>She would try to latch him only to re injure herself. It
>was discovered that her nipples were shaped as a flower. I've never seen
>anything like this.. the tip of her nipple actually folded out when the baby
>fed, and then folded back down and in so that all that was seen when the
>baby hadn't been on in a while we a very tiny hole.

I've seen something akin to that maybe twice - and a couple more times with
women for whom it happened on the nipple shaft.  And yes, once they healed
in the "extended" position they were all fine.  I even talked about that
with this mother today... except that this is her second child, the first
was nursed for at least a year, and I don't see why it would happen this
time around.  (And really, this one just looks like erosion.)

I saw her today at a LLL meeting, and *I*, at least, saw signs of hope.  She
had a somewhat comfortable nursing at the doctor's yesterday, apparently,
and another at the meeting.  Both times, she was on a folding chair with no
pillow and plenty of distractions.  I suggested she do the same at home, and
sure enough she had a rushed feeding there later that went pretty well.  So
it may be that the pillow she was using at home was problematic, and that
she was over-thinking the whole thing.  Her nipples looked slightly better
today than a few days ago.  Maybe she just needs more time on the Keflex and
less time obsessing?

At no point, since the very beginning, have I seen any marked nipple
distortion, and today I saw absolutely none.  I don't think anyone answered
this part of my question earlier:  is it ever possible to have mechanical
damage (beyond maybe delaying healing slightly from the inevitable moisture
and manipulation of breastfeeding) without nipple distortion?  Seems to me
anything bad enough to cause damage is going to cause nipple warping first.
Am I wrong about that?

--
Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC  Ithaca, NY
www.wiessinger.baka.com

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