Medela Silicone Contact Nipple Shields, Soft Ultra-Thin Design, Made Without BPA, 1 Pack of 2 Shields (20 mm) and Case

These were great. I bought them in desperation as my son’s latch is painful for the first 20-30 seconds and then settles. He is 3 weeks old and I really didn’t want to give up BF him. I do recommend that you see a lactation consultant or visit a local BF cafe to check for tongue tie or shallow latch before using these. Pain on initial latch is normal. Pain throughout the feed isn’t.Pros- makes it easier for baby to latch- reduces pain on initial latch- makes BF more comfortable- helps with the dread of feeding when initial latch is painful- helps with continuing BF during early weeks- protects nipples during first few weeks of BF or if your baby has been cluster feeding and your nipples are worn downCons- can fall off or baby can knock them off your nipple if they’re worked up and very hungry- might be tricky when out and about and trying to feed a hungry baby as they can be fiddly to get on and keep onOverall I like having them as an option but I don’t use them all the time. They would be tricky when out and about as it’s a lot of effort to put them on and then get baby on. They can fall off too.The BF brigade don’t recommend them but do what works for you and your baby. These allowed me to carry on BF which can only be to my baby’s benefit.

They really helped me. Baby is feeding really well with these. They are comfortable for both and helped me continue breastfeeding. The only thing is that I started with them quite early and now baby finds it difficult to latch without them.

My son was born 7 weeks early and was fed expressed milk via a NG tube for the first 2 weeks. When he was strong enough to attempt breastfeeding we really struggled, as he was unable to stay latched for more than a few seconds. I'd spend ages re latching him over and over, but he'd end up getting too tired or frustrated and give up. He couldn't be discharged until he was feeding properly, so this was prolonging his hospital stay.I was literally on the brink of bottle feeding (which I really didn't want to do), when another SCBU mum suggested nipple shields. I purchased the medium size, and initially had a lot of trouble attaching them properly, but eventually found that they fit comfortably. I was amazed when the first time using these my son was able to stay on and feed for a full 15 minutes! After a couple of days he was able to feed with the nipple shields for over 45 minutes, and he was gaining weight well, so we were finally discharged!I've been exclusively breastfeeding my son for 5 weeks so far, thanks to the Medela shields. He's gaining on average 9oz per week and is thriving beautifully, so they're certainly doing the trick. This past week we have been able to introduce a bottle of expressed milk seamlessly, and he easily switches from breast to bottle, which I think the shields have helped with.I haven't given these 5 stars as I do often have trouble getting the shields to stay on during a feed, which is frustrating for both me and my baby when they have to keep having to be re attached. This doesn't happen every time, but when it does it's very tricky juggling a screaming baby and stubborn nipple shield! Also, he does take in more air with these and gets quite gassy as a result.All in all I'm very grateful to Medela for enabling me to continue breastfeeding my son, however I wouldn't recommend using these for too long as they're very difficult to wean off of. Unfortunately we didn't have a choice initially, but now I think I'm stuck with these for the remainder of our breastfeeding relationship. A bit fiddly but better than not breastfeeding at all!

Very good. Baby easily latches on and my nipples are not sore

Good quality but was not doing the job

Perfect for inverted nipples. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn't get the baby to latch, even with expert help. These were a game changer and the baby feeds on them perfectly.

I could not recommend this enough. When I had my baby boy he latched easily on my left side but not on the right. I had bleeding and cracked nipples for about a week before trying a nipple shield from a different brand.I was about to quit on breastfeeding as it was too painful even using a nipple cream. It was a miracle, it felt so comfortable. I then tried these Medela shields for the first time and I have beeb using them since, there is less waste and they stick better than other brands.I know we're supposed to use nipple shields temporarily, but neither my baby nor I can give this up. He will be three months old soon, and thanks to this I now believe I'll be able to breastfeed for as long as we would like.The health visitors have advised me to try to breastfeed without it and to be honest I have tried and my baby can still latch without it, but I honestly don't feel like it's reducing my milk supply or causing any harm as my baby is gaining the perfect amount of weight. It's our little secret cheat :)I use a cold water steriliser to sterilise them once a day and then keep them in their box during all day and night just using a bit of warm water and washing up liquid to clean them after feeds. I was sterilising my first pair after every feed and they only lasted a week. I've been using my second pair for almost two months and just felt the need to replace then recently.The size is quite important, my first pair was a medium and I then switched to small and although there's not much difference when you look at it, it feels like it sticks better.