Medela ContactTM Nipple Shield 24mm Standard - Medela 67203.
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$14.99
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$10.25
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Product Details
Product Length:
6.0 inches
Product Width:
5.0 inches
Product Height:
2.0 inches
Product Weight:
0.05 pounds
Package Length:
6.3 inches
Package Width:
4.6 inches
Package Height:
1.3 inches
Package Weight:
0.05 pounds
Average Customer Rating:
based on 51 reviews
Features
Contact Niplpe Shield
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: ( 51 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
117 of 119 found the following review helpful:
Great as a temporary aid to breastfeeding, but breastfeeding is much better without it Nov 22, 2009
By TR27
"Vanessa"
I bought this nipple shield to separate my bleeding and cracked nipples from the fabrics of my clothes, not realizing its true function at the time. Later I learned from my lactation consultant that clear plastic wrap (the thing you use to keep your vegetable fresh) serves as a barrier quite well, and the nipple shield is used for actual feeding. She taught me how to use it, as my nipples were in a terrible state due to poor latch-on, and that my baby refused to take anything but rubber nipples (we had to bottle-feed her from Day 3 to treat her jaundice; since then she had refused breasts). I used it almost exclusively until my baby was 6 weeks old, when one day she finally took the breast. Here are the pros and cons of this nipple shield based on my experience.
Pros: (1) For my baby who has nipple confusion, it immediately "fixed" that problem. She latched onto the nipple shield and fed at my breast. Without it she screamed at my breasts. The nipple shield was a saver of breastfeeding for me. Without it, I would have likely done EPing (exclusive pumping; there is a nice discussion board about it on iVilliage), which is much more difficult to maintain.
(2) It also allowed my bleeding nipples to heal (yes, an antibiotic ointment and lansinoh are needed for that); it really is a "shield" against the baby's chewing of the nipples.
(3) Unlike older types of nipple shields, this type apparently does not negatively affect milk supply or baby's weight gain, at least within the first 2 months. See J Clin Nurs. 2009 Nov;18(21):2949-55. Reexamination of ultra-thin nipple shield use, infant growth and maternal satisfaction. I did, however, met with the lactation consultant again to measure how much baby ate in one feeding. I also diligently tracked her weight gain and her diapers.
Cons: (1) Yes the nipple shield makes breastfeeding less convenient, but the worst problem I've encountered is gas. Baby swallows in a handful of gas along with milk and becomes *very* gassy. She had to sleep in my arms which raised her head and chest up. She was passing an enormous amount of gas both ways, and still a significant amount remained in her tommy. This made her cry and twist, and sometimes milk came out along with the gas during sleep and she choked on it occasionally. When she finally mastered nursing without the shield, there was much less gas. She slept better, cried less, and ate faster.
(2) Although the nipple shield is a quick and efficient fix of poor latch on, it is so helpful that the baby never got a chance to learn how to latch onto the real breast. Weaning the baby off the shield and training her to go for the real breast is a major challenge, not made any easier by the use of the shield.
(3) It is small and transparent and can be easily lost. You have to diligently wash it for subsequent feedings, etc.
Finally, I want to comment on things that helped my baby eventually feed at the breast without the shield: (1) Thanks to the shield, she learned to associate breasts with milk and became more willing to try the breast; (2) My sister, a nursing pro, persistently nagged at me for still using the breast shield; (3) Expressing some milk by hand at latch-on to remind the baby that there is milk in the real breast; (4) At 6-wk, the baby was stronger and more adept at drawing milk out, and my milk supply was better than before and the let-down reflex happened more quickly than previously. Both help reward baby for sucking at the real breast.
I am grateful for the designer of this nipple shield, but I am also very happy to be nursing without it. Wish others good luck.
