[adagio]

Does anyone have any tips on feeding in public with nipple shields? I have tried without them and DS is not interested and can't latch. I just feel that in public it's too stressful rushing to put the nipple shield on under a wrap when hes crying to be fed and most of the time DS neck and face will be wet as I can't see what he's doing or he knocks it off spilling the milk thats collected on us! Then there's taking it off without anyone seeing. I'd really love to sit in a cafe rather than a parent room! Anyone else managed with them? Feeling a bit disheartened that I can't bf without them.

DS is 6 weeks old

[AryaStar]

It is a hassle, I agree with you but I did find that we both got more adept at using them as time went on.

We used nipple shields exclusively for 14 months because we had poor attachment (my dodgy flat nipples). And I have no doubt there was also a healthy dose of my son's stubbornness thrown in there as well because I was never able to wean him off them, even as he got older.

No real tips other than to keep going and I'd probably ditch the wrap if you can. The worst part is getting the shield on and baby attached, once that is done there's nothing really left for anyone to see. I'd just be as quick as possible and not look around while I was fiddling about so I had no idea if anyone was even paying any attention. It does get easier.

Try not to feel too disheartened. You may well be able to wean him off as he gets older and TBH I found that BF was such a wonderful thing for us both that I was so grateful we were even able to have that relationship at all thanks to the nipple shields.

[lucky 2]

Not personal experience but I have seen lots of women feed with them. I wonder if you could do away with the wrap, ? put the shield on whilst your bra cup is still up (easier if your bra is not tight, the get bub into position before folding down the bra, have bubs hands out of the way if you can, his chest tucked in close then slide down bra and put bub on.
At the end of the feed you could take the shield off quickly and they are quite soft, let it fold in half and catch it in your bra cup, ? down the bottom and sort it out later, or fold it and put in in your bra in the cleavage space. I don't know if these would make it easy for you but they may, its just a piece of plastic and can be squished and I don't think it would hurt you or the shield to push it away or even leave it in place and cover up, short term, so you can enjoy feeding anywhere.
All the best.

[deejie]

Hi adagio

I used them for a while with DS1 and ended up ditching the wrap. I did put it on under the privacy of the wrap (fiddly dang things), but once it was on I wrangled DS1 on to the breast and then just ditched the wrap. I would lift my shirt up to put the shield on (under the wrap), and then pull it back down over most of the exposed skin and quickly attach DS. Once he was attached the only reason for the wrap was my own insecurity about feeding in public. Remember your baby is still so little, so try not to be too disheartened. You will grow in confidence feeding in public as you get more used to it. I used to feel terribly self conscious, like everyone was looking at me all the time. They weren't!

I used the shields due to a flat left side and shredded nipples from poor attachment, for ~3 weeks. I weaned DS1 off them with the help of a lactation consultant then, so don't feel as though you will be neccessarily "stuck" with them forever.

[heffalumpsnwoozl...]

I remember so well, the first time I fed DD1 in public was at a restaurant and I felt like I was all thumbs with the nipple shield so I ended up feeding her in the toilet. That was my all-time parenting low and I swore I'd never do that again. If it's any consolation, I fed DD2 outside the reptile exhibit at Taronga Zoo when she was 2 weeks old, nipple shield and all. It does get easier.

I never used a wrap, it's just too much to juggle, so my first tip would be ditch the wrap.

Always have tissues on hand, because a shield full of milk makes quite a mess on your shirt. A tissue will catch most of it.

I always wore tops that I could just pull down and aside, I found it easier than lifting tops up because I could see what I was doing.

So, when attaching DD on the left side, I would hold her in my right hand (hand on upper back, thumb under her left ear, fingers on her right cheek). Nipple shield in left hand. Pull down top and unclip bra with left hand, cover nipple with nipple shield which is in the palm of my hand. Attach baby.

When feed is finished, hold tissue in left hand. Release baby into right hand, with left pointer on nipple shield. Slide tissue to bottom of shield, remove from the top down so that excess milk drips through holes into tissue. Screw shield and tissue up together in left hand while putting bra and top in place. Slip the whole lot into a ziplock bag and worry about cleaning later.

We used shields for about 8 weeks (flat nipples) but we were eventually able to move on (me and both my babies). It does get easier as you get your little tricks down. Hope this helps.

[rachel*t*p]

Hi adagio

I used them for a while with DS1 and ended up ditching the wrap. I did put it on under the privacy of the wrap (fiddly dang things), but once it was on I wrangled DS1 on to the breast and then just ditched the wrap. I would lift my shirt up to put the shield on (under the wrap), and then pull it back down over most of the exposed skin and quickly attach DS. Once he was attached the only reason for the wrap was my own insecurity about feeding in public. Remember your baby is still so little, so try not to be too disheartened. You will grow in confidence feeding in public as you get more used to it. I used to feel terribly self conscious, like everyone was looking at me all the time. They weren't!

I used the shields due to a flat left side and shredded nipples from poor attachment, for ~3 weeks. I weaned DS1 off them with the help of a lactation consultant then, so don't feel as though you will be neccessarily "stuck" with them forever.

This sounds like how I did it - only used the wrap for privacy while placing the shield. I used a muslin rather than a proper breastfeeding wrap, so I used to loosely tie the muslin around my neck so it wouldn't slip.

I did find the wrap was a big pain though, so once I got better and more confident, I found I could be pretty discrete by hunching over facing away from people to get the shield on if I needed to put it on from the bottom of the shirt.

I also discovered that certain clothes I own are better suited to bfing in public, so I tried to wear them if going out.

Another thing I did was try to move away from view to attach her and then move back once she was feeding. e.g. choose a table in the corner of the cafe and sit facing the corner with my back to everyone and then once attached move to facing the cafe. Bit boring to look into the corner for a long period of time if by yourself.

I have basically never used a parent's room for feeding as I personally don't like them for that purpose.

I agree too with the above that you will get more confident. DD is my second child, but my first to be bf. I could attach DS but he would never suck so I expressed milk for him. I was very insecure and not at all confident when it came to feeding DD. After a lot of difficulty she was successfully bf. She is now 14 months old and still has a morning and evening feed, sometimes more, but I no longer feed her in public/outside of the house as she is so darn nosy, her head pops up every 2 seconds to see what is going on if we are not at home.

Good luck! When they are young they need a lot more guidance to attach etc, so it is harder to be discrete. As the baby gets bigger and better at attaching etc, it gets easier to feed discretely. And you also feel more confident to feed when you are out and about.

[kkbelle]

I put the shield on, inside my bra, before I went out. That way I could latch DD1 on quickly when she first stirred, and by the time she was on the other side, she was more settled so I could take my time in being discreet.

[Guest_BessMarvin_*]

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This post has been edited by BessMarvin: 11/04/2012, 09:38 PM

[PreachersWife]

I also used shields with both Dd and DS and fed them both for 12 months. It does get easier as they get older, DS would even ''wait' for the shield before he would start! I agree that the wrap probably needs to go. Also as PP have said, some clothes were easier to feed in. I usually wore a BF bra and singlet under my t shirt. I would unclip both, pull down my bra, pull up my t shirt and fit the shield underneath the singlet. That way I could use baby's head as a cover and just pull down the singlet at the last minute. It sounds really complicated writing it down, but I had it down pat after a few weeks. The singlet also helped to catch the left over milk in the shield at the end of the feed!

I have also used the pram to hide behind as well, a strategically placed pram can hide a lot and gave me somewhere to put my feet!

Good luck and it will get easier

[Guest_BessMarvin_*]

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This post has been edited by BessMarvin: 11/04/2012, 09:38 PM