117. Why You Should Never Cut A Nipple Shield with guest Lindsey Parry from Back To Mom

Weaning Off A Nipple Shield Part 2:  My guest Lindsey Parry is the creator of the first nipple shield weaning kit after her struggle with weaning off of one. She's rounding out the conversation about how to wean and why it's important to never cut the shield as part of the process.

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Read the full transcript here: 

Welcome to the Breezy Babies podcast where we talk about all things boobs, babies and breastfeeding. This is episode 117. Weaning off a nipple shield. Part two. I'm breath the IBCLC and I made brisbabies with you in mind to help ease your transition into parenthood. Becoming a parent changes your life in every way imaginable. Bumps in the road are going to come up as you move into your new role, but my goal is to help smooth out those bumps and help you become the most confident parent you can be. With good education and support, I know you can meet your breastfeeding and parenting goals. Let's do this together.

Hello. Welcome back, friend. Excited to chat with you on today's podcast episode. I have a little follow up from a podcast that went live probably about a month ago that has been really common question, and that is weaning off of nipple shields. So today I want to present to you a part two because there are a couple of things that we kind of missed that we didn't quite get to with this last podcast episode about meeting off in nipple shields. If you remember, Lex was on that podcast episode, gave us some great tips and tricks for weaning off of it. Well, today I have another great guest for you who is going to be talking to you about another angle of leaning off a nipple shield that maybe you haven't thought about. She's going to talk about why you should never cut off the tip of a nipple shield when you are weaning off of it. So I'll tell you a little bit more about my guest and you'll be hearing from her. But before we get into that, I want to share some exciting news. I have a new IBCLC that is joining my team. Her name is Holly. She is a nurse just like I am. We actually used to work together in the hospital before we jumped into the lactation world and stopped working those long 1213 hours shifts in the hospital. So she is in the process of moving to private practice and I am so excited for her to get a taste of how amazing private practice is and being able to meet with people like you one on one and helping with lactation goals. She'll be able to take the same insurances that I do, so no problems there. Lex is still on my team as well. We often bounce clients back and forth. Like if she's more available or someone lives physically closer to where she's at, she will see a client and then down the road, if they want to learn about baby massage or have a pumping plan put together for returning to work, then they can set up their next consultation with me, either in person or telehelp. And that's super fun to be able to bounce clients back and forth. So Holly is still working to get up and running. It's a lot of work you guys to do lactation consultations, whether in person or telehealth, there's a lot to set up on the back end. So she is almost up and ready, and I am so excited to have a little bit more help on my side. I have kind of a funny story. This last weekend, I was traveling kind of far to get to a client's home, and I had another client who requested an in home consult for that same day. And I thought, oh, this is perfect. I'm traveling a bit farther than I normally do, so I can go see my one client and then the other one, and I can hit two consults in one day and only make that far drive once. So went to my first consult, went smooth. Consult was over. I got in the car, put in my next address for my next client in my GPS, and I thought, oh, my gosh, this is great. I'm even going to get there a few minutes early. This is great because I feel like when I have a baby, I just am always, like, getting late everywhere. I just am always like, oh, I got to get there as fast as I can. So I thought, oh, my gosh, this is so nice. I'm going to get there a little bit early. I had been to this client's house. This is probably like the third time I had been to her home. I have also done multiple telehealth consultations with her, so I know this client pretty well, and I knew where she lived as well. But I still like to put up my GPS just in case there's traffic or something crazy going on. So I did. And as I'm driving, my GPS keeps going a little crazy. It keeps trying to take me off this exit, and then it keeps saying, like, faster route found, and then it would recalculate. And it was just being so weird, and I couldn't figure out what was happening because I wasn't even close to my clients exit. So I keep going along and my GPS is all good. It says I'm going to get there still at 1225, a few minutes early, and I am two minutes away from my client's house, and I hit a marathon. Bam. Total closure of the road. I can see up ahead on the left, my client's road. It's a little bit uphill, but I can see the road where I turn off to go to her house and go up a little ways, and I know that her house is just right there. I'm so tempted to just pull into this grocery store parking lot, grab all my stuff, and just start trucking it up the hill. But I was like, man, I just don't know if that's a good idea. It was a hot day. I have my big scale. I have my backpack, I have my laptop bag. I have a lot of stuff to carry. And at that point, the marathon had kind of been dying down. There wasn't a lot