My imagination is at work here again. I need to ask some questions. Lisa writes: <Looking for suggestions for a mother who is suffering significant nipple pain due to one sided compression of the nipple itself.> We are then talking pain, not visible damage? Is there pain while feeding, or is there some suggestion of Raynauds color changes? Is there actual pain while pumping, or just the appearance of the shape you describe? If there is pain, is it from the underlying tenderness of the nipple, or is it less than when the baby's jaw is doing the work? < By this I mean mom's nipple has almost a "shelf" when everted-> I assume we are talking about a nipple with some degree of inversion when not stimulated. Does the nipple appear "bifurcated", that is, sort of divided horizontally by an indented furrow between a sort of semicircle of part of the nipple body on top and part below? Does one of those halves comprise the "shelf" you describe? Or does the entire center portion seem to fold inward rather evenly? When you slowly do a nipple function exam by compressing the fingertips 1/2 to 1" behind the base of the nipple at several different locations 90 degrees apart, what happens? < one side of the nipple rounds "normally" but the lateral side does not evert as high,leaving a "peak and shelf" type look. This occurs whether nursing or pumping.> It sounds as if the lack of eversion of that lateral side is due to some cords that descended normally into the underlying tissue during fetal development but did not complete their development in the next stage. Or, less likely, some scarring of tissue on that side from some past injury or infection. Have you tried positions where the baby's upper and lower jaws/tongue are placed 90 degrees further around inieither direction so that the forces of compression are distributed differently? You did not say how old the baby is. Is engorgement still a possible factor? A few answers to the above question might conceivably supply a few more pieces of the puzzle. Jean ********* K. Jean Cotterman RNC, IBCLC Dayton, Ohio USA *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html