Nipple Caps

Nipple shield, nipple caps, or nipple covers are alternative names used for protective breastfeeding products. These covers or caps are used in special situations.

A nipple cap is a soft, fragile piece of rubber or silicone that will cover the nipple and areola of a feeding mother. There is a small opening at the tip of the nipple area that allows the breast mill to smoothly flow from the breast, through the shield, into the mouth of your newborn. This device is helpful in certain situations. Using a nipple cover when you don’t need it can cause some serious breastfeeding problems. It can also hurt the health and growth rate of the newborn. Therefore it is always important to consult a doctor or an expert before deciding to use these small latching devices.

Times when you can use a nipple guard

A breastfeeding shield is highly recommended when you are having some serious breastfeeding issues. However, in any case, the core intention is to deal with any latching difficulties. These shields are mostly helpful in providing comfort to the newborn you are having trouble with sucking milk from the mother’s breast. In many cases, experts and mothers claim to earn benefits from these devices. Therefore for varying needs of mothers and babies, you can find a lot of nipple shield types, each with different nipple shield sizes available in the market. Here are some times when you can consider using a nipple shield for nursing.

Flat, short, inverted nipples

When your newborn feels a firm nipple against the roof of the mouth, it will trigger the sucking reflex (even if the baby is sleeping). This reflex will help to focus the baby’s latch. This process follows if the mother has inverted or flat nipples. Here the baby may find it difficult to trigger the latching needs if its mouth cannot feel the nipple. Location flat nipples can be even more difficult for the baby who sleeps after a medicated or stressful birth. A well-fitted nipple shield can provide the much needed firm touch to trigger the baby’s palate and get the feeding process going in all such situations.

For premature babies

Arriving early in the world brings a lot of challenges, including breastfeeding issues in premature babies. Some babies can find it hard to latch at first. In such cases, kangaroo or skin-to-skin care can be of great help for these babies. It can help them stabilize the body system and prime their instinctive feeling attitude. As a result, they can concentrate on learning to suck from the mother’s breast. A finely fitted nipple cap is a possible tool to offer a firm sucking trigger and help the baby to maintain a healthy latch and suck.

For sore nipples

If a mother is experiencing severe pain, she might have some sore or cracked nipples. Once again, a nipple guard can shield the mother from pain. This cap will work as a protective glove on the nipple, allowing some pain relief while she gets some help for latch or the nipples heal. If used this way, the caps can help to keep the feeding process going without causing any further health issues to both mother and the baby. However, it is still important to solving the real cause of the sore or cracked nipples as the cover is just meant to offer some comfort and not heal any health issue.

Nipple confusion and tongue exercise

If, unfortunately, your baby has got used to the bottle teats, he will be confused about latching to a breast. In some cases, the baby refuses to latch to the breast at all. Using a nipple shield can help to transition the baby back to breast milk. Likewise, sometimes nipple shield can be a helpful training exercise for babies who are not using the tongue properly. But in such cases, you should consult your lactation expert and get your baby checked first. Use an appropriate type of nipple only if the expert recommends it.