of people still running. It was kind of the stragglers, I'm thinking, because the marathon had started early in the morning. So I thought, I don't even know if I'm allowed to cross, but I probably could if I just walked across. But again, I was like, man, I have all this heavy stuff. I just don't know. I'm going to turn down this road, see if I can get back. Half hour later, I am just barely getting to my client's house with all the traffic and the road closures and luckily she was so nice, so understanding. I have called her and said, I am so close by your house and yet so far away. We've had some fun adventures lately with in home consultations and it's all good. That's just how it goes. And I do love my job, but sometimes I think it's also kind of nice to have some team members who also do in home consultations and can kind of help cover me a little bit. So excited to have her start and I can't wait to introduce you to her. I know you're excited to learn about weaning off Nipples Hills, but I have one other thing that I want to tell you about before we jump in, and that is that I am teaching a workshop coming up with my friend Allegra. This is a poop workshop. Yes, you heard me correctly, a Poop workshop. And we are teaching about baby gas and baby poop. We have taught this workshop before. We did it last year and it had such a good response that we wanted to do it again this year. We wanted to do it a little bit sooner, but I had a baby and things got a little crazy. So we have it on the schedule for October 4. It is going to be $33 for 1 hour. But the nice thing is that you can show up live and ask any questions that you have. Me and Allegor will both be on the call and we will stay until all your questions are answered. And plus you get lifetime access to go back and rewatch the recording anytime you want. And since you are part of my crew, you listen to my podcast, you are one of the first to know that you get a discount. And this is an exclusive discount that I just tell my email list and to you here on my podcast that if you use discount code poop ten p 10. Yes, poop ten. Then you get 10% off that workshop. And it's going to be a great time. We're going to talk about what's normal and what's not normal with your baby's bowel movements. We're going to talk about tension. We're going to talk about gut health, which is so important. I have learned that one myself this last year. We're going to learn about what you can do to help your baby. And I also am going to teach a whole chunk of baby massage. So the people who came last year, these are some reviews that they left. This person said, Love this workshop I was given my baby. I was giving my baby the gerber probiotics occasionally, but never felt like they did much. I loved learning about probiotics and how they are live organisms, so we should try to find a brand that needs to be refrigerated. I always loved the baby massage techniques. They didn't necessarily make my baby go poop because he wasn't constipated, but it definitely suits him and it's something he loves to do now. I feel like I research everything online constantly, but felt like I knew more after watching the workshop because they are able to give you the whys instead of just the what's. Okay, another review. Allegra and Brienne put together an amazing workshop with such useful information, we were able to take the things they taught and immediately put them to use. The infant massages that Brian taught us worked for us in getting rid of gas instantly. And my little guy already seems like he feels better. I will also be implementing some diet changes that Allegra spoke about and hope to see a difference in his tummy issues. I can't say enough about how easy to follow upbeat, and how helpful this entire workshop was. So in case you don't already know, I am training baby massage, and Allegra is trained in nutrition. So that's why it's just a really fun combo for us to come together and teach this workshop. So, again, it's going to be on October 4, but if you grab your ticket now, you can get it for 10% off using discount code poop 10%. I hope to see you there. As much as I love talking to you on this podcast, it's kind of fun to be able to also see your face, be able to connect a face and a name, and also be able to chat with you live as you ask your questions. So hope to see you there. All right, let me introduce you to my guest. Now, Lindsay Perry is someone that I have known for a few years. She lives in Utah as well, but totally different part of Utah. So I haven't had the pleasure of being able to meet her in person. But I've got to know her very well through her amazing products. And over the years, one of my favorite things that she has come up with is a nipple shield weaning kit. This is something that I had never seen before, still have never seen. As far as I know, she's the only one who makes something like this. And you'll find out why she made this kit. It came from her own struggles. She'll tell you a little bit about that, but that's kind of how I think the best products come to be is that she was struggling herself with weaning off a nipple shield. So she went to work, came up with some ideas. She worked for this on years. She worked on this idea for years as she was a mom and trying to start this business. Finally, in November of 2020, she launched the backtomome nipple shields. And she has got great response from the moms who have been using her nipple shields and have had success with Weaning off of them. So let me turn the time over to Lindsey now. She's going to share with you a little bit about Weaning