Hi, Ali,

What a difficult time you had of it. It is a complete credtit to you that you have persisted.
Sadly, what you describe is common, but still inexcusable.
For any other woman expecting a baby there are 2 things you can do to make sure your early breastfeeding experience is a much more positive one.
Join the Australian Breastfeeding Association, and go to one of their breastfeeding classes - held in most areas. I'm starting to think of it as "your baby's first immunisation against stupidity". (Other people's stupidity!)
There are a galaxy of uninformed people who deliberately or inadvertantly will derail your breastfeeding experience. Having sound research based knowledge, and quick access to supportive people will do much to circumvent this.
The second thing is to make sure you are giving birth in a "Baby Friendly" hospital. This is a World Health Organisation and UNICEF accredited scheme and means that certain standards including staff education must be followed