In a message dated 10/10/97 9:08:52 AM, Jane wrote: << Of course you have to have MER to successfully breastfeed>> in response to a question about the necessity of MER, and yes indeed. I thought the questioner was wondering if one must actually *sense* the MER and that the questioner may have noticed that in the early postpartum days (1-3), nipple stimulation that would be adequate to elicit a MER would cause the sensations of thirst, sleepiness, and uterine cramping. In the later pp days a mom who does not sense the MER (for instance as a tingling rush of fullness towards the nipple) as she is breastfeeding on the first breast, hopefully will *see* the MER as evidenced by milk dripping from the opposite nipple. Deb Springfield,VA