Nursing despite inverted nipples

I too have got inverted nipples but have been able to breastfeed directly. With my first child though I tried nipple shield I found that it was quite difficult as the shield kept slipping away. Somehow I had some sense to express and feed for 3 months. But one thing a Paed said was, a baby suckles the areola and not the nipple. With my second son, I was in UH and it supports BF. One of the nurses there shared how she had succesfully fed her 4 children with inverted nipples and that gave me a boost….if she can, I can. Suprisingly, though I had initially bottlefed epressed milk, he finally learned to latch on at the 3rd month…I took off from there and bF till 8mths and he weaned himself off probably due to increasing bottle feeding….actually I thought BF for 6 mths is good enough till I joined this group. Now with my 3rd son I intend to do it as long as possible. I initially did not mind the formula and bottle feeding as I did not want him to end up having jaundice like the previous 2. The key Pumping definitely helps to draw the nipples out and toughens them. Try to use the pump to draw out he nipple and then try to get the baby to attach by gently pulling down the lower jaw to encourage the mouth to open. You will most probably have to go through some nipple soreness but it will be okay in time. Don’t listen to all the negative comments. Get the baby to the breast b4 he?/she? gets too hungry. You will actually see the nipple drawn out beautifully when the baby releases the suction. So, best of luck as you try this, do feel free to ask me and I really want to let all the inverted nippled moms who think they can’t directly feed know it is not impossible and absolutely possible. (Angeline)