Personal Fit Breast Shields

I wanted to share my experience to help others decide if they should try a smaller breast shield. I have very prominent nipples/areolae (i.e. my areola is not flat on the breast but protrudes along with the nipple). Despite reading all the websites out there on proper fit, I had a hard time trying to figure out which part of my nipple/areolae was supposed to be in the tunnel. I experienced a lot of pain and bruising with the standard 24mm shields. Two different lactation consultants told me to go up to 30mm. The 30mm incorporated my entire nipple/areola and was even getting some regular breast tissue while pumping. Although the 30mm didn't hurt as much, it definitely was not comfortable--the discomfort was to the point where I worried that I was damaging my areola tissue because it was swelling so much afterwards. I also wasn't getting as much milk as I did with the 24mm. After looking at a lot of pictures of normal breast anatomy, I figured out that my nipple was not the whole protruding pigmented part of my breast, but just the tip (before it widens out into areola). I decided to go ahead and order these and I am so glad I did. Pumping doesn't hurt at all anymore--it is much more comfortable, almost to the point where I don't really notice it (compared to the other sizes, where I felt every single suction). My nipple fits into the tunnel without touching the sides and only a little bit of the areola goes in while pumping. If you are still not sure whether to get these, just remember that you know your body best and lactation consultants can sometimes be wrong.

Don't be fooledI don't know why Medela sends out the 24mm size shield with their pumps. As I have talked to many women and numerous lactation consultants, it turns out that 24mm is actually "small" and that most women will need the 27mm. I don't have large nipples by any means, but pumping with the 24mm shields left me bleeding within days because I had no idea it was the shields that caused the problem. I noticed the difference immediately after using this larger sizepumping is much more comfortable, it's faster, and I get a better yield. If you have any discomfort with your pump, try changing the shield sizeyou might be amazed! A lactation consultant told me to try them and at first I was hesitant"large" for nipple shields? Think of the 27mm as standard or medium and realize that there are so many 24mm on store shelves because NO ONE BUYS THEM.

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Pumping can be mysterious when you first start. Medela pumps come with the standard 24mm flanges, but that size doesn't fit all. Oddly, there's no specific way to tell if that flange is too big (too small is easy to tell). You can pump in front of a lactation consultant for input on size. If there is a lot of space on the sides of the nipple when you begin pumping, if pumping pulls a good portion of the aerola into the flange, and if pumping hurts, then you probably need the smaller size. This 21 mm flange made pumping possible for me.

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These breastshields are a great investment for women with larger breasts or nipples. I tried the 24mm breastshields that came with my Medela Freestyle pump and they did not fit at all. So I went to Target to get larger ones and they had the 27mm size, so I got those. Those were better, but still a little too small, so I searched online for these 30mm ones. Once I received these and used them I was elated because it made the pumping much more comfortable and the milk came out much quicker. I would highly recommend these! By the way, I am a D cup while nursing, if that helps anyone get an idea of who these might work for.

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When I was using the standard size breastshields that came with the breast pump, my breasts were getting sore. I thought that was just how it was supposed to be. Then a nurse told me to try a larger size and I got these. Now my breasts no longer hurt at all when pumping and my nipples don't get stuck inside. The only thing that is strange to me is that the shape of the cone part seems different that the standard, so it feels a bit large, even though the nipple part fits fine.

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