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What made you start using a nipple shield? Pain? Latch? Flat nipples?

LO used a nipple shield for the first three weeks or so. The LC in the hospital gave it to me because I had flat nipples and LO wasn't opening his mouth enough.

I really disliked using the shield because it was an extra step and a pain to get on. My biggest challenge in weaning was getting LO to open his mouth wider. When he wasn't nursing, I faced him towards me, stared at him, and opened my mouth really wide. Basically I was trying to get him to imitate me. The first times I tried to nurse without the shield it was the middle of the day. I tried to get him to latch without the shield, even briefly. I put the shield on if he needed it. Little by little, he could nurse longer without it and I increased the number of feeds each day that I nursed without the shield. Nights were the last to go. It took less than two weeks to get him comfortable nursing without the shield.

After four months, it's really up to you if you want to wean from the shield. I would at least try. If it doesn't go well, you could try again another time or just leave things the way they are. Good luck!

I would wean. My DS was on the nipple shield for 5 weeks and I hated that thing - cannot imagine doing it for 4 months!

We did it similar to @MusicaV: I started each session with the nipple shield and then after a minute or so I would take it off and try to latch him - he would refuse so I would put the shield back on. At some point he started to nurse with out it but I still had to start the session with it on. Then I did the same thing at the start - tried w/o the nipple shield but if he refused I would put it on. I think it took about 2 weeks to totally get rid of it!

We weaned from the shield at 5 months. I honestly thought she was going to use it forever. I just tried to initiate each feed without it. Sometimes it worked and sometimes I had to grab the shield. This took about two weeks until we were finally done! I had tried several times before but she just wasn't ready.

I would try to wean, but if it doesn't work, don't stress about it. We used a shield for about four months and I never had a real issue with it. I had flat nipples so if it wasn't for the shield I wouldn't have been able to nurse at all so I was very grateful to have it. Rather than trying to initiate feeds without the shield I would get her latched with the shield and then once she has nursed for a little while, try to unlatch, remove the shield, and get her back on. Nursing for a minute or two first will help draw out your nipple so it's easier for her to latch without the shield. In our case I tried multiple times to wean from the shield and my LO just wouldn't do it, so I just stopped trying. And then one day while nursing she popped off, ripped the shield of my nipple, popped back on, and never used it again. So she let me know when she was ready : )

I started using one in the hospital and still use it today.

My son is 6months old and started off in the 50th percentile for weight and height and is now in the 90th for both so obviously he is getting all the good he needs from my breast milk regardless of how he gets it!

I got a referral for a free 1 on 1 session with a lactation consultant to help wean him off it when he was around 3 months old I was so scared because I remembered the pain from the cracked and bleeding nipples that made me use a shield in the first place but it actually wasn't that bad!
The lady was so nice and she said don't just jump into not using it, try for 1 feed a day when baby is relaxed (not 1st feed of the day!) and slowly build up. In the beginning she got me to start a feed with the shield, then gently unlatch baby and put him back on without the shield.

It was going really well but then I got really sick & it was stressing me out so my midwife advised me to go back to the shields while I got better and try again after. However I never did try again, but honestly I am ok with it. He feeds well, I have plenty of milk so in my opinion I don't see any reason to stop as its working for us!