Women's experiences using a nipple shield.
An informal, retrospective telephone survey of 202 breastfeeding women was conducted over an 8-month period of time, assessing patients' perceptions regarding use of a silicone nipple shield. Women used the shield most frequently because of flat nipples (62%). Other reasons for shield use included the infant's disorganized suck (43%), sore nipples (23%), engorgement (15%), prematurity (12%), short frenulum (1%), and other reasons (1%). Forty-six percent of the women gave more than 1 reason for using a shield. Sixty-seven percent of the women continued to breastfeed after transitioning off the nipple shield. Median duration of nipple shield use for this group of women was 2 weeks. Thirty-three percent of the women who used the nipple shield with every breastfeeding breastfed from 1 day to 15 months. Five percent of women used the shield on only one side from 1 day to 9 months.
Deaconess Billings Clinic Family Birth Center, Billings, MT 59107-3700, USA.
Diane
D
Powers
Vicki Bodley
VB
Tapia
D001942:Breast Feeding; D003253:Consultants; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009558:Nipples / Q000473:pathology*; D011482:Protective Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012828:Silicones; D013689:Telephone; D013997:Time Factors
D012828:Silicones