Do I have freakishly smal nipples?

[VillainV]

I tried pumping with the 24mm breastshields that came with my pump, and those are clearly too big.  So I ordered a set of 21mm flanges.  They're still too big. People, this is the smallest I can find!   I thought I'd seen 18mm flanges on Amazon, but now I can't find them.  Do they even exist?   

All of the articles I can find talk about how most women will need a LARGER shield, and that using a shield that's too small can tear up your nipples and cause problems pumping.  But I can't find anything about what will happen if I use a breastshield that's too big.  Part of my aereola is getting sucked into the tunnel, and it's kind of uncomfortable...and I'm not getting a whole lot of milk out either (probably because I'm uncomfortable).

Am I some kind of small-nippled freak?  Do "XS" breastshields exist?  Any ideas/advice?

[greycat]

No you aren't the only one. Ameda makes the flexshield which is 21mm but I also think they make a 19mm flange (or maybe it's medela). I preferred the medium sized pumpin pals. I'm on my mobile but if you search you should see posts from AmyRI and I about this.

ETA - I can post some links later tonight if you have trouble finding the posts or flanges.

[AmyRI]

Yup, signing in as a freak with small nipples. The 21mm were also too big for me. They were super painful if I had to pump more than once a day.

I've had luck with 2 solutions:

- Pumpin' pals medium flanges (if you buy them, just buy the 1 set and don't waste money on their stupid giant kit with the L and XL flanges, or sell them to someone else if you buy the kit). I used these when pumping for DS. They were clearly too big, but the shape made it so that my areola didn't get rubbed raw against the hard edge of the standard flanges.

- Ameda Flexishield Areola Stimulators. They can be pressed inside the Ameda standard 25mm flange or the Medela 24mm flange (although I did have to put a finger inside the flange to press it in all the way, which is against the directions, but it never ripped. I just made sure my finger was clean). I can't remember what size they are, 19 or 21mm. But either way, they fit pretty well and they were flexible so they didn't rub the areola the way the hard plastic 21mm Medela ones did.

I prefer the flexishields, but greycat preferred the Pumpin' Pals. Either one will be an improvement.

[h]

Wait, your areola isn't supposed to be sucked in? Mine totally is, and I have been pumping that way for over 6 years! I just used the flanges that came with my pump and never bothered to switch because I only heard about people getting new ones because they were too small. Now I am wondering if my whole pumping experience could have been better. Oh well. But, yes, my nipples are pretty small.

[Deleted]

I use the Flexshields and found they helped a lot and were much more comfortable than flanges. Not sure if they're small *enough* but it solved my problem.

[Deleted]

Apr 21, 2014 10:05:30 GMT -5 h said:

Wait, your areola isn't supposed to be sucked in? Mine totally is...

Me too. I don't have big areola but I don't see how they are supposed to fit in the flange.

[soxin2]

I have large boobs (32i) and need smaller shields. 21 was ok-ish, but I could have gone smaller. Wear a fitted pumping bra and massaging helped it not hurt so much.

[Deleted]

You can also try putting some olive oil on your nipples and areola to make it more comfortable.

[winemaker06]

I also suggest the Pumpin Pals. As an added plus, they are angled down a bit more so you don't have to lean forward as far!