Hi, Kim. I agree with you about not agreeing (and it's not even late at
night....) about sugar and vaseline on nipples. I think that everything
in this world has somebody who will swear by it.....One woman told me
that she put arrack on her nipples before each feed.....I've heard of
sterile saline on sore/cracked nipples, of course.
As far as forceful MER, my kids also choked the first few weeks, I guess
mine was pretty strong, too. I gently removed them from the breast,
pressed the nipples until the gush stopped, and put them back on.
Eventually, they learned how to cope. Nobody should get flustered, just
have either towel or recepticle (if you're thrifty and want to save the milk)
handy. This should be taken care of BEFORE baby forms an aversion to
the breast. Hope everyone makes it! Judy K