Patricia and others who use nipple shields: I am curious to know what criteria you use for determining who is a good candidate for nipple shield use and who is not. Are there certain situations for which you would never dream of using a shield? I have used a shield once in five years for a case of a baby who would not go to breast no matter what and mother had next to no length of her nipple with inelastic tissue. Sure enough, we couldn't get baby off the shield ever until she weaned. I find I can solve most problems without ever going to a shield and I wonder if we pretended that they didn't exist, wuldn't necessity help us invent alternative techniques? Not criticizing, just philosophizing and curious. Alison