I have never been an advocate of nipple shields, but I am currently
writing up a major follow-up study of women given nipple shields in
hospital.  We have not done the serious number crunching yet, but
preliminary indications are that they played a very useful role in
preserving breastfeeding and many women successfully used them for
long periods, particularly with inverted nipples.  Others used them
for a short period and then went on to breastfeed.

However, I must stress that these were women given nipple shields
because continued breastfeeding was at risk, with fully informed
consent, and they were encouraged to maintain regular
contact with an appropriately skilled health care provider.

We plan to publish, will keep you informed.

Ros Escott
Tasmania, Australia
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Ros Escott
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