Isn't it weird and an awful reflection on our culture that we're labeled
zealots because we are trying to help women do something natural and
superior and (at least should be) ordinary?  I agree, though, with Heather
who said:

"I think it can feel like pressure, no matter how gentle we are. Sometimes,
incredible as it may seem, mothers want to bf, but they want us to tell
them a way of doing it that doesn't involve putting the baby to the breast,
or adjusting their lives to allow them to do it often enough. They would
like to bf on Tuesday afternoons, and then not on Thursdays when they want
to do something else, and on Mondays if it's raining, but not on weekends
when their mum wants to look after the baby...and not at night, ever."

So what could we say prenatally that would help mothers realize what to
expect and why they would want to stick it out through the hard part?  I've
certainly stopped giving out the "Breastfeeding is Easy" brochure.  When
they expect it to be "easy" they think they can do just what Heather talks
about.  So I tell them that they have to work at it the first few weeks,
like anything new, but that it is worth it in the long run.  And that it is
easier than bottle feeding in many ways, once they've gotten it
well-established.  But no, most women can't just do it here and there and
maintain a good supply so many of them do quit.  Part of the problem is
that we don't mother the mothers the way they do in some cultures, where
she isn't expected to do anything except rest and feed the baby for a
period of time. We also don't have extended family around that help out
with support and baby and childcare. We also don't have extended family
around that we've watched go through life with a newborn.  So we just have
the mass media showing us ads of baby swings that imply that if you buy
their product you won't be inconvenienced by an unhappy baby. The
expectation here is that we will all pop up and either
get back to work or get back to life as "usual" and not let the baby
inconvenience us much.