Tina wants to know why the baby refuses to wean off shields.  I was struck
by the phrase in the post "mom reports nipples protrude."  I take this to
mean that the mother was not seen.  It is very difficult to get any sense
out of a difficult bfg situation (not latching certainly qualifies) over the
phone.  The mother may have nipples which appear to evert, but which invert
(telescope in and flatten) upon compression.  There may be other issues.
The mother needs to see someone who can physically be present when an
evaluation takes place.  If infants are able to grasp sufficient tissue, and
if there is enough milk, it is rare that they are hard to wean off shields.
A trick is to start the feed on the shield, and as baby relaxes into the
session, take it off.  What is the baby's weight gain?  I've also seen moms
with gushing let-downs whose babies were overwhelmed.  Sometimes these
babies like shields because they cut the flow rate some.  Again, if you can
see it, you can figure it out.
Barbara

Barbara Wilson-Clay, BSEd, IBCLC
Austin Lactation Associates, Austin, Texas
http://www.jump.net/~bwc/lactnews.html