>> Would this be a situation when you pro-nipple shield ladies would use one?
<<

I am new to all this so I might be eating my words down the road. But I am
kind of surprised when I hear about people throwing lots of equipment at
women and normal 5 day old babies (not anyone on Lactnet - nothing personal
here!). Nipple shields, supplemental nursers, feeding tubes. I try to tell
Moms look, this will take time. And patience. This is day 5, your milk just
came in, your baby is still half asleep. This is all normal, there's
nothing wrong with YOU. Go to bed with your baby. Kick out all unsupportive
visitors. Keep trying. Three sucks is better than none, five minutes better
than one; ten minutes and we're almost there. I then ring her up like
crazy, count pees and poos, and try to support her.
If she really gets fed up I try the pump because if baby isn't latching
then he's not getting milk, Mom isn't establishing milk supply, and baby is
probably  about to get formula. A pump is uncomplicated and predictable and
makes Mom feel she has solved one problem - getting breast milk for the
baby. She now knows she is producing milk and she can control pumpings and
milk supply and have a nice predictable outcome (most Moms). It also often
solves another by softening breast, getting lots of breast milk about the
place, and getting baby interested in where the milk is coming from. (Of
course a total purist would teach hand expression instead but I don't think
most US women are ready for such labor intensive learning).
I am really hesitant to suggest either a nipple shield or a supplemental
nurser at day 5, even if the baby is on a bottle. I reckon, get EBM into
the bottle first and keep pushing the breast with EBM dripping all over it
- at least for a few days. Then very slowly raise the idea of alternative
feeding methods, one by one - taking into account all Mom's capabilities.
Maybe I'm wrong or naive or just hesitant about equipment I haven't used
much. Is it best to get the baby off the bottle AT ONCE? I wait to hear...
Anne Merewood