Hi Lactnetters, I guess don't see all the fuss about nipple shield. First of all I never cut the M___ silicone shield because we never use them for very long ( maybe 4-8 days) I always tell the mother, the first time I give her the shield that it may decrease her milk supply with long continued use and from the first time using the shield, we are working toward weaning from the shield. I use the shields very often in my practice. We had 86% of our mothers leave ther hospital breastfeeding in August with 82% still breast feeding 3 weeks later. I know that some of these mothers were successful breastfeeding because we used the shield. So if I can use a tool that will help a baby latch and the mother breastfeed, I am happy. Jan AkenRN IBCLC [log in to unmask]