Medela SoftShells: Breast Shells for Flat or Inverted Nipples Relief

Claire: Good for flat nipples. Wore them in my late third trimester each day to help draw out nipple. My son was able to latch during golden hour without a nipple shield. Breast shields are to draw out nipples..you can collect milk but that's not what I use them for. Now postpartum, i use them to protect my nipples after feeding so bra doesn't rub or to draw out my nipples to help my son latch. It is a temporary fix to flat nipples but it helps him feed better so it's worth it.

Easy to clean... Just simply take apart and wash with dish soap. Set out to dry over night and use next day. I don't sleep in these, you're not supposed to.

I noticed suction was a review option, these don't suction and are not supposed to. So ignore reviews that say they are bad suction....they are breast shields, not collectors or a pump.

United States on Nov 04, 2022

Allison: I was given the standard Medela nipple shells at the hospital, but they are entirely hard plastic. They were uncomfortable enough not to be usable on a regular basis. After weeks of excruciating breastfeeding and bleeding nipples, I became desperate and started searching for help. That's when I found these; they're excellent! I was almost ready to give up on breastfeeding but now I will be able to continue. I've had them for a couple of days and just tried breastfeeding for the first time after continuous wear of these shells. For the first time, feeding my baby was painless! He latched on more quickly and easily, and the sensation of his sucking was practically pleasant! I'm thrilled with these shells and grateful they will allow me to continue breastfeeding.

Pros:
* Comfortable enough for all day wear
* Help flat/inverted nipples stay everted between feedings
* Easy to clean
* Large ventilation holes provide good air flow, even with clothing over it
* Subtle, natural appearance under clothes

Con
* Sometimes they can be felt as an uncomfortable pressure on the breast

United States on Mar 23, 2020

Karla Ewald: Son buenos, pero para piel sensible irritan un poco

Mexico on Feb 15, 2020

R Santos: I thought I can use this product to “catch” milk that’s leaking but it doesn’t work because as soon as you lean on one side, all the milk just pours out. These are just now sitting in my kitchen cabinets...wasted my money since it didn’t really help with the inverted nipples... it was just uncomfortable.

Canada on Jul 17, 2019

Lorena Huicochea: A mi esposa le encantaron, alivia el dolor de pezones y recoje la leche si se usa sin las esponjas.

Mexico on May 25, 2019

Ashley SEDGE: Help with saving my milk

Canada on Jan 10, 2019

Na Lushz: I liked them but they kinda poke out. I wear them only at home to aid with feedings and when sore. I do recommend them.

Canada on Dec 05, 2018

Jessica L Nelson: These workes great! It had been very painful to nurse with an inverted nipple on one side. Letting it air dry would help, but only when I wanted to hang around the house topless. ;) I used these off and on for a couple of weeks and now the nipple is completely healed and there is no pain! It still tends to be a little inverted but it is now very easy to pop out. I wish I would have found these earlier!! Fyi, it is possible to wear these under a bra and outside the house, especially with a lightly padded bra. I think the shields do make you leak a little more bc of the slight pressure on the breasts when you're wearing them, and the little sponge inside does get saturated. So you do have to be a little careful outside of the house...but again, for me it just took a couple of weeks of wearing it for my nipple to heal.

United States on Jul 10, 2016

Rachel F.: I ordered these after 2 weeks of frustration trying to get my son to latch onto my one flat nipple (the other side is normal). The doctor and lactation specialists said I didn't need these, to just pump to help draw out the nipple and keep trying. I wish I hadn't listened to them because within 5 days of wearing these, he was latching on regularly with no issues, and within 2 weeks was no longer showing any nipple preference between the two sides! (Since I was also pumping that may have sped up the process.) I did give it 4 stars instead of 5 because it looks weird when wearing it, I definitely wouldn't have left the house in it. And second, it leaks a lot if you're not careful--I wouldn't realize how much milk was in it (the foam pads are not very helpful unless you only have a tiny bit of milk coming out) and then it would spill all over me from the air holes when I shifted. However, that "wasted" milk was completely worth it to me since I can now nurse from both sides with no problems. I just wish I had gotten them earlier!

United States on Aug 17, 2012

A. Schmidt: Before breastfeeding, I had inverted nipples. My midwife suggested these. I started wearing them a few weeks before my due date. They didn't work at all. First of all, having the silicone surface against my breast, trapping sweat all day made my breasts get red and irritated, so I could only wear them every other day. Second, as soon as I took them off, my nipples would go back as flat as pancakes in a matter of a few seconds (far shorter than it takes to achieve latch-on). As far as I can tell, these shells have made no permanent change in my nipples at all.

I still use these guys but not for their intended purpose: when I nurse on one side, milk leaks profusely from the other side. So I use the breast shells to collect milk from the other side (without the absorption pads and after sterilizing them). I collect this milk all day and bottle feed it to my baby right before bedtime to help him fill up and sleep a bit longer. It is much less involved than pumping, but doesn't work very well on the go. It also saves me from going through tons of nursing pads.

Breastfeeding was a huge challenge at first, but after a couple of weeks we were doing fine. I would make several...

United States on Nov 11, 2007