Dear Lactnet Friends:

A nipple shield is a last resort.

If a mom is going to give up breastfeeding unless baby breastfeeds
immediately, using a shield won't help sustain her exclusivity or duration
because the road to easy, fun breastfeeding is full of challenges.

Our job in that situation, when she feels anxious about getting baby fed,
is to sit down next to her and have a talking session about her goals, her
expectations and her understanding; ideally, we'd engage her support
network too. Our counseling skills are first here, not responding to her
panic or doubt and reaching for a piece of equipment.

None of the studies looking at postpartum use of a nipple shield for a
full-term baby show any improvement in duration or exclusivity.  We have no
idea about colostrum transfer through a shield. Using a shield in the first
two weeks postpartum means MORE work for her as she has to take enough
enough milk to prime prolactin receptors; we know that shields can reduce
milk supply (they are sometimes used in cases of oversupply).

No easy quick fix in our work. The closest thing to a magic wand is
constant s2s, with unrestricted access to the breast; and hand expressing
newborn milk on a spoon and giving that to baby whenever she has a spell of
insecurity (or when pediatricians freak out because baby hasn't fed in "X"
number of hours.

Dr. Jane Heinig's research in California showed that nearly half of all
babies won't attach in the first 24 hours; we need to reassure this mother
that we have the skills to teach her to support lactation while her baby
recovers from birth enough to breastfeed.

warmly

-- 
Nikki Lee RN, BSN, Mother of 2, MS, IBCLC, CCE, CIMI, ANLC, CKC
Author:* Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Breastfeeding Therapy*
www.nikkileehealth.com
https://www.facebook.com/nikkileehealth

*Get my FREE webinar series*

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