Hi Lactnetters.
  I feel I no longer have to lurk and that it is safe to come out of hiding.
 For ten years now I have hidden from YOU , my peers, because I dreaded your
 strong criticism of anyone using nipple shields.  I was terrified of your
 criticism.  I felt left out of the herd of believers .  And now I am in
shock that many of you actually condone the use of shields !! Be still my
heart.!! Can Elvis be far????

Diane you put it beautifully in your post.  I too have had mother's openly
weep when the baby finally latches on .. then later they are very angry that
a well meaning LC or nurse had them suck training. pumping,  syringe , cup
etc etc and even SNS for heavens sakes.  Wasting days and lots of $$$.   and
now a low supply from all the exhaustion. Eventually needing to suppliment
with formula.

 I feel  strongly that many moms are often abused by well meaning "purists"
who force  moms to learn complicated things like suck training (Please
whoever came up with that annoying invasive and threatening idea
 substantiate the proceedure) cups, tubes syringes and even SNS (ugh)Moms are
soooo stressed out and exhausted.  How are these PURE???

I must confess that after 14 years of being a LLL leader before becoming an
LC I was already brainwashed into believing that shields and bottles were the
"devil incarnate".  Early in my LC career 10 years ago I tormented two moms
with that philosphy without questioning it's validity. AND I NEVER EVER did
it again. I thought to myself  "HOW in the WORLD can  those gadgets and plans
BE LIKE BREASTFEEDING?"  Obviously they are not. So I started thinking for
myself and started to rely on my teaching background and myyears  of dog
training skills.  Yup the newborn is the smartest mammal I know and very
easily can learn a correct "response" when the "stimulus" is correct and
"STIMULATING"  enough. The shield is a close enough shape looks like MOM and
 in the right location on MOM  and  stuff  coming out tastes like MOM and the
right person MOM is doing the breastfeeding all by herself . If it looks like
a duck.........
As far as I am concerned shields are much more "pure" than training, syringes
etc.

 Yes I agree with you Diane that we should feel  confident  that we  have
 the background and the training to make the decision that is  in the best
interest of the dyad. I am in private practice so most dyads I see are
already bottle feeding or doing all those other contraptions. (the bottle
feeding ones do best going from shield quickly to breast).   All cases the
pairs were breastfeeding success stories in a very short time .

I offer money back refund for the shields to encourage the  moms to get off
of them.   Most are through with the shield in a matter of feeds.  Others
just a couple of days. Most are so thrilled with actually " breastfeeding "
they will give me back the shield proudly but not accept the refund.

I have never had a mother  have a reduced milk supply as a result of the
shield.  They had a low supply to begin with perhaps because of the time and
energy consumed by  pumping and suck , cup and syringe training!! Confusing
threatening and exhausting for both Mom and baby.  They can cause Mom to feel
like an idiot and a failure. Not exactly the new mother feelings she dreamt
of .

Only one baby out of ten years I have been in practice was overly fond of the
shield.  But then again-Maybe  it was the mother  !!   Who knows? But they
were happy and breastfeeding .  The alternative eventually for all these
exhausted moms would have been  formula feeding. So using the shield can be a
WIN -WIN situation for Mom and Baby when breastfeeding has already gone down
the proverbial tubes.

In a hospital setting obviously more time needs to be spent first on other
techniques. positions etc. I occaisionally will be called in to work with
babies less than 24 hours old who still have not latched on.  I still have
used the shield instead of all the other weird things. In fact newborns are
even easier to get off the shield. They forget all about it even sooner. And
Moms are SO encouraged they work doubly hard at using all the best latch on
techniques and positions they have learned and gain tremendous confidence and
motivation to continue to breastfeed.

Ha  I got it all off my chest!! Do I have to go to NOMAIL now or is this a
SAFE place??

PS : I'm sure those other devices have their proper place somewhere in the
universe and perhaps someday I will find a use for one of them.So go ahead
and pummel me now with wet bra pads...yikes