Mom Vs. Nipple Shield

by Stephanie
(Iowa, USA)

I always knew I would breastfeed my children. My mom had done that for my siblings and me, and there was simply no question that I would do the same for my own. It seemed like such a natural thing, it was healthy for both my child and me, it was an excellent way of bonding, and it was cheap just to name a few reasons that backed my desire to nurse.

When I was pregnant with my first child, I excitedly took a nursing class and could not wait to have my child handed to me for the very first time and to lovingly nurse him and connect with him.

Little did I know that when the time would actually come my little boy would have quite a bit of difficulty latching on. I was devastated.

What was I doing wrong?
Why couldn't he just nurse?

This should have been so natural. Before leaving the hospital, the nurses gave me a nipple shield, which did help him connect, and for that I was happy, but I was determined to nurse without the shield. Well, I tried and tried to no avail. My son simply could not latch on well enough to get a decent meal. There were many frustrating moments that ended in tears, and I became resigned to using the shield; after a time I tended to reach for the shield without even trying to nurse without.

When Nicholas, my son, was three months old we took a trip to see my family, and wouldn't you know it, I lost the nipple shield while at a family function. As Nicholas started to fuss and root, I frantically searched for the shield. I realized with a pit in my stomach that I would have to nurse without.


So many questions raced through my head, foremost among them being, "What would happen if he did not attach?" I went to a quiet room with my hungry little guy, and we tried and tried and tried. After about half an hour something amazing happened: he finally attached on his own.

I started crying, but this time they were tears of joy. I could finally nurse him the way I had always wanted to. I was ecstatic. Nursing was finally, more or less, stress free.

Now, as I am nursing my second child, which ended up being much easier than the first, I am always overcome by what a beautiful and amazing experience it is to be able to bond with my child in such a natural way. I find it so wonderful to be able to meet my child's needs with my own body.

Even though it took me a while to be able to nurse in the way that I wanted I would highly recommend mothers to nurse if they are at all able to. Above all, do not be afraid to ask for help: take advantage of nursing groups, which I unfortunately did not have access to with my first son, they can be so informative and supportive; talk to other nursing moms; read books; talk to nurses.

They are there to support you in making healthy decisions for you and your baby.