Dear Cathy:

I agree that PAIN seems to be the dominant issue for prenatal moms who are
considering BF.  It is too bad that BF is commonly MISMANAGED so that damaged
nipples are considered NORMAL!

I use the analogy of a fork and eating.  If you are eating with a fork and no
one told you how to do it, you might jab the tines into your lower lip.  That
would hurt.  You would not be fed.  You might decide that forks are not a
good way to eat.  If, instead, you open your mouth wide, put the fork ON TOP
of your tongue and use your lips to keep the food in your mouth while pulling
the fork out, you will find that it is easy and painless to eat with a fork.
 (then I launch into my talk about where the nipple goes in the baby's mouth
-- the "back 40", have the mothers use their own tongue to locate their own
soft palate and reinforce that pain is a sign that something is not properly
positioned).

I also sometimes use a shoe to demonstrate proper attachment.  If you shove
your foot into a shoe that is not fully opened, the tongue can get bunched,
the heel cup can be rolled down and the shoe can hurt.  Even if the shoe is
the correct size, you might conclude that shoes hurt and should not be worn.
 If the shoe is fully opened with the tongue pulled down and out and foot
slipped into the shoe, the fit can be perfectly adjusted, the heel cup
straightened and the same shoe feels comfortable.

Hope this helps.
Martha Brower, the queen of Analogies.