Kate states:
"My biggest problem with shields is getting a good, deep latch."

Actually, I find a small side benefit to shield use (although I
don't think I would ever suggest using it for this alone) is that it
is easier for mom to see where baby's mouth is on the "breast".  I
tell moms that they must not see any of the projecting portion of
the shield (or teat portion)when baby is latched.  Baby's lips need
to be on the flange portion of the shield.  This is very easy to
see, while when baby is at the naked breast, it isn't as obvious how
much nipple/areola is in the mouth.  "The entire areola" is
applicable only to a small portion of moms.  For some, the areola is
so small that baby neds to be well beyond it while in others it is
so large there's no way a newborn (or even an older baby) is going
to get it all in the mouth!  I will suggest that mom wrap her index
finger around her nipple and note how much areola shows beyond the
finger.  If she sees more than that around baby's mouth, baby is
definitely latched too shallow.  Baby's upper jaw should cover at
least that much and lower should cover even more.

I use my fingers to demonstrate a lot of things, including latching
with a shield.  I extend the index finger, place the middle finger
tip on top of the index finger and the thumb below with the tips of
thumb and middle finger at the first joint of the index finger so it
extends about 3/4-1 inch  beyond where the other digits are placed.
This now represents a breast with shield applied.  Now I use the
index finger and thumb of the opposite hand to represent baby's
mouth and can give an image of how to latch.  I sometimes use the
same approach for "naked" latching and can adjust how much the index
finger extends to "match" the mother's nipple length.

Winnie

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