I am enjoying the answers to this question, and decided to add my
story.
     I spent the years from 7 - 15 in the orient, and saw moms
breastfeeding everywhere.  Babies were carried (back or front) and nursed
at the first whimper.  I used to love watching them. I somehow knew this
was the way I would feed my babies.
     My son was born in Germany in 1973, in a German clinic.  I spoke no
German, and could find no one other than my husband who spoke any English.
 In spite of my best efforts, I had to do things their way:  1st  nursing
after 48 hrs; (I actually put him to breast under my covers at 24 hrs, and
he nursed, but my roommate kept calling the nurses to "tell" on me, and
they would come in and fuss, shaking their fingers at my "ignorance" in
doing this); feedings only every 4 hrs, and only on 1 side per feed; (I
tried to sneak him on the other side, with the same result as above);after
each nursing, a midwife came and pumped the side just nursed with a bicycle
horn type pump till it was "empty".  I said NO to this procedure, but was
forcefully held down by two midwives, and the pumping was done with lots of
painful squeezing, so I gave in and didn't fight it.  The pump was kept in
my bedside stand for 5 days, and wouldn't have been washed unless I had
rinsed it at the sink in the room. I signed myself out on day 5 rather than
staying the required 10 days to "rest".  I soon got mastitis, which
recurred very frequently over the next 6-8 weeks.  The baby was very
colicy, crying 20 out of each 24 hrs.  Of course everyone's response to all
of this was to put him on formula.  I managed to hang in, at least
partially breastfeeding for 5 months, and then he refused to nurse. I
could find no BF support except for my old blue copy of "Womanly Art".(If I
had known 1/3 of what I know now!!)
     I couldn't wait to have another baby so I could try again to
breastfeed.  After trying unsuccessfully for 5 1/2 years to get pregnant,
we were able to adopt a beautiful little girl at 28 days of age.  I put her
to breast in the car on the way home from the agency (no car seat laws
then), and she nursed on my empty breast for 45 minutes.  By the time we
got home, she was MY baby.  I used the Lact-aid, and my milk began coming
in after a few days.  I never got a full supply, but was able to stop
supplememts when I started rice cereal at 4 months. I didn't tell my
pediatrician till after I had weaned.  We nursed for 9 months, and then I
let myself be convinced to wean by a fertility specialist, who promised to
help me get pregnant if only I was not lactating.  Four years later, we
adodpted our second daughter; this time my milk came in on day 3, and we
ended up nursing for 2 1/2 years.
     I think the main reason I became a Mother/Baby nurse and IBCLC was to
try to save a few other moms from having to go through what I did.

Thanks for letting me share, though this is long.  It helps to vent, even
after all these years!    Anne Stiller, BSN, RNC, IBCLC