Thanks for all the post-ILCA Cnf posts about using nipple shields!
Really bailed me out today--went to see a new mom with a 7 day old  whose
hospital sent her home with the old, brownish, hard rubber nipple shields
(yuck:  I didn't know they made them anymore).  (Not the *very* old ones
with the baby nipple, the ones with the cone-ish nipple I used to use as
the nose when I'd draw a sad face on one for my bf classes long ago and
far away.....)

This baby was totally hooked on the shield and the mom totally convinced
her nipples were too flat to use (they really weren't that bad; if we'd
gotten together at the start, no Shields would have been necessary).  Mom
was *very* impressed with the silicone shield for two reasons:  she could
see the milk and know the baby was getting something (wet diapers weren't
fully convincing) and the ' invert-and-stretch' method you wonderful
people shared slurped her nipples up and then stayed put. (very large,
floppy breasts).  I was impressed with how adept this mom was at getting
the shield on from try #1.  (Or maybe I'm such a klutz I'm unfairly
judging!)

Now my question:  I told this mom to make an airway for the baby, even
though term, healthy babies don't choose eating over breathing, we wanted
to make sure she could breathe OK with that silicone next to her nose.
Making an airway is something I always discouraged before as it tends
(IMHO) to mis-align the nipple in the baby's mouth.

Since this is my first nipple shield usage, I want to ask if this is what
others do or would do with such soft, yielding breasts.

TIA,
Karen Zeretzke, MEd, IBCLC