Why cant some women breastfeed?

[paradise lost]

Sheila Kitzinger did a great book called Breastfeeding Your Baby, which covers everything from normal birth and feeding to c-section births, preemie babies, ill babies, cleft palate and Downs syndrome (often find it difficult to coordinate a good suck), what to do if your supply is low (really low, and how to tell if it's actually fine and you just think it's low), how to tandem feed, ways Daddy can help out, the works. It's not a massive book, it's quite slim and very clear and direct with LOADS of inspiring and educational photos. I read it lots and lots during PG and had it on hand afterwards. I was lucky that DD knew what she was doing, but i felt a bit more confident about encountering problems (while knowing they weren't too likely) having the book there. I'd recommend it to any mother wanting to feel confident about breastfeeding before she's actually experienced it.

ETA: Bec you're totally right that BF is not only physical - it's a psychosexual response similar to orgasm (not sexual, but the same level of physical function). Just as you can't have sex if your not in the right place, let-down/milk production can be totally absent when a woman is sufficiently under pressure or depressed. I know when i was losing my milk (thyroid problem and supplemeting with FF combination) the let-down for the breastpump was the first thing to go. I felt totally turned off by this lump of plastic i had to operate by hand and no amount of "thinking about my baby" made any difference - 80mls in 45 minutes if i was lucky, and sore, bruised nipples afterwards. Then my let-down for DD took longer and longer and eventually she wouldn't suck anymore as she would have rather had the bottle which was instant gratification. I too felt awful when it all stopped working - i wanted to feed for at least the first year. My XP even accused me of weaning early so i could get better contraception for myself and my new partner - a particularly cruel thing to say when he knew i was ill and struggling and stressed. But i guess by then he was judging EVERYTHING i did, so why would BF be off-limits....? People are just so judgemental, whatever you do. My mother used to tell me "you can't please everyone, so you have to please yourself" but in fact even SHE wanted me to do what she wanted me to do. LOL.

Hana