Tips on How to Start
1. Common Understanding between you and your husband

I feel that this is one of the most important factor.  Even before your baby arrives, you and your husband should have a good discussion on how serious both of you are about breastfeeding.  Both of you need a common position.  Your husband has to stand by you and remind you (about your goal) and encourage you to keep you going towards the goal in the midst of troubles, problems, naysayer, and baby blues.

Most husbands are wonderfully loving people.  When they see their wives suffering in their attempt to breastfeed, they cannot bear it and will start suggesting things like switching to formula, or supplementing with formula, so that their dear wives don't have to suffer so much.  They are supportive and encouraging but in the wrong way.

Hence, if you are serious about breastfeeding, let your husband know and let him know how you need him to support you to succeed in breastfeeding.  His support and encouragement must be towards the correct direction, towards the 'goal'.  And when you feel like giving up, he should be the one to help you keep your eyes on the finishing line.

2. Set small targets

The minimum recommended period for breastfeeding is 6 months. You are encouraged to feed for at least a year, or until your baby self-wean. That's what everyone 'official' will tell you.  A lot of mothers-to-be are very gung-ho and enthusiastically aim to breastfeed their babies for at least 6 months to a year.  I know because I was one of them.  Then reality sets in when you really get started and realise how difficult and painful it can get.  Plus, if you are a new mother, you may already be frustrated with your baby crying all the time, and you may be feeling blue because of the adjustments, the lack of sleep and your haywire hormones.  6-months target seems very impossible at this point in time, and from the looks of thing you probably won't survive that long (breastfeeding, I mean), so why not just give up?

Well, there is a better way to do it.  Set small targets.  E.g. 2 weeks.  Tell yourself, "I will breastfeed for 2 weeks first and decide after 2 weeks whether to go on or not."  That way you won't feel so stressed about meeting such a daunting target as 6 months.  It's easier to tell yourself to do it 'just for another day' when you see your 2-weeks deadline approaching.  After 2 weeks, if you think you can live with another 2 weeks of breastfeeding, set another small target of 2 weeks.

If you decide to give up after meeting your small target, at least you will feel like you have accomplished something - meeting your target - instead of failing at breastfeeding your baby for 6 months.  Let me assure you again that having breastfed for a couple of weeks is still better than not doing it at all.  So congratulate yourself even though it may only be 2 weeks and not 6 months.

After a couple of small targets met, say after a month, things should be easier for you already.  Breastfeeding should be established and less difficult and painful for you.  You have, in fact, overcome quite a major hurdle to breastfeeding.  So instead of setting 2-weeks targets, it may not be so daunting now if you were to set a slightly bigger target, e.g. 1 month.  Before you know it, you would have breastfed for 3 months and it won't be a problem for you to breastfeed for 6 months.  Again, the kind of targets set will vary from person to person.  Every mother is different.  Some may even want to set so small a target initially as 3 days.  Some may have no problem with  starting off with a 1 month target.  Whatever it is, reward yourself each time you meet a target.  Do something nice for yourself.