Nipple Shield Weaning Creates Questions in BFing

[Mac 'n K's Mommy]

I have used a nipple shield since birth with DS (not because I had to but because I thought it was more convenient?!) Just over a week ago, Kempton weaned himself from the shield by latching on before I could get the thing into position. When I wasn't in pain and he seemed to be happy we decided to carry on without it (we switched off/on for a few days- mostly because of me- but have now gone a week completely without). The first day (or so) he still ate for 25-40 min without the shield (BTW I think he was in the middle of a growth spurt when this happened). Then suddenly his feeds dramatically decreased to 12-18 min per feed; if I try to encourage longer eating he starts to fuss, he's much happier if I let him stop after the short amount of time. Is this long enough? He usually makes it all three hours until the next feed, although there have been a few incidents when he acts starving 15-25 min before it's time. 

Also, I pump and feed a bottle once a week to make it through 3-hour church. The only bottle I own holds 4 oz, so that's what I've always given... but now I'm thinking that's not enough. When I pump both sides (about 20 min each) I generally get a total of 6 oz. Should I be giving all of that? How do I decide? 

[Samuel's mum]

He's around the age for an efficiency burst and taking the shield away probably helped him to fine-tune his technique. I feel pretty confident in saying 12-18 min is plenty and many babies get a full feed in less time (like mine). Plus after the growth spurt your supply was probably increased and letdown perhaps a bit speedier.
At this age it's not uncommon for EASY intervals to sometimes vary in length. If he's occasionally going only 2hrs35 or 2hrs45 between feeds and other times 3hr - that's REALLY normal. The important thing is that you are reading his cues and not placing more importance on a clock. Don't we sometimes feel hungrier if we've been more active or depending on our environment - why not them?!
4oz is a pretty standard amount for ebm at this age but I would get a bigger bottle in your situation for the future anyway. Do you feed single-sided or double-sided? You could try putting 5oz in the bottle and just see what happens but remembering that most babies will continue to drain a bottle if it's offered and they are used to the speed of the breast. You could put 5-6oz in a bottle but stop when 1-2oz is left. It's fine at room temperature for 4-6 hours (if it was freshly expressed) so you could always offer more a short while later if your instincts tell you he's not satisfied.
Out of curiosity - what gave you the impression a nipple shield was more convenient in the first place? Do you remember?

[mum101]

I removed the nipple shield at 3 months also, mainly because it was a hassle to keep clean and carry while out. 
I found DD was quicker without the shield too!  Also as she got older she got much more efficient. 

I was told my health nurses that it was better to establish a natural latch and I think it was in part because a shield can affect milk supply.  So no shield is probably a good thing!   

[Mac 'n K's Mommy]

Thanks for your comments ladies!
Samuel's Mom- your remarks really helped, especially in extension on the other thread too. We are already feeling a lot more comfortable about where we are. As for my deciding to use the shield, it's kind of silly really. DS latched on very well first try and yet my nurse still presented me with the shield as a back up IF I ever ran into latching problems. We gave it a try at the first minor sign of difficulty and then stuck with it because he didn't have to open his little mouth very wide so latching became effortless for both of us. (And I thought the shield was helping me avoid the BFing pain that so many women complain about... now I'm thinking I may just be one of the lucky few who would have avoided it either way.) If the transition from shield to no shield is really to blame for some of his other little troubles now, then I wish I would have given more of a non-shield effort in the beginning.