I strongly second Jeanette Panchula's post on nipple shields.  That
little piece of plastic can be just the trick when mom can't emotionally
handle any more stress, and when mom or baby have a hard time using
their bodies well.  With time, they are usually able to wean off it
themselves, partly because baby now trusts the breast as his source of
food and is more willing to work at latching, and mom also trusts the
breastfeeding process and has experience and practice at handling her
baby.  I find shields particularly useful for moms and babies with
sensory integration issues, folks who might think of themselves as
clumsy or unathletic.  It can reduce their frustration by making
breastfeeding "work" until they have the (greater amount of) practice
that they need to do it alone.

I generally give a subconscious suggestion along with every nipple
shield:  I tell the mom that the day the dog eats the shield will be the
day the baby will latch on without it.  My clients rarely use it for
more than a few days or weeks, but a rare few do wind up needing it for
months.
--
Catherine Watson Genna, IBCLC  New York City  mailto:[log in to unmask]

             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html