off a nipple shield. If you missed part one of this podcast, you can go back and listen to that first and she is going to build onto that and add some more helpful information that I bet you don't already know yet. So here we go. Let me turn over to Lindsay. Hi Brian, and hello everyone else. Thanks so much for letting me be a part of this podcast. I'm really excited to be talking about Weaning off nipple shields and to add to the previous episode that you had done on weeding off nipples. First, I'd like to introduce myself a little bit more and give some background on who I am. So I'm Lindsay Perry and I am the owner and founder of Backed Mom at Baxtam. We create and invent unique breastfeeding products. My main flagship product, which I invented and it's patent pending, is my nipple Shield Weaning Kit. And that came about mainly because of my experience. I am a mother of two boys and both of my sons ended up using nipple shields. My second especially. I ended up using a shield for over three months and I was so desperate to be done using the shield. My baby ended up being dependent on it and would not breastfeed without it. Which is what tends to happen when most people use nipple shields without realizing that that's what's going to happen. That their baby becomes dependent on it and most often will refuse to feed without it. So anyway, I was desperate. I was so done using a shield. I was so tired of middle of the night trying to scramble and find my shield and couldn't find it, and the baby was screaming or being stuck out in public and having to fumble with the shield and deal with it and make sure I always had it with me. The worst is when you're out and about and realize you accidentally left it at home and you're driving home as fast as you can with a screaming baby in the back because they will not eat without the shield. So nipple shields are definitely, they can be a hindrance and wanting to be done with them sooner than later is very common. So in the process of my own search for how to wean off nipple shields, I came across a lot of articles about cutting the tip off. And that's something I'm going to talk about a little later. But in researching this, I discovered that it's not necessarily a good idea. And I thought to myself, well, why doesn't somebody create a nipple shield that essentially is just that to help with the weaning process? And so that's what I did. And I'll talk a little bit more about that when I get into my tips. But I just wanted to give my background. My main products are all based off of feeding with nipple shields or weaning off nipple shields. And then I have some additional just general breastfeeding products as well. So anyway, that's a little bit about me. And I always feel like the best products and ideas come from people who have experienced issues themselves and have gone through it themselves. And I always find that when somebody's giving me advice, it always means more to me, too, when I know that they've done it themselves and gone through it themselves. So that's why I wanted to give you a little my background. And now I'm going to get into my top three tips for weaning off nipple shields. So some of them I'm going to do it a little different because not all of my tips are dues, some of them are don'ts. So my first one is a don't, which has to do with cutting nipple shields. I mentioned that earlier because it's something that is out there in the breastfeeding world, whether it's in the forums or from an unexperienced person or whatever. But I know I came across that when I was researching how to wean off the shields. So I'm sure other moms are coming across that as well. And there are articles and information about out there that suggests that cutting the tip of your nipple shield might be a good way to help wean. Logically, you'd think, wow, the baby is dependent on the feeling of that silicone rounded nipple, so why not cut it and that'll make the baby realize that they don't like it and they'll wean off of it, which logically makes sense. But there's some reasons I want to tell you that this is a big no no. Cutting silicone for anything, whether it's bottles, nipple shield or even binkies, is just not a good idea. Silicone is yes, it's a very soft material, it's bendable, it's pliable, but because of that, you can't get a clean cut on it. There's always going to be ridges and rough spots left behind. Oftentimes there's tiny little tags or pieces that are left behind which can come off easily and be ingested by your baby, which isn't the healthiest. And then also those rough ridges, even though it's still a soft material, think of how sensitive your tongue is and how sensitive the inside of your mouth is. And so a baby's mouth is even more sensitive. And think of how many times their mouth that little tongue would rub across the shield each time they suckle during their feed. So how often are you feeding? Every day. And how long you're feeding that's? A lot of times that little tongue is going back and forth across that surface. So anything that's like ridge or rough or has even the slightest sharp edge is going to potentially give them abrasions or blisters. And so that's why cutting nipple shields and any kind of silicone is really not a great idea and it can also cause you pain as well. So I just want to make that clear. That is my number one tip. Don't do it. So along those lines, as I mentioned earlier, that's how I came out with my product and I'm going to talk a little bit more about that as being one of my tips. So my number two tip is really all about using all the tools in your toolbox. So