Like Heather, over 19 years ago my dh was sent out to buy the nipple shield
with the hard plastic/glass nipple ring and detachable long nipple that was in
common use on bottles then.  I can't remember how long I used it for - maybe a
day but just knew that it was a useless exercise and would not get Euan and I
together breastfeeding so I threw it in a drawer where it stayed for many a
year and resorted to the big old electric pump, abm and with the help of my
mother we did get our act together at about 3 weeks down the line.  The
shields disappeared off the shelves in favour of the thick terracotta mexican
hats, then came the latex and silicone ones.   19.5 years down the line and
what do I find? ---------
I have twice come across sale of the ring and teat in the last year! The first
time was a year ago when I found a stack of them in a chemist shop and I
mailed a note to lactnet about it.  I have to say that the gentleman
pharmacist was very embarrassed by me asking him not to sell them.  Because he
did not want to listen to me and wanted me out of the way, I did not buy one
for my museum of horrors.

Second time was about 2 months ago, it was sitting all lonesome on a shelf in
my local village chemist.  I bought it and then asked to speak to the
pharmacist.  She was a sweet slip of a girl, seemed barely out of school and
Uni, I explained that I had bought it for my museum of breastfeeding horrors
but mainly to save any mother buying it in the belief that it would help her
sore nipples or to get the baby to the breast.

I took the thing out of the box, assembled it  and demonstrated how the baby
could never breastfeed with this on top of the mother's nipple.  There was no-
one else at the till, my point was made, the pharmacist did not quite keep her
blushed cheeks cool but she kept her composure and assured me that she had not
known the shield was for sale, that it it must have found light of day in
refurbishment of the shop and some bright spark had come across it in the
clearout and put it on sale in amongst the baby things.  She said that in
future she would ensure that they were not sold in a shop under her care.  So,
happy ending with a pretty young pharmacist who learned something new and with
grace.   It may be coincidence but I found the offending item in the same
chain of chemist.

I have to admit that I cannot resist walking into a chemist if I pass one to
check out what they have for sale on the baby shelves and ready to educate!

Well, it is snowing but it is too wet and can't settle.  Helen, Storrington,
West Sussex, UK.