First of all, thank you for doing this Kelly - I am not quite sure where you get the time or energy for all that you do!!
I have to agree with so many of the posts - there are a lot of options to choose from - and I would have to say that many of them are contributing factors to women not pursuing breastfeeding when times get tough.
I have had three children and with my two eldest (who are now teenagers) everything came pretty easy - with the exception of cracked nipples (which paw paw cream is great for) and mastitis! If I didnt have the positive experiences with the first two - I might have given up with my third who is now 8 months old and still feeding strongly (in fact it is a little bit of a battle to get him to eat solids). First of all I totally forgot about day 2!!! That was one of the longest days of my life - my little one was feeding constantly and he was obviously in pain - I knew that I only had colostrum at that point - but I started to feel that something was wrong - thank God I had a midwife who came in and told me all was normal. I believe in demand breastfeeding - so when Addison was feeding every 2 hours I felt that I might not have enough milk. My insecurities were not helped by the health professionals - but rather they were made worse - with conflicting advice and some who were just rude! Handling my breasts like they were not a part of my body - but just some object. In the end I closed my door (I gave birth within a hospital) and told everyone to leave me alone. I fed Addison lying down - rather than in the position I was told I must feed him in - and as I relaxed and rested - he relaxed and fed. I had one midwife come in and tell me I was a "clever girl" for feeding him while laying down and another telling me to get up - I told her (in a nice way) to get out.
The only advice I can give to women who are struggling is to trust in their bodies and to expect that there will be hurdles to overcome - but it is worth it. Breastfeeding is one of the experiences in my life that I have treasured almost every moment of. Even in the middle of the night when I am totally exhausted