Hi Judy,
Re: your question on palates.  Those of us who have trained at the Lactation
Institute here in Los Angeles are very familiar with bubble palates and you are
quite correct - they can cause unbearably sore nipples.  Many of the cases of
sore nipples that I see with new moms turn out to be bubble palates.  I know
this may be controversal, but I use suck training very successfully with these
babies.  Their natural tendency is to take the nipple in and up into the
concaviety in the palate.  The nipple then gets rubbed back and forth as the
baby sucks.  In using suck training (the index finger inserted into the baby's
mouth, pad side up and all the way back to the juncture of the hard and soft
palate) the baby gets used to having something make of flesh going far back.
That along with correcting latch-on and positioning eventually, and with lots
of perserverence on the parents part, usually results in the sore nipples
abating.  Also, with these babies, if they continue to suck with the nipple
tucked into the concaviety, eventually, without proper stim to the areolar
tissue, the mom's milk supply starts to dwindle.  Reference wise, you can find
this info in a book called "Charts & Forms" by Marmet and Shell.  They are the
directors of the Lactation Institute in Encino, CA.  Hope this helps.

Yaffa Stark MA, IBCLC