'I panicked when my baby suddenly stopped breast-feeding'
I breast-fed for 9 months and used nipple protection shields for the first month when my breasts got sore. They're silicone discs, shaped like nipples. The baby sucks through them to get the milk and they're really good for preventing your nipples from hurting or cracking.
They look huge when you buy them, and you think, 'My nipple's not that big!' But when the baby sucks on the shield the nipple and surrounding area gets pulled in to the formed silicone. They're a must-have for all breast-feeders!
It wasn't all plain sailing though. Two weeks after her birth, my daughter Ay suddenly stopped breast-feeding. It was as if she had forgotten how to do it. I think she was picking up on my tiredness, and for some reason got very stressed when it was time to feed. It was heartbreaking for me and I felt really guilty. I didn't want to bottle-feed her because I'd heard that she would never go back to breast.
I had to feed her somehow, though, so I pumped out my milk with the Avent IQ Pump and bottle fed Amy for one week. I always offered her the breast and then the bottle if she couldn't or wouldn't breast-feed.
After eight or nine days, Amy suddenly started breast-feeding again. I think I must have been more relaxed and she picked up on that.
Claudia Winter, 29, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs, mum to Amy
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Student Midwife, 11 months
I'm a student midwife and I'd just like to say that nipple shields ARN'T a must for all breast feeding mothers, they have a time and a place and women should know the pro's and cons before deciding whether to use them. Currently UNICEF baby friendly initiative is saying NO to nipple sheilds, the main reasons are because when a baby is breast feeding it does two things : 1 it massages the breast to stimulate milk supply and 2 it sucks to stimulate milk supply, if you use nipple sheilds the baby can't massage the breast as well as it would be able to when not sucking through a nipple sheild which will then slowly but surely DECREASE your milk supply and this will frustrate your baby. Nipple shields should be used in cases when they are 100% necessary i.e. inverted nipples or seriously cracked or sore nipples, but only as a short term idea. If breast feeding hurts it's because the baby is latched on wrong, ask your
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student midwife, 11 months
1 it massages the breast to stimulate milk supply and 2 it sucks to stimulate milk supply, if you use nipple sheilds the baby can't massage the breast as well as it would be able to when not sucking through a nipple sheild which will then slowly but surely DECREASE your milk supply and this will frustrate your baby. Nipple shields should be used in cases when they are 100% necessary i.e. inverted nipples or seriously cracked or sore nipples, but only as a short term idea. If breast feeding hurts it's because the baby is latched on wrong, ask your midwife or health visitor to show you positioning and attachment or try online for breastfeeding support. Please don't just use nipple sheilds because you like the sound of them. http://www.babyfriendly.org.uk/pdfs/advertising_guidelines.pdf
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