"Bf is great if you can do it, but there are sometimes medical reasons why it is not possible"
I don't see why both you and Zippy seem to feel the need to assert this point. Are you suggesting there are people on this thread who don't know or accept that sometimes breastfeeding is simply not an option?
Where has anyone suggested that breastfeeding is possible or appropriate for everyone?
We all know that breastfeeding isn't possible for some people - even with really good help.
Whenever these threads crop up there will be the voices like yours and zippys making the same point - as though bf advocates are unable or unwilling to acknowledge the truth of it.
The really BIG issue in this country from my POV is that it's extremely difficult to identify who that 2% - 5% of women are (those with intractible bf problems) because they get lost among the huge swathes of mums who are struggling because of poor postnatal care or from a lack of knowledge about normal newborn feeding patterns.
I'm sorry the NCT bf counsellor didn't identify the root of your problem. They have hundreds of bf counsellors and some are better than others. What they are used to seeing is large numbers of people with perceived supply issues, who actually do need to feed their babies more frequently/sort out position and latch problems, or simply need a boost in confidence.
It's also the case that there are mums who are desperate to stop bf, who find it very difficult to make that decision. Some women have a vested emotional interest in believing (and convincing those around them) that they don't have enough milk for their baby - if they can be told by a hp that they need to stop bf for the welfare of their baby it can be a huge help, as the decision is then really taken out of their hands. Sometimes someone with a genuine supply problem caused by physiological ideosyncracies will slip through the net - when this happens it's very difficult and upsetting for the mum. It does sometimes happen.
However the number of times this happens (that a mum with an intractible supply problem) is missed is tiny in comparison to the very, very large numbers of women who give up because of perceived supply problems. There are vastly too many women believing and being told they don't have enough milk for their babies, and that really needs tackling. As long as this situation continues then the mums with more complex problems are going to be missed. The answer isn't to stop encouraging women to breastfeed or to stop emphasising that most women CAN breastfeed. The answer is better education for mothers, doctors, midwives and health visitors.
On a personal note - my third baby was very hungry and at times I was feeding him two or three times an hour, and this was when he was 6 weeks old. He would 'graze' at the breast all day on and off. Had I not been a confident and unselfconscious breastfeeder who knew that this pattern of feeding was normal for some mothers and babies, I would have been convinced that he was feeding all the time because I wasn't making enough milk. Some women struggle emotionally with this sort of feeding pattern, the intensity of it can be hard to bear for a new mum, especially if she's also struggling with other aspects of adapting to life with her new baby. It happens that women will sometimes ignore their baby's feeding cues in situations like this, not necessarily deliberately - and end up restricting feeds. These women will end up with a very hungry, unsettled baby who won't thrive.
I'm not saying this was your situation, but I'm saying this does happen, much more than people realise. Because we're a bottlefeeding culture we're simply not emotionally geared up for this sort of normal mammalian feeding pattern. We expect babies to feed fairly regularly, and certainly after the first few weeks we expect them to restrict their feeds to every 2 to 3 hours. It can be very disturbing and upsetting when a baby wants constant access to the breast when the mother is already struggling emotionally - especially as pawsandclaws points out, if she is self-conscious and embarrassed about breastfeeding.