Brenda said:  "I became somewhat worried about my practise, and the number
=
of times I have used the shield. Have I done a disservice to these moms? =
Have I abused it? I think these are feelings many of us have and perhaps =
worry about (?)"


Well, Brenda,

DO NOT LET ANYONE TELL YOU YOU"RE DOING IT WRONG!!!

Don't mean to shout, but want to emphasize that each one of us has a
practice that is very different.  And the moms we see are very different. 
Perhaps we will learn new skills and adapt them to our own practice, and we
ALWAYS need to be learning and honing our skills and not be stuck in doing
it the way "we have always done it"...

On the other hand, for very good reasons, you have found that nipple
shields work well for your population.  They also work well in mine.  I am
still learning - I've been an IBCLC since 1985 and will be at the ILCA
Regional Conference tomorrow and at Boca Raton in July.

STILL, when I visit the low-income moms I see, who have often been "beaten
down" by nurses who tell them they don't have enough milk, and husbands
that tell them their breasts are too small to make milk, and mothers in law
who tell them that their babies don't like to breastfeed - if I came in and
tried to get them to pump, use an SNS, Cup feed, etc...I would be giving
all these others credence.  If, on the other hand, I can use a nipple
shield, SHOW mom her milk in the tip after the baby has sucked, have her
HEAR the baby swallow...THEN she's willing to take a few more steps - and
slowly wean from the nipple shield.  If I didn't use it, she'd breastfeed
only when I was there to help her - and give the bottle as soon as she had
difficulty latching the baby on.  

Breastfeeding is not as simple a skill as we make people think it is - it
takes experience in handling a baby, handling your body, dealing with
family stresses so the oxytocin will release, etc.  At times, a nipple
shield is a "quick and dirty" way to get the baby on and get mom to clearly
see - baby DOES like her milk - baby DOES want to breastfeed - she DOES
have milk...and now, we can walk the steps we need to get the baby to the
breast alone, gradually, and with patience - because she IS breastfeeding!

________________________________________

Jeanette Panchula, BSW, RN, PHN, IBCLC
Vacaville, CA
_______________________________________________________
What have you done to support breastfeeding today?

Que hiciste hoy para apoyar la lactancia?

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