ooh suspect this thread might have run it's course - but in answer to op - i'm successfully BF BECAUSE my best friend whose baby is 3 mths older than mine had such a nightmare time with it. SHe got to the point where she was expressing blood her nips were so cracked, so consequently she made sure I read up and got the support to ensure i could BF well. Luckily me 'n' DS are a great team and had an easy time of it and we love bf, and I mentally thank my friend every day. She was gutted, but out of the 2 of us - she has more of a life, as ds slept through 7-7 from 13 weeks! whereas I'm a sleep deprived wreck !!
As for the health issues - she & I are both complementary therapists, eat organic as much as poss, don't use conventional medicine etc etc. her little boy, being FF has had conjunctivitis once and otherwise is the picture of health, mine never been ill (yet!). Funnily enough another friend breastfeeds but smokes, drinks and eats junk all day every day and her child has been continually ill and almost permantently on anti-biotics for chest infections etc. I firmly believe that diet, both during and post pregnancy, lifestyle, medical care, maternal care and beliefs play a large part in a babies overall health, but alos genetic pre-disposition also plays an extremely large part in anybodies health. For example, an asthmatic could have been breast fed but if the mother is asthmatic or suffers hayfever / eczema, genetically the babu is more likely to have 1 of these 3 things and bf wouldn't necessarily prevent that.
Im a firm believer in giving your baby the best start in life, and if that means FFing then at the end of the day a thriving baby and a happy mum are whats important.
i really hope I don't come across santimonious and smug ! I'm new to all this & have read this thread with interest and just wanted to express my experiences.