When my daughter was twelve years old, she was roller skating in the house we were building. She hit a wooden stud with a nail plate which ripped her nipple open. It looked something like a rose bud opening, pealing the nipple from the center back in three directions. I rushed her to the hospital emergency room and requested a surgeon that I had previously worked for. They insisted that they would have to look at it before calling the surgeon as calling him might not be necessary. They immediately called him in after taking a look at it. Under local anesthetic, the surgeon sewed the nipple back. He was concerned that some of the tissue was damaged so severly that it might die and leave a gap in the nipple. Remarkably it healed nicly, but did leave very noticable thick scar tissue. The surgeon could not say how the injury might affect breastfeeding. She now has one child which she nursed without any problems for 30 months. My grandson was a marathon nurser, he could nurse for an hour and a half at some feedings. Apparently, all that nursing was beneficial to the nipple because the injuried nipple now looks almost normal. My daughter started her nursing experience with a positive attitude that it would work and it did. Warmly, Pat Lindsey, IBCLC, LLLL in Chuluota, FL