Breastfeeding Tips for New Moms

For me, breastfeeding was difficult! It did not come naturally and was definitely not something that I picked up right away. I almost quit countless times with my first baby. The pain, the scabs, the bleeding, and the constant demand to nurse had me wanting to hide. But with a demanding princess who wanted her mom and limited other ways to soothe her, I found a few tricks to get through thanks to a few different lactation consultants, lots of reading, and a supportive husband.

The Nipple Shield

During the first two months with my little one, we discovered the nipple shield. It was a game changer when it came to helping with the pain and discomfort of the first few weeks. Before nursing, I would slip on the nipple shield, then latch my little one. Instantly, breastfeeding was more comfortable and soon my nipples even began to heal.

It was incredible how these changed breastfeeding for me and my first born. We used them for about two weeks, until we were able to have a dentist evaluate and clip her tongue-tie. Then we transitioned off of the nipple shields and continued a healthy fourteen month breastfeeding relationship.

A few tips for using nipple shields

What to Buy

1) Buy the ones with the case! These go into your little one’s mouth and you want to keep them dust free, pet hair free, etc. The case will protect them from gathering anything you would rather not have in your little one’s mouth.

2) Buy enough to have one in each nursing location, one in the diaper bag, and an extra for the emergency situations. This will help you keep your sanity when you nurse your baby as once you start using them, you will want them each time you nurse. Instead of carrying one set all over your house, hoping you don’t forget it, having a set in each dedicated nursing location and the diaper bag ensures you always have them with you. And the emergency each set is great in case one tears, snags, finds the dog’s mouth, or gets lost.

3) Size does matter! Be sure to get the right size for you. Unless you have a helpful lactation consultant who can give you samples to try, I have found that this is more a trial by error than anything else. Medela has a nice sizing chart to help, but the true test is nursing your little one with the nipple shields for the first time.

Cleaning

4) Be sure to wash after each use. Yes it is a bit of a pain to get up to wash them, but you definitely don’t want the milk left on the inside to dry on the nipple shield or be drank by your little one on the next nursing session.

5) Nipple shields should be a temporary solution only. Use them as you allow your nipples a few days to heal, look for other reasons that you are sore, or help yourself and baby learn to latch. I learned this the hard way with my second child.

Transitioning From the Nipple Shield

When my second child was born and pain began, I immediately turned to the nipple shield. We used these until his tongue-tie was corrected by the same dentist. But even afterwards, I kept on the nipple shield. Why? The pain returned even without the tongue-tie. We nursed using the nipple shields for a solid 5 months, and it was easy enough.

But I really wanted to transition from the shield and so started feeding him without them. Afterwards, I would find a wet spot under my little man’s head. His latch just wasn’t allowing him to get the milk to stay in his mouth as he had become accustom to the nipple shields. And latch for baby is definitely different with and without the nipple shields.

Why a Nipple Shield

If you find yourself a breastfeeding mama with sore, scabbed, maybe even bloody nipples, you are not alone. You may want to pick up a few nipple shields to try so that you may continue your breastfeeding journey. These are not just for women with flat or inverted nipples. They can help when you are experience pain, soreness, scabbing, or bleeding during breastfeeding and when you have an overactive letdown as well.

If you are turning to nipple shields due to pain or soreness, please also contact a local lactation consultant to guide you on your use of them. Please also check out my Breastfeeding Must Haves and Breastfeeding: Month 1 for more tips and tricks. Good luck helping your little butterfly flourish!

If you’ve ever used a nipple shield, leave us a comment below and let us know your experience. For those considering one, let us know any help or support you need.

Hi, I’m Nicole.

Here at Creatingbutterflies we provide families with practical solutions to real life problems for everything parenting, scouting, dual language, and enjoying time outdoors. We are a family of 6 with 4 wonderful becoming bilingual children who loves scouting, camping, and hiking with their family. Mom is an educator and dad is a firefighter/paramedic.