, it was wonderful. I just hate to send someone home with bf problems, or worse bottle feeding when bf had been their intention, when this little cheap piece of plastic helped me so much. They really can cause problems, so someone needs to monitor and educate mom, but it worked so wonderful for me, and a couple of other folks I have helped. The LC had actually told me I probably wouldn't be able to nurse her and would have to pump and put it in a bottle if I wanted her to have breast milk. BTW, do you guys get these moms that say thats what their gonna do? Cause they don't want a baby sucking on their breast.....lol. That always cracks me up, I always tell them their making more work for themselves, but whatever.

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · Mar 25, 2007

I get right many moms who say they're going to pump/bottlefeed. I ask them why & we talk about it. I do encourage them to put the baby to breast at least once, esp if they're primips. They always look at me like I'm two-headed when I tell them it's really more work in the long run. If that's what you really want to do, fine, but it's way more work.

Daywalker · Mar 26, 2007

My SIL pumped and bottled for 6 months with my nephew - he was tongue-tied, and by the time it was clipped, he refused to latch. She was given a lot of grief over this, but, it's breastmilk, not the breast, that's most important. As for me, well, I practically lived in our BF clinic for the first 3 months of baby #1's life. If it weren't for them, she'd have been on formula by 2 weeks old (our LC's work weekends and holidays, BTW).

Blessed2BeMommy · Mar 26, 2007

As a certified breastfeeding counselor I will tell you that I have never once used shields. The risk of the decreased milk supply just isn't worth it to me. I agree with the other posters who recommended using a breastpump for a few minutes first. Works like a charm.

In addition, proper latch and positioning can fix almost all "flat and inverted" nipple problems. Those are far more rare than people realize. Just because a nipple LOOKS flat or inverted does not mean that it IS. If baby latches properly (which, btw, bypasses the nipple altogether!) the vast majority of the time proper suckling will draw the nipple out.

Even our LC didn't use them. But then, I was the night shift CBC and I had NO problem spending the necessary time with the moms.

crysobrn · Mar 26, 2007

We don't even have sheilds at our hospital anymore. We used to have some but I think that the concensus was that it they were discouraged so we would not even carry them.

I hear everyone when it's night shift and the moms have had it and the baby still refuses to latch... We use a pump sometimes to draw out nipples, we've also used a drop or two of water or colostrum to moisten the babies mouth. I've spent my fair share of back breaking nights bent over a bed trying to work with moms and babies. Talk about exhausting! But worth it when the baby finally cooperates.

We do have an occasional baby that will not eat and the mom decides that she's going to pump and bottle feed. But I'd like most would rather see the baby get breastmilk that way than not at all. Seems like a lot of work to me. I give these moms a lot of credit because I may not have been able to make that commitment. I thank goodness had two wonderful nursers.

My point with the pumping and bottle feeding... We had a pt over a yr ago now that was I think 40. Was told she'd never have kids. Had a spontaneous pregnancy carried to term and seems like everything went wrong. She had a c/s (which she really didnt' want) and then the baby wouldn't nurse. She pumped and bottle fed after 3 days of trying and then wanting to be discharged. She called 14 wks later to thank us saying that he FINALLY gave in and started nursing. She apparently offered the breast at every feeding and after 14 weeks he was on the breast full time!!

crissrn27, RN · Mar 26, 2007

As a certified breastfeeding counselor I will tell you that I have never once used shields. The risk of the decreased milk supply just isn't worth it to me. I agree with the other posters who recommended using a breastpump for a few minutes first. Works like a charm.
In addition, proper latch and positioning can fix almost all "flat and inverted" nipple problems. Those are far more rare than people realize. Just because a nipple LOOKS flat or inverted does not mean that it IS. If baby latches properly (which, btw, bypasses the nipple altogether!) the vast majority of the time proper suckling will draw the nipple out.
Even our LC didn't use them. But then, I was the night shift CBC and I had NO problem spending the necessary time with the moms.

This are the thoughts where I work too. But the majority of reports about decrease milk supply were done back when shields were thick, hard rubber. Did alot of research after i found myself having to use one. And I don't have flat or inverted nipples. I agree that most of the time proper latch, patience, and time are whats usually needed, but will use in situations that mom is saying shes gonna stop bfing, just to say I tried everything. have had some great results, for me included! for the op, have you ever had a mom stop bf and wonder if a shield might have helped? I also would rather a mom pump and bottle feed that formula feed, but to do this from the get-go is funny to me, just so much work if the baby will latch and everything.

And for the op, where do you work that you have LC's at night, I wanna come:lol2: ..............truly, theres not much I'd rather do than help moms bf, but when you have 5-6 babies, deliveries (we go to all del.), etc. Theres only so much you can do. Now when ever I can I may spend hours with a mom trying to get the baby to latch, and man does my back tell me about at the end of the night;)