Any tips for weaning off the nipple shield? LOL is 11 days old and we've been using it for about a week as we waited to get her into the doc for her tongue tie and lip tie to be clipped. Post-clip she seems to have a wider latch but she still kind of fussy with just the nipple so I'm still using the shield. The lactation consultant said it will take a few days but I'm wondering if anyone has tips.
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Bumping for you!
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@LovelyPlum: thanks!
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Hm we didn't use a nipple shield but are you doing stretching exercises on your LO's mouth to prevent the TT from reattching? There are also exercises you can do to encourage LO to latch better and put her tongue in the right position, which she will have to re-learn how to do. One of these is to gently hold down her lower lip with a finger to open her mouth, and wait for her tongue to extend past her lips. Then release, and repeat. Anyway, hopefully this is helpful. I am sure others have tips about the nipple shield!
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I used a nipple shield with both of mine for the first 6 weeks or so. Won't lie, it was a bit of a battle to get them off the shield but it was worth it to avoid the hassle of using it when nursing in public and worrying about not having one, etc...
How I did it was I would let mine start nursing with the shield, then take it off very quickly whenever they unlatched and then shove their mouths onto the real nipple. At first, they would get pissed and there were several times when I gave up and put it back on but over about the course of a week, I was able to stop using the shield altogether. Once baby gets latched without the shield, it's usually fine, just the latching that's the hard part! -
We saw the consultant today again and she was pleased with her progress and wants us to ditch the shield. I'm slightly nervous b/c her latch is still a bit shallow but it's MUCH less painful!
@hilsy85: thanks! I've been doing the exercises t avoid reattachment, but hadn't heard of the lip one! I'll have to try that today.
@Trailmix: it's such a pain and so messy with all the milk that gets collected in it when she detaches! My lactation consultant suggested that same technique - getting them off it in the middle of a feeding when they aren't so ravenous.
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