Nipple shield

[dharmabum]

I have been using a nipple shield with my three week old since he was born. He wasn't latching when he was born (traumatic labor--led to a C section) and I didn't know of the nipple shields cons. I would like to wean him off the shield. Any attempt I make to offer my shieldless breast is met with immediate refusal and distressed behavior. I have tried offering my breast when he is sleepy, quickly removing the shield mid feed, and offering my breast at the slightest hunger cue...he always gets distressed. Any suggestions? Is there a better time to begin the weaning process?

He is gaining weight well, but his nursing takes a long time. Plus, it bums me out in general that he refuses my breast.

[aikigypsy]

my dd started out on a nipple shield and weaned off of it around 5-7 weeks. I had most luck with switching to bare-nipple in mid feed, but I never thought of it as "sneaking" the shield off, just waited until the nipple was well pulled out and the milk was flowing.

I have a preemie now. A lactation consultant at the hospital told me to pull the baby off mid-feed and see how far the nipple is pulled into the shield. She said that when the baby is pulling the nipple all the way up to the start of the rounded tip of the nipple shield, then that means they're strong enough to nurse without the shield.

FWIW, I didn't have any supply issues with the shield. That same lactation consultant said that the supply problem only usually shows up after several months of being nipple-shield dependant. So, don't stress out about it too much yet!

[Mama Lo]

I used nipple shields until my dd was about 8 weeks old. I was stressed about how to wean her off of it too, I tried a couple of different times to go without it and we both got so frustrated. But when the time was right, it just happened. No stress, I think when we quit, I pulled the shield off after she drew my nipple out. But I will also add, that I had no ill effects from using the shield those 2 months

[Mosaic]

I could never manage the mid-feed-switch. Instead, I would try to latch her on first without it, and if she got mad, I'd pop it on before she got REALLY mad. Then I'd try the other side without. Every feed I would try to latch on without it, and gradually she got better and better at even trying to latch on without the shield, lasting a tiny bit longer before she got cranky. I figured out eventually that she would latch on without it when she was half-asleep, so that helped, too. She was totally off of it lots faster than I expected!

[dharmabum]

Thanks you for the responses--they are really helpful! I guess I should dismiss my feelings of rejection and just be more patient.