Hello. Haven't had time to read the other posts so apols if I'm repeating... On my birth board are several mums who gave up BF within days or a month at most and now regret it. The general sentiment is 'I wish I'd stuck with it, hadn't given up so easily when LO got demanding/I got tired/couldn't manage with the other children too', that sort of thing. It's as if only once they've given up do they realise what they actually had. Many of these mothers are the young ones fairly focussed - from what they say, not my judgment - on figure, boyfriend, clothes etc, and see BF as interfering with that which, yeah, it does I guess! It's as if it takes a while for it to sink in to them just how much it matters to them that they can do this thing for their child. Also many of them were FF, their friends FF, they see no precedent for doing something which can be messy, embarrassing, painful, time-consuming and exhausting.
None of which answers the original point. I'm trying to get across why it is some people ho have free choice choose not to BF or give up fast. Rather than harping on about the health benefits - let's be honest, we all know them, it's the same as 'eat less to lose weight' and 'smoking will give you revolting, painful diseases', it doesn't make people change their habits - perhaps we need a viral marketing campaign which places images of BF women everywhere in a million different contexts, so that it becomes normal. I don't watch EastEnders or anything like that (naturally I'm above those things, being a smug BFer ;)) but if they had storylines about people determined to BF and overcoming probs, or even better just had mothers quietly BFing in the background, it might become a normal part of life. There's perception that FF gives you freedom as others can feed the baby and while that in itself is true, EBM works the same way and there's nothing as free as grabbing the baby and scooting off, milk all nicely stored sterile and at the right temp under your armpits!
Okay will stop rambling now