I think one of the major dramas isn't actually listed at all - it's lack of perseverance!

Yes, there can be major problems with feeding, but so many women seem to just give up ridiculously quickly. I think the root cause of this is the opinion that formula feeding is almost or just as good. IT"S NOT!

I had trouble choosing which one to pick so I went with availability of artificial formula, but I think lack of education of health professionals is real high on that list too. I am always infuriated when reading books on childcare (e.g. kidwrangling) that say "breastfeeding is great if you can do it." But then go on to make bucket loads of excuses which a woman can latch on to (forgive the pun) in order to justify giving up quickly. Whenever you read letters to the editor in popular parenting magazines it's constantly filled with letters from FF mothers saying things like "you shouldn't make us feel guilty" etc. Almost never do they publish a letter from a mother who perservered through problems, or from an expert stating just how much better breastfeeding is.

I mean, the books ought to be saying "breastfeeding can be very difficult, you may experience significant problems while learning, but these problems are worth persisting through, even if they seem insurmountable at the time, because breast feeding is infinitely better for you and your baby and formula feeding should be an absolute last resort. Hardly any of the problems that women experience mean that they "need" to go on formula."

And health care experts should be saying the same thing, instead of recommending the bottle as soon as the baby isn't large and plump.

Next time I read a book that says "breast is best if you can do it, but bottle feeding is nothing to be ashamed of" I think I'm going to put it in the blender. I think tins of formula should have to have a statement on them saying " this product is a very poor alternative to breast milk" or "you should only use this product as a last resort." haha, I know, I know, never gonna happen.

If this, admittedly militant, attitude was more common, then people would think a lot harder before going to the "easy option.' My mother breastfed 3 of us, after my birth was incredibly traumatic, my brother was a sleepy baby who wouldn't take food and my sister was a dream. My midwife told me she was surprised she breastfed, especially given that this was around the time when bottle feeding was really popular. I asked mum, and she said that as far as she was concerned, bottle feeding was not a suitable alternative, and did I really think that her mother, who breastfed 5 kids, would have allowed her to give up? I think that last comment is a very big key. Older generations need to support the younger ones, and perhaps even be a bit militant about insisting that they push through problems, while getting them all the help they need. Breastfeeding is passed down from generation to generation.