Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I bought this nipple shield to separate my bleeding and cracked nipples from the fabrics of my clothes, not realizing its true function at the time. Later I learned from my lactation consultant that clear plastic wrap (the thing you use to keep your vegetable fresh) serves as a barrier quite well, and the nipple shield is used for actual feeding. She taught me how to use it, as my nipples were in a terrible state due to poor latch-on, and that my baby refused to take anything but rubber nipples (we had to bottle-feed her from Day 3 to treat her jaundice;since then she had refused breasts). I used it almost exclusively until my baby was 6 weeks old, when one day she finally took the breast. Here are the pros and cons of this nipple shield based on my experience.
Pros:
(1) For my baby who has nipple confusion, it immediately "fixed" that problem. She latched onto the nipple shield and fed at my breast. Without it she screamed at my breasts. The nipple shield was a saver of breastfeeding for me. Without it, I would have likely done EPing (exclusive pumping; there is a nice discussion board about it on iVilliage), which is much more difficult to maintain.
(2) It also allowed my bleeding nipples to heal (yes, an antibiotic ointment and lansinoh are needed for that); it really is a "shield" against the baby's chewing of the nipples.
(3) Unlike older types of nipple shields, this type apparently does not negatively affect milk supply or baby's weight gain, at least within the first 2 months. See J Clin Nurs. 2009 Nov;18(21):2949-55. Reexamination of ultra-thin nipple shield use, infant growth and maternal satisfaction. I did, however, met with the lactation consultant again to measure how much baby ate in one feeding. I also diligently tracked her weight gain and her diapers.
Cons:
(1) Yes the nipple shield makes breastfeeding less convenient, but the worst problem I've encountered is gas. Baby swallows in a handful of gas along with milk and becomes *very* gassy. She had to sleep in my arms which raised her head and chest up. She was passing an enormous amount of gas both ways, and still a significant amount remained in her tommy. This made her cry and twist, and sometimes milk came out along with the gas during sleep and she choked on it occasionally. When she finally mastered nursing without the shield, there was much less gas. She slept better, cried less, and ate faster.
(2) Although the nipple shield is a quick and efficient fix of poor latch on, it is so helpful that the baby never got a chance to learn how to latch onto the real breast. Weaning the baby off the shield and training her to go for the real breast is a major challenge, not made any easier by the use of the shield.
(3) It is small and transparent and can be easily lost. You have to diligently wash it for subsequent feedings, etc.
Finally, I want to comment on things that helped my baby eventually feed at the breast without the shield:
(1) Thanks to the shield, she learned to associate breasts with milk and became more willing to try the breast;
(2) My sister, a nursing pro, persistently nagged at me for still using the breast shield;
(3) Expressing some milk by hand at latch-on to remind the baby that there is milk in the real breast;
(4) At 6-wk, the baby was stronger and more adept at drawing milk out, and my milk supply was better than before and the let-down reflex happened more quickly than previously. Both help reward baby for sucking at the real breast.
I am grateful for the designer of this nipple shield, but I am also very happy to be nursing without it. Wish others good luck.
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Medela Contact Nipple Shield - Standard
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