Lana - Welcome to Lactnet.  Regarding the 3 week old baby who seems not to
be able to nurse without the shield, whose mom is not confident about going
cold turkey - I wouldn't worry too much at this stage.  It depends why the
shield was needed in the first place and I'm wondering if the nipples are
"easy" (easily graspable) or not.  If the baby is breastfeeding with the
shield, and gaining, what's the rush?  Give them another three weeks if
necessary and then re-evaluate - go through the positioning in meticulous
detail - and see what happens. I see keeping the baby happy, and actually
breastfeeding, as the most important factor - once he has the skill he wont
need the shield any more.  I've worked with a baby whose mother seemed to
need the shield for four months.  One day the baby latched without it by
mistake (while mom was fumbling around trying to put it over the nipple) and
then resolutely refused to breastfeed with it ever again.  Mom was
non-plussed, but that baby knew what he was doing!

Best wishes.  Let us know how it turns out.

Pamela Morrison IBCLC, Zimbabwe
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