# Nipples torn.....nipple shields??



## gbryndi (Sep 29, 2005)

ok i just got over thrush and many of you helped with that and now i need help with one more thing please. My nipples ow are torn all the way around where the nipple and the areloa connect and cant nurse cuz everytime DD nurses she re-opens the wounds and they never heal. So my question is, has anyone ever used the nipple shields?? If so, how did you like them and did they work?? If you have had the same thinga s i do?? Or in general??? Thank you for reading and will really appreciate the posts.


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## ledzepplon (Jun 28, 2004)

I have tried silicone nipple shields when my dd was a newborn. We were having some nursing difficulties, which resulted in her biting down on my nipples and causing deep cracks. I used the shields for about a week, until the cracks were healed enough that they didn't reopen. I did not have a problem with "weaning" her from the shields. In hindsight, I think part of the problem was an overactive letdown, so the shield also probably helped her regulate the milk flow a bit until my breasts settled down, so to speak.

I know soome people have had negative expericences with shields, but I did not. You might want to talk to a lactation consultant or other breastfeeding expert before you get started, but IMO, if used properly, these things can be a lifesaver.


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## rozzie'sma (Jul 6, 2005)

Nipple shields are controversial because since there is no direct contact with the nipple it can decrease milk supply. My breasts also cracked, bleed, and scabbed with my dd, so I know how painful it can be. I used the palmers nipple ointment, I got it at Walgreens, and it was very soothing. After a nursing session, rub some of your milk into them, let air dry, apply palmers. Also a tea bag soaked in some cool water felt heavenly. They will heal on their own even if nursing is opening the wound. I don't know how old your dd is but it took about a month for mine to heal. Also have you had your latch assessed. You shouldn't be tearing all the way around like that. I hope that helps. Also make sure you are not leaning over the baby and she is propped up at nipple height, it sounds like she is putting too much tension and kind of pulling your nipple down


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## TOmom (May 21, 2005)

I have the same problem right now - I have a tear/cut at the base of both nipples (not all the way around but halfway on one nipple and less on the other). This damage occurred during the first week after birth and ds is now just over 7 weeks. In the early weeks it was excruciatingly painful now it is much less so although it still hurts to latch as the cut opens up more as you said when nursing. It is definitely not closing up (I don't think it ever will) but the raw area is less sore and must be healing even though it's open. My point is that I did nothing except use jack newmans nipple ointment to avoid infection of the wound and generally keep bacteria from entering the breast. ds nurses less often now and more efficiently so that helps alot to rest the sore. Good luck I hope you start healing soon, I can't wait for the day that nursing is pain free for me I know it will come eventually.


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## marisa724 (Oct 31, 2003)

I did use nipple shields for trauma much like what you describe. After being on painkillers following a c-section, I was completely oblivious to my son's bad latch and I managed to sustain a lot of damage over the first two weeks. By week three I was cut and bleeding.

I visited a fantastic LC who gave me a lot of great advice, and gave me the nipple shield. It allowed my son to nurse longer without me being in pain (helping his weight gain) and it allowed me a couple of weeks to heal.

It's not a cure-all -- it's inconvenient, they're like giant contact lenses that disappear when you drop them on the floor...







But I think that anything that can extend the breastfeeding relationship should be viewed as positive.

I had no problem discontinuing the shield after a couple of weeks, when I was more healed. One bonus was that using the shield seemed to draw out my somewhat flat nipples to make them an easier shape to latch onto.

If you can, try to talk to a LC or someone from LLL in your area for more 'expert' advice. Definitely ask someone to look at your baby's latch, since you shouldn't really be so torn up. Hopefully a soothing regimen of some kind of nipple ointment (or even expressed milk) coupled with the use of the shield will speed your healing.


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## MotheringHeart (Dec 18, 2005)

I used nipple shields when my first dd was born. She was a premie and didn't have her suck swallow and my nipples didn't stick out very well and she had a hard time having the strength to suck them well enough. I know this is a different problem, but I used them for an extended period of time - like three months - and had no problem with my milk supply and no problem weaning her from the shield.

I would definitely get your latch checked out, though. There really shouldn't be that kind of trauma.


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## WendyC (Jun 16, 2005)

I researched (when I had to use the shields) the controversy over possible damage to your supply and what seemed the general rule in the LC conversations I overheard was that the older shields that were thicker did do damage to your supply, but the newer ones that are the thin, thin silicone did not effect it as much. Of coarse use common sense and if you don't think she is emptying your breast as well - it can't hurt to pump after a feed. Its also important to get as much of your nipple in the shield as possible - my LC showed me a trick where she inverted the shield and would put the inverted shield on my nipple and pop it so it would suck in a large area of areola. Its hard to explain when you write it out! I hope you get the drift!

I had to use them during the first few weeks when I was transitioning from the bottle to the breast and found them to be instrumental in our success. They were a pain - they got dirty and gross and no matter how many times I washed them, it was like they attracted grime out of the thin air - blech! I had no problem switching later on - I think Ella got tired of them too. BUT they were a lifesaver in the begining.


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