I went back to the nipple shield and I don’t even feel bad about it. I’ll probably keep using it, maybe even for the entire time I’m breastfeeding. I got really tired of Baby Evan snapping his gums closed whenever my milk let down. All the flinching and the yelling was making us both unhappy and tense. Block feedings (several nursing sessions all on one side) did nothing to slow the fire hoses where my nipples should be and the gush was practically drowning the baby. As long as the shield isn’t affecting my milk supply and Baby Evan is still gaining weight the way he’s supposed to I see nothing wrong with preventing myself huge amounts of uncomfortableness. I actually enjoy breastfeeding when I’m not SCREAMING IN PAIN and hope to continue doing it for a while. If that means carrying around the shield for a year, so be it.