I ALSO feel strongly that nipple shield use in the hospital is often damaging to future breastfeeding for the exact reasons Dr Eglash stated.

I think there are very rare indications for using them, and only an outpatient IBCLC should ever use one.  The only times I find them useful are for extreme oversupply where an older (at least 2 weeks) baby is refusing the breast because they are afraid of drowning.  I put it on for the first let-down, then remove it.

The only other time I find it helpful is in SELECT cases of tongue-tie, if the parents really do not want to clip.  SOMETIMES those babies that are pinching their moms trying to keep the nipple in their mouth will like the shield to hold it in for the,, and they can relax and suckle. BUT these babies are rare.  The vast majority of babies having trouble breastfeeding remove milk much less well with a nipple shield than without in my experience.

Kathy Leeper, MD, IBCLC, FABM
Medical Director, Milkworks- a nonprofit breastfeeding center
5930 South 58th St, Suite W Lincoln, NE 68516
(402)423-6402, Fax:(402)423-6422, www.milkworks.org

Creating a healthier community by helping mothers breastfeed their babies...


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