My son will be 4 months old next week and I have been using nipple shields since he was 2 days old. I have tried every method you can imagine to get rid of the stupid things and nothing has worked. I finally accepted that they were just going to be part of our nursing relationship indefinitely even though I hate them and they cause painful blisters. Giving breastmilk to my son was the most important thing to me so I just dealt with it.
But last week I found out that my son only gained 2 oz. in a month, and a lot of the people I've talked to are blaming the shields for lowering my supply. He has always seemed satisfied, had plenty of wet diapers, is meeting milestones, has grown a lot in length without looking any thinner to me (not any chubbier either, but he is just a small baby in general), etc. so I just assumed that everything was fine, but his weight threw me for a loop. I am not sure if it's just how he is naturally built (I know he is meant to be a tiny/skinny baby, but I'm not sure if 2 oz. in a month is healthy even for him) or if the shields really are the problem, but I am treating it as if I have a supply issue since it can't hurt to give him more.
I'm on the max dose of fenugreek and I'm double pumping with a Medela Pump in Style for 20 minutes immediately after each nursing session. I supplement him with what I pumped in the previous session using a 5 mL dropper, and it's usually 1-2 oz. total on top of whatever he gets from nursing alone. Some people are pushing me to give formula or order domperidone from overseas, and then there are others on the opposite extreme that think all the pumping and fenugreek is unnecessary and I shouldn't worry about it at all. His ped hasn't really said much of anything, but I will talk to her more at his 4 month checkup next week. I am worried she will tell me to start him on solids or supplement with formula, and I know neither is the end of the world, but it's not what I had planned on and would be disappointing.
In the meantime, I am yet again desperate to get rid of the shields so I won't even have to worry about these issues anymore. Has anybody used a shield this long and then successfully gotten rid of them? Anybody have a high needs baby that they were able to wean off of nipple shields after long-term use? What finally worked? I need some hope here. I feel like I am failing and like this nursing relationship is right on the edge of falling apart, and that breaks my heart. I desperately wanted to nurse at least a year, was hoping for 2 years. Now I feel like I will be lucky to make it to 6 months
My latest attempts have been latex shields (that are just like the Medela silicone shields, not the older style ones that are thick and shaped like bottle nipples) that I can cut a bit away from over time until nothing is left, and I just ordered an SNS. I have gotten him to nurse with the latex shields a few times, but ever since I gave him several bottles in a day to give him the EBM that I had pumped he fights nursing in general and the path of least resistance is the silicone shield. I'm hoping to get him used to it again (seems to be going ok so far) and then start trying to switch to the latex shields again. They aren't nearly as stiff as the silicone and I know they smell and taste different, so it's not as simple as just switching over to them. I did get him to latch on to the breast for 5 minutes yesterday, the longest he's latched on shield-less since he was a few weeks old, and he pulled off after the initial flow of milk slowed down. That's what inspired me to try the SNS, thinking that if I could entice him with a steadier flow of milk that he might be more willing to take the breast, plus if I can use that to supplement him instead of the dropper it will save me some time and it won't cause nipple confusion.
Oh, and just for reference, these are all the weights I have record of:
Birth: 5 lb. 12 oz.
2 weeks: 5 lb. 12 oz.
3 weeks: 6 lb. 3 oz.
5.5 weeks: 7 lb. 7 oz.
2 months: 8 lb. 8 oz.
2.5 months: 9 lb.
3.5 months: 9 lb. 2 oz. (this was a week ago, I will weigh him again today to compare and see if all of the pumping/supplementing in the past week has caused him to gain anything)
Edited to add that I've seen two LCs and I've also talked to LLL leaders and my midwife, and so far none of their help or suggestions have worked to get rid of the shields. I don't want to try and go cold turkey because I know my son will scream bloody murder for hours, and with the weight gain concerns I don't want him going that long without eating.
But last week I found out that my son only gained 2 oz. in a month, and a lot of the people I've talked to are blaming the shields for lowering my supply. He has always seemed satisfied, had plenty of wet diapers, is meeting milestones, has grown a lot in length without looking any thinner to me (not any chubbier either, but he is just a small baby in general), etc. so I just assumed that everything was fine, but his weight threw me for a loop. I am not sure if it's just how he is naturally built (I know he is meant to be a tiny/skinny baby, but I'm not sure if 2 oz. in a month is healthy even for him) or if the shields really are the problem, but I am treating it as if I have a supply issue since it can't hurt to give him more.
I'm on the max dose of fenugreek and I'm double pumping with a Medela Pump in Style for 20 minutes immediately after each nursing session. I supplement him with what I pumped in the previous session using a 5 mL dropper, and it's usually 1-2 oz. total on top of whatever he gets from nursing alone. Some people are pushing me to give formula or order domperidone from overseas, and then there are others on the opposite extreme that think all the pumping and fenugreek is unnecessary and I shouldn't worry about it at all. His ped hasn't really said much of anything, but I will talk to her more at his 4 month checkup next week. I am worried she will tell me to start him on solids or supplement with formula, and I know neither is the end of the world, but it's not what I had planned on and would be disappointing.
In the meantime, I am yet again desperate to get rid of the shields so I won't even have to worry about these issues anymore. Has anybody used a shield this long and then successfully gotten rid of them? Anybody have a high needs baby that they were able to wean off of nipple shields after long-term use? What finally worked? I need some hope here. I feel like I am failing and like this nursing relationship is right on the edge of falling apart, and that breaks my heart. I desperately wanted to nurse at least a year, was hoping for 2 years. Now I feel like I will be lucky to make it to 6 months
My latest attempts have been latex shields (that are just like the Medela silicone shields, not the older style ones that are thick and shaped like bottle nipples) that I can cut a bit away from over time until nothing is left, and I just ordered an SNS. I have gotten him to nurse with the latex shields a few times, but ever since I gave him several bottles in a day to give him the EBM that I had pumped he fights nursing in general and the path of least resistance is the silicone shield. I'm hoping to get him used to it again (seems to be going ok so far) and then start trying to switch to the latex shields again. They aren't nearly as stiff as the silicone and I know they smell and taste different, so it's not as simple as just switching over to them. I did get him to latch on to the breast for 5 minutes yesterday, the longest he's latched on shield-less since he was a few weeks old, and he pulled off after the initial flow of milk slowed down. That's what inspired me to try the SNS, thinking that if I could entice him with a steadier flow of milk that he might be more willing to take the breast, plus if I can use that to supplement him instead of the dropper it will save me some time and it won't cause nipple confusion.
Oh, and just for reference, these are all the weights I have record of:
Birth: 5 lb. 12 oz.
2 weeks: 5 lb. 12 oz.
3 weeks: 6 lb. 3 oz.
5.5 weeks: 7 lb. 7 oz.
2 months: 8 lb. 8 oz.
2.5 months: 9 lb.
3.5 months: 9 lb. 2 oz. (this was a week ago, I will weigh him again today to compare and see if all of the pumping/supplementing in the past week has caused him to gain anything)
Edited to add that I've seen two LCs and I've also talked to LLL leaders and my midwife, and so far none of their help or suggestions have worked to get rid of the shields. I don't want to try and go cold turkey because I know my son will scream bloody murder for hours, and with the weight gain concerns I don't want him going that long without eating.
