Feed on demand

Do not restrict the length or frequency of breastfeedings.  Nursing frequently and unrestricted will stimulate your milk supply, and may also help alleviate engorgement.  Don't watch the clock.   Babies know when they are hungry and how long they need to nurse.  An exception to this rule is when you have a newborn and/or a special needs baby who is sleepy--you may need to wake them up so they nurse often enