congrats on your BFP hon!!!!
i've got v small nipples, and v small areola too, so i use nipple shields. connor is completely incapable of feeding without them... i only wish that someone had suggested i used them sooner. my HV and midwives were v anti at the start, despite the fact that connor was losing weight - they wanted me to feed him formula instead
leckershell was my saviour at the time 
anyhoo, here we are 8 months later and still going strong. i use the mam shields and advise everyone who needs shields to try them cos IMHO they're the best ones... the avent ones are ok but i found they didn't stick v well, and the medela ones are huuuuge and i worried that they would have a negative affect on my flow. the mam ones do a great lick-&-stick which is fab for night feeds when i want to keep on sleeping
jojomamanbebe sell them in their shops, or you can buy them online.
i used to sterlise them when connor was tiny, although i realise now that a good wash in v hot water would have been sufficient. now i just rinse them out in between feeds and keep them in the box that they come in.
disadvantages to shields? well, i worried about my flow a lot at the start (because of the midwives/HV telling me that shields would affect it) so i took loads of fenugreek tablets just in case - FWIW i never actually had a problem at all so the worry was needless. also, its not as simple to be discreet when feeding in public cos you've got to get them stuck on before baby latches - it gets much easier with practice though!
i would say give it a go without them first. then, if you're having problems, try the advice that leckershell gave - use them at the start of the feed then take them off during. and if that doesn't work, then just use them full time as squig says, set small goal posts - it makes it much easier.
try not to worry yourself honey!! we'll all be around for support should you need it
i've got v small nipples, and v small areola too, so i use nipple shields. connor is completely incapable of feeding without them... i only wish that someone had suggested i used them sooner. my HV and midwives were v anti at the start, despite the fact that connor was losing weight - they wanted me to feed him formula instead
leckershell was my saviour at the time anyhoo, here we are 8 months later and still going strong. i use the mam shields and advise everyone who needs shields to try them cos IMHO they're the best ones... the avent ones are ok but i found they didn't stick v well, and the medela ones are huuuuge and i worried that they would have a negative affect on my flow. the mam ones do a great lick-&-stick which is fab for night feeds when i want to keep on sleeping
jojomamanbebe sell them in their shops, or you can buy them online.i used to sterlise them when connor was tiny, although i realise now that a good wash in v hot water would have been sufficient. now i just rinse them out in between feeds and keep them in the box that they come in.
disadvantages to shields? well, i worried about my flow a lot at the start (because of the midwives/HV telling me that shields would affect it) so i took loads of fenugreek tablets just in case - FWIW i never actually had a problem at all so the worry was needless. also, its not as simple to be discreet when feeding in public cos you've got to get them stuck on before baby latches - it gets much easier with practice though!
i would say give it a go without them first. then, if you're having problems, try the advice that leckershell gave - use them at the start of the feed then take them off during. and if that doesn't work, then just use them full time
as squig says, set small goal posts - it makes it much easier.try not to worry yourself honey!! we'll all be around for support should you need it
). I had my 20 wk scan there a few weeks ago, my appoint was 10.30am - I got out at 1.05pm 
