But Brenda... how will the mom's nipples fit in, if the shield is so
small...?
We had a discussion among a group of Dutch lc's a while ago, whether to use
small or large ones.
Funny (and of course confusingly) enough... opinions really differed.
Some find that only a big shield will encourage babe to open up widely.
Others say they can only work with small ones, because baby has to be able
to latch beyond the nipple of the shield.
They feel a baby cannot do that with a large shield, where others feel that
more flow remains with big ones.
Really confusing, especially if you have not seen that many moms with
shields yet and want to advice them... ;-)
Bye,
Marianne Vanderveen IBCLC, Netherlands
----- Original Message -----
From: "BRENDA PHIPPS" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, May 10, 2010 10:34 PM
Subject: [LACTNET] Nipple shields in retail stores
After having so many trainings in which Barbara Wilson Clay has been
present, I'm a firm believer in the 16 or 20mm nipple shields. I find the
16mm works best for the baby, but not always best for the mom's nipple size.
Having said that, I am appalled at the continued marketing practices by
Medela, at least in our neck of the woods in Nothern AZ. Their shields are
sold at the local Target store, and only in one size last time I checked -
the 24mm, which states it is "regular" in size. Now how many women believe
that they are "regular", especially when Medela, a nationally known company,
puts them on the shelf with no other sizes?
I contacted the Medela rep in my state, as well as the marketing department,
to express my concerns. I was told they would think about changing the
packaging to make it clearer to women that this product should be used under
the guidance of an LC. This still does not fix anything, because women will
continue to buy the product, lose their milk supply, and possibly end up
with a failure to thrive baby because they won't all seek my help.
My theory is that Target purchases the shields in this "regular" size,
because they have no idea about the reprucussions of a mother buying an
incorrect size. "Regular" sounds right to them.
I'm surprised this hasn't been a bigger issue in the LC community at large.
Are there others out there who see moms coming in with these huge 24mm
nipple shields and a basket full of problems as a result of using this
product? I see it all the time!! Patients even bring these with them into
the hospital.
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