We also "hide" the nipple shields on our unit, saving them as a last resort.
I had the opportunity to work with a mom who had given birth to twin girls
at 33 weeks gstation. For various reasons, they weren't put to the breast
for several days - intubated etc. By the time one of them showed some
interest in breastfeeding, mom had an abundant supply of milk, leaking
almost constantly. The combination of baby's small mouth, mothers large
nipples and the fact that the leaking milk made the nipples extremely
slippery made achieving a good latch very difficult. We tried the nipple
shield and voila! good latch and obvious milk transfer. Our plan is to wean
from the shield ASAP, but mom is very happy and baby (only one ready to
breastfeed, the other still being gavaged) is gaining weight.

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