24 of 24 found the following review helpful:
A Godsend - Takes the Bite Out of Nursing Jul 16, 2009
By I. Berryman Hallelujah! I had the hardest time in the beginning breastfeeding my daughter. She didn't latch correctly but yet had a very firm latch, so she literally took skin off of my nipples. Obviously it was extremely painful. I would wince in pain when she latched on, but once she was on it was ok. I freaked out after I saw blood near her head in her crib, but it was my blood from my nipples dripping out of her mouth! Aack! So I finally got a clue and saw a lactation consultant. Thank God for that profession. I showed her my nipples and she said that other women would have quit breastfeeding by then. But I was determined to breastfeed. She introduced me to these nipple shields, and I started using them right away. What a difference it has made! No more pain and baby and I are both happy as can be nursing! I now own 5 of these, I wash them periodically with soap and water and keep them in a Ziploc bag. It's handiest for me to wash them while I am showering. I keep two in a Ziploc bag in my diaper bag in case I forget to bring the other ones, which has happened. The lactation consultant initially told me to eventually discontinue them when my daughter learned to latch correctly, but I am still using them and plan to do so the entire time I nurse because my pre-nipple shield experience was extremely painful. I only wish I found them sooner, and I recommend them to any mother that is experiencing latching problems or inverted nipples. They truly are a wonderful product that I could not live without.
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Breastfeeding at 9 months and still going strong Jan 26, 2010
By VLP I pumped for the first 2 months because my baby wouldn't latch. I tried everything including many trips to a lactation consultant. She was a "tongue thruster" as they would say. After 2 months I was completely worn out from pumping and my dreams of breastfeeding seemed like they were gone. I had bought this shield at the beginning but was afraid to use it because of worries of decreased supply, etc. Well I was away from my husband for a week at my parents and pumping and feeding her by myself left me no time for sleeping during the night so I figured it was now or never. I tried the shield and since it was so similar to the bottles she had been using she did way better latching then normal. I tried removing it after 2 mins like it said and it never worked. She will be 9 months on Friday and I have been breastfeeding with the shield 100% of the time since then. I have bought an extra one as a backup but my original is still working. The best money I ever spent for her. Thank you Medela for another great product.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
So helpful! Mar 22, 2007
By Christy Owens I have short nipples, and using the shield was an excellent way to train my little girl to latch on and pull my nipple out. Breastfeeding alone was so difficult at the beginning, but once a lactation consultant introduced these plus the medela nursing supplementer, we were good to go. I highly recommend for those having difficulties with latch on.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Thank the Lord for this product Jul 04, 2011
By Dorothy I was determined to breastfeed my son, born in May 2011. I tried with my daughter, now 8, but had latching issues and low milk supply even pumping hourly. (I believe if I had known about this product, I would have had success with her.) Anyway, I breastfed with great success for the first week with my son, however, my nipples began to crack and hurt very, very badly. I'm talking crying as he latched on badly. I was determined, though, that my son was going to get breast milk. So I bought an electric double pump and pumped every two hours, day and night, for two weeks. Then my sister-in-law told me about nipple shields.
Now I knew that nipple shields could be used by those with inverted nipples to help draw them out, but had no idea that they could be used for sore nipples. I went on target.com to order one and they weren't available online, only in store (which is 35 miles away for me) so I ordered from amazon. I kept pumping and waiting for my medela nipple shields--I ordered two because I tend to lose things.
They came, I washed them, and began using them the same day. They were the answer to my prayers. Thank the Lord for the person who invented these. My nipples are healed (it was terrible, I literally was missing little chunks, sorry if tmi) and I am even now mostly not using the shields. After a few weeks of use, I am able to go back and forth between using and not using them.
I lost one of the shields and ordered a different brand from target, simplisse. It is an inferior product and a little to small for my nips. Another good thing about the medela is that going from the bottle to the medela nipple shield was an easy transition. I don't think I would have had such luck from the softer simplisse shield.
I highly recommend the medela nipple shield and can't praise it enough!
based on 51 reviews
Great as a temporary aid to breastfeeding, but breastfeeding is much better without it Nov 22, 2009
By TR27
"Vanessa"
A Godsend - Takes the Bite Out of Nursing Jul 16, 2009
By I. Berryman
