I have been seeing Medela nipples shields on the shelf at more and more retail stores, including Babies R Us, Target, Whole Foods, and every local baby store.  At the smaller places, and at WF, I spoke with the manager and pointed out the text on the back of the package that says it should be used "under the supervision of a physician or breastfeeding professional."  I explained the consequences of poor fit or improper use, and said that it was akin to a diaphragm, in that without professional fitting and instruction, it could do more harm than good.  They were interested, and gave me email addresses of higher-ups to write to.

At Babies R Us, there was a whole wall of shields, clearly communicating to the expectant first-time mom that these are an essential item she should buy in advance.

I'm composing emails to the buyers, and wondered if those of you who have a business relationship with Medela might want to communicate an opinion to them about this practice.  It's not a WHO code issue, but strikes me as a bigger problem than bottle sales since it's a product that Medela may singlehandedly turn into a must-have when it was not.


Jessica Lang Kosa, Ph.D., IBCLC
Research Analyst
Division of Maternal & Child Health
School of Public Health
50 University Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-7360

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