Hello! My name is Heather Counts and I am a junior nursing student at
the University of North Dakota. I joined this listserv a few weeks ago
and have learned about many different topics associated with
breastfeeding. The one topic I found interesting was nipple shields
being used to help stimulate some preterm infants to feed. I've found
that this is a very controversial topic and has been discussed on this
listserv a few times. I have found some information and would like to
share on the topic.
According to Meier et al. (2000), nipples shields can and are a
positive attribute to breastfeeding preterm infants. A study was
conducted to test the effect of milk transfer while breastfeeding using
a nipple shield. The study included 34 preterm infants whose mothers
used ultra thin silicone nipple shields to increase milk transfer. Milk
transfer was compared for two consecutive breastfeedings without and
with nipple shields. The results of this study, done of 34 preterm
infants, suggest that milk transfer was significantly greater for
feedings with the nipple shield (18.4ml vs. 3.9ml), with all 34 infants
consuming more milk with the nipple shield in place. Powers & Tapia
(2004) reported that mother's said that nipple shield use "made a big
difference in a short amount of time" and that the infant went on to
breastfeed with out the nipple shield as the infant approached term.
This study found that baby's transition from nipple shield to breast
well. A different stud
y by Drosten (2001) also suggested that premature infants transition
"well" from nipple shield to breast.
The questions I have are as follows: Does you hospital/unit
recommend nipple shield use for preterm infants? If no, why? Have there
been any positive or negative effects on infants that correlate with the
use of a nipple shield? I would like to say thank you in advance for any
information you could give me. I appreciate it.
Heather Counts, SN
University of North Dakota
References:
Drosten, F. (2001). Case management of a premature infant transitioning
to the
breast. Journal of Human Lactation, 17(1). 47-50.
Meier, P.P., Brown, L.P., Hurst, N.M., Spatz, D.L., Engstrom, J.L.,
Borucki, L,C., &
Krouse, A.M. (2000). Nipple shield for preterm infants: effect on
milk transfer
and duration of breastfeeding. Journal of Human Lactation, 16(2),
106-112.
Powers, D. & Tapia, V.B. (2004). Women's experiences using nipple
shield. Journal of
Human Lactation, 20(3), 327-333.
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