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I have fed dd with a nipple sheild for 8 months now and it has been effective for us. I needed one because she was a 20 days early slow sleepy sucker and I have inverted flat nipples. It works but there is a downside, for me even with the cons it was worth it because we could successfully breast feed and that was the goal for me but I would like to make you aware of them. 1. the nipple sheild can (this wasnt an issue for me) decrease your milk supply because the nipple stimulation is less then regular nurseing, for me it didnt effect my supply I don't know about you though. 2. bfing takes longer because the nipple sheild slows the flow of the milk, it takes me 40 minutes to bf my 8 month old. 3. if you forget the nipple sheild you cant feed your baby (when you go out) where as if you can bf without it thats never an issue........these cons weren't enough for it to deter me and like I said we have been successfully bfing for 8 months with the nipple sheild, if it is a last resort and bfing is importanf to you I say go for it.

My dd is 3 months old and I have been breastfeeding her with a shield. I have flat nipples, so a shield was suggested at the hospital. During the first month I tried to breastfeed without the shield quite a few times, but that got dd very frustrated which stressed me quite a bit. I thought it wasn't worth trying harder. At least I wasn't built to do it. I decided to stick with the shield. I had some supply problems (some due to a case of mastitis), which I got over by pumping on the side. For 1-2 weeks, I pumped for 10 minutes after each feeding. Now I have more milk than needed. I even started building a freezer stash for when she starts day care in a month. I was also skeptical about how much she ate. She is a small baby, so I was concerned she didn't get enough due to the shield. I weighed her before and after feedings to see actually how much milk she was getting. When you're using the shield you can't take things for granted and have to spend some extra effort to make sure you and your lo is not suffering from the possible risks of the shield, but it worked out fine for me. I'm planning to continue using the shield as long as I breastfeed.

Thank you so much, Heather. I have no problem with milk supply and have rented a really good electric pump, so should be able to preserve my milk supply (I hope) and time isn't really an issue, and since I can't feed him now with breastfeeding, I am using a bottle so hopefully he will be fooled and it will work. I will let you know how it goes tomorrow, thanks for the excellent advice! Congrats on your success.

Thank you Liz. That is very helpful too. I have problems with the stress part too, and he gets so upset, that I am hoping this will be a good fit for both of us, and if not, there is always expressed milk! :)

I got back from the lc today, and he has been latching on with the assistance of the nipple shields!!! I couldn't be happier. Thank you all.