Kathy Parkes wrote:
  While looking through the
>pharmacies in Nuevo Laredo, I came across the world's worst shield, with 1/2"
>thick glass for the base and a thick rubber teat that extends approx. 2-3
>inches from the base.  Horror of horrors...and the shelf was full of them!!
> At least there is one less in that town for moms to be given!

Aren't these incredible devices! Here in Australia we can still find in
some pharmacies, a similar nipple shield, but the base piece is hard
plastic rather than glass. I bought one a couple of years back from a local
pharmacy, and at the time pointed out that I was buying this for my museum,
and that they shouldn't sell these to mothers. I even gave them information
about more suitable types, if they wanted to stock nipple shields. The
assistant's reply was that not many mothers came for these anyway. They
continued to stock them, of course. The problem with lactation aids in
pharmacies is that the pharmacist doesn't necessarily know a lot about
breastfeeding, and tends to stock whatever the rep. sells, eg there is a
company here which makes a lot of popular baby products, and they also sell
nipple shields. If the pharmacist stocks this company's range of products,
and most do, guess which nipple shield they also stock. It is not as bad as
those described above, but it is not one that most of *us* would recommend
(even when we see a place for them)!

Joy Anderson IBCLC, NMAA Breastfeeding Counsellor
Perth, Western Australia
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