In traditional societies, children grow up seeing women breastfeeding their babies, but in the West, breastfeeding can be so discreet that it may be something that you have not consciously come into contact with.

However, even though in some areas it’s still not a usual sight, it’s becoming more common to see mothers breastfeeding their babies. It’s important to remember that breastfeeding doesn’t mean exposing yourself, being an exhibitionist, or seeming antisocial. The more women breastfeed in public (not that it’s usually obvious what they’re doing!), the more it will be seen as an ordinary part of life, and the more other women will be encouraged to do it too, when their turn comes.

Successful breastfeeding begins long before your baby nuzzles into your breast for the first time. It starts when you begin to think positively about breastfeeding. Talk to other women who’ve breastfed. Ask them about their experiences and learn from them.

I’m afraid of failing

Unfortunately, a lot of new mothers don’t even try to breastfeed because they think it won’t work out and they don’t want to fail. This is a completely understandable fear, but the fact is that most problems that arise as a result of breastfeeding are solvable. It isn’t that women who give up don’t want to carry on - surveys show that as many as 9 out of 10 who give up in the first 2 weeks wish they had persevered. The problem is a lack of clear, practical advice at the crucial moment.

Any relaxation techniques that you learn while you’re pregnant will come in handy when you start breastfeeding. If you feel positive and are able to relax, feeding will come more naturally.

Determination matters, too. My first baby, Rosie, was born when I was just 29 weeks pregnant and she spent her first 2 months of life in a special care unit. Learning to feed her was a long, hard slog. Often, I’d spend all day in the unit and all she would do was lick my nipple at feeding time (I was expressing milk which was used to tube-feed her). The most important thing I was told came from the hospital feeding adviser, who said simply: “I know you’re going to succeed, and I know that you know it too.” Believing we’d get there in the end was the most important reason that we did.