From the variety of experiences that women on here have had, it would seem that the NHS is really lacking a consistent policy on promoting breastfeeding, or that policy is being implemented very erratically. I was lucky in that my hospital was very pro-bf and wouldn't let me leave until they were satisfied I'd got the hang of it, but my prenatal course barely skimmed the topic. I think they are perhaps reluctant to bring up the possible complications in these classes for fear of putting people off, but it would have been so helpful to have some advice on warding off mastitis, thrush, cracked nipples etc. before being stricken with them!
That is interesting about Norway including bm in their food production data. I think another reason that bf suffers is that it is not (considered) an economic product. If money were made available to 'place' it the way that products are placed on TV and in films and the media, not necessarily hyping it but just showing it happening in the manner of a visible Coke logo or supermarket carrier bag, it would go a long way towards 'normalising' it. I don't watch much TV but I have read laments on here about the prevalence of ff in soaps and so on. But as it is now, we don't exactly have the financial clout to pay Jordan to bf in OK!
I do think it's important for young kids to see bf too, I was quite struck when I was bfing how interested my nephews and nieces were in it, asking questions about it, etc. One bf book I read opined that bf not coming as 'naturally' to some of us as in the past is because we haven't grown up surrounded by it and trying it out on our baby dolls. I used to be resistant to the idea of baby dolls on the grounds that they were 'for girls' and a gender-stereotyping toy, but reading that made me think that I should get one for my dd. With no bottle. (possibly a toy boob)
Finally, I think the WHO guidelines of exclusive bf for the first six months can be pretty off-putting to mums who envision six months without a single break from their darlings. I hate to dredge up 'Bringing up baby' again, but the single mum on there seemed to say that she had chosen ff because she needed outside help, as if there was no way that bf was compatible with having someone else look after her baby occasionally. I know that exclusive bf is the ideal, but if the advice in this country were changed to 'as much bf as possible' in the first six months, mums might feel more comfortable finding their own way and what works for them. The guidelines are, after all, from the World Health Organisation, whereas we are fortunate enough to live in a country where the occasion bottle of ebm or even formula is unlikely to be lethal. Whatever mners say.