what I mean by that is it often takes a combination of different ways of weaning off the shield in order to finally do it. Maybe it's combining all of the tips that Brianne gave in her previous episode of weaning off shields and basically just using any combination. And so I'm going to talk a little bit about my product because I feel like my product is one of those tools that can be used in combination with some of the other advice that's out there that's been given. So my product, the Nipple Shield Weaning Kit, came from the idea of having an open ended nipple shield. My kit comes with three shields in it and they're stepped down from highest to lowest. And my current shield is based roughly on like a 24 millimeter Medella shield that's like the size of our highest shield. It just has an open end instead of the closed dome end and then they get shorter from there. So our Nipple Shield Weaning Kit can be one of those tools that's used in the process of weaning. And it might be in combination with some of the other advice you've heard. For instance, like the bait and switch, starting the feed with a nipple shield and then removing the nipple shield halfway really quickly. That same idea can be used with our nipple shield. So it's just one more tool that gives you that edge to be able to wean off shields sooner rather than later. Another tool would be using something that helps draw your nipple out. You have to remember, babies are preachers of habit and they're used to having this kind of solid silicone fake nipple to latch to. So then when you're suddenly introducing them to your more flaccid and most likely more flat, it's not as rigid as silicone, it's kind of a shock for them. So using something that will help draw your nipple out and to harden it a little is something that can really help with the leaning process. We actually have a product which comes in our ultimate leaning kit, which is called our Nippers List. And it's these little suction cups that kind of you can attach to your nipple and help draw your nipple out. To make it a little harder, you can use it before feed. I often tell Moms to start with the feed with the regular nipple shield on one side and use our Nip Assist on the other side to draw that nipple out and get it more firm. And then when they switch sides, that's when they can kind of do the bait and switch. So rather than putting the nipple shield on the other side, they can introduce their bare nipple, which is kind of already a little more firm and ready to go. And you can also use something like a hakka or silicone style breast pump to kind of do the same thing, to basically draw out that nipple and make it a little more protruding, a little more so that the baby will want to latch to it. So that's my number two tip is using kind of a combination of all the tools and advice out there and finding what's going to work for you and your baby. And then my final tip is kind of a don't as well. Don't be hard on yourself, don't be impatient. It requires a lot of patience with not only yourself, but with your baby. There's no one size fits all with this process. It takes a lot of trial and error and a lot of patience with yourself. And if you fail the first time and it seems to not be working, like, lay off it for a few days and then try again, come back to it. Sometimes baby just needs a little more time to adjust to something new and introducing it a few days later, you'll be surprised that they'll take it then. No matter what, just be patient with yourself and stick with it. So those are my tips for Weaning Off nipple shields. Just to wrap it up. I'm going to go over them one more time. So first tip was do not cut nipple shields. Please, please do not. Second tip is use all the tools in your toolbox, including the Back to Mom Nipple Shield Weaning kit. We have our ultimate Weaning kit as well. And then no matter what weight or tools you use, just keep with it. Have patience with yourself, have patience with your baby. And if it doesn't work the first time you try, just try, try again and stick with it. And I promise it will happen. You'll be weaned before you know it and you'll be back to the blissful breastfeeding of direct skin contact. We know it's not always blissful, but it's definitely less stressful than when you have to use a nipple shield. So stick with it. Thank you all so much for listening to my tips today. And thank you Brian, for having me on your podcast as a guest. If you'd like to follow us on social media. You can find us on instagram at backtomom. You can also find all the products I talked about today at our website@backtomom.com, and you can use any code that Brian shares to get off, so make sure you ask her about that. And other than that, thank you so much for listening, and I wish you the best of luck on your breastfeeding journey. All right, Lindsay, thank you so much for sharing your expertise. If you want to go say hello to Lindsay, check out some of her products. She's on instagram at backto. Mom. I'll also put a link for her nipple shield weaning kit. And I also have a discount code if you're interested in purchasing one. If you feel like it would help you in your journey from leaning off the nipple shield, you can use code breezy ten for 10% off. And I wish you all the luck in your weaning off a nipple shield journey. I'm so thankful to Lindsay for sharing more information that we may not have thought about when weaning off a nipple shield. And of course, I'm going to leave you with. You are strong, you are smart, you are beautiful. You are a good friend to all. Catch you next week. Bye,