There are so many little tricks to try and help get things going if it doesn't come easily in the beginning... or if some medical or physical issues make it impossilble or difficult to start that way. Many people don't realize, I know I didn't with my first, that if it doesn't go well to start... you can often come back to it after awhile.
Pumping may have helped her keep going with it. A great alternative in that situation would also be to use a supplemental nursing system, or SNS. It is a soft plastic container that mom wears around her neck like a necklace with a thin tube coming from it that attaches to the breast. Baby gets fed formula through the tube, but is at the breast so the breast still gets the stimulation for milk production. Baby gets practice with suckling at the breast and associates feeding with being at the breast. It is a win/win situation for many families if they may need some help early on.
