I have been following the nipple shield thread with interest. I happen to hate them but I'd never say I wouldn't help a mom to use one. As a single mom, it is kinda like my Ms. Fix-it attitude. I don't always have the proper tool to fix something that broke but if some simple tool is on my kitchen counter, I'll use it. I use alot of duct tape--great stuff just doesn't look so hot after you wind it around something broken. Two summers ago, we had a hurricane and I had a tree to take down. I used some saw that was in my tool shed. After I had cut down all of the small branches of the tree, I was told by a self-proclaimed expert, that I had used the wrong saw. Hm...so that's why it took so long to cut those branches off. But heck the job got done. Of course, I was not too humored by that comment. Especially since in Florida working outside in 90 degree weather with a saw in 90% humidity puts you in a certain frame of mind. So what's that got to do with nipple shields? I have similiar sentiments about nipple shield use. The more these "tools" are around the more we will use them. We see that it fixes one thing, so we think it may fix something else. People who are new at fixing problems (like me with my duct tape or my saw) use them because they are easily available without a thorough understanding of the problem and how to correctly fix it. The expert can use a tool and make it look like an easy fix. I watched my Dad hammer in roofing nails into the shingles of my house--looked like a piece of cake to do. After a very sore thumb and many bent nails, I realized it wasn't easy. Nipple shields may have a place in some LCs' tool kits. But certainly most of us might want to bury them deep in our tool kit. Like duct tape in repairs, their visibility reminds people that something got broken and isn't fixed yet. Valerie W. McClain, IBCLC *********************************************** 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