A few years back I assisted a mother who had similar nipples. She was very determined and it took a few difficult, tearful days before baby breastfed. She continued to nurse for 5 years and even after all that time, her nipples never saw the light of day! Initiating a MER via hand expression before using the pump or nursing the baby may be helpful. Some mothers seem to need several sessions with the pump before their body responds with a MER. Good luck. Jean Ridler RN RM IBCLC South Africa [log in to unmask] *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] COMMANDS: 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome