Nipple shields: the good
My long story short: I had a "normal" baby (no oral ties, average size, no birth complications) and I have "normal" nipples (not flat or inverted). But try as we might, we could never get a latch that wasn’t painful. (Ok, it happened 2 times, both with an IBCLC- not comfortable, but not painful. But we could never do it on our own.)
We started using a nipple shield early on, and it was amazing. It allowed us to latch! Personally, it didn't adversely affect my supply. I tried to wean off the shield, many times, many ways. We never could kick it. Every attempt was so frustrating for baby. I felt that I must be doing something wrong. I felt less-than. I felt embarrassed.
Let me tell you: there are a lot of things to worry about in momhood, but whatever feeding method works for you and your baby is not one of them.
This works for us. I have 2 shields in every room, 3 in the diaper bag, some in the car, some in the bedside table, usually one in my bra… I’m so grateful for this tool that allowed us to exclusively breastfeed. Here I sit, nursing my 14 month old, with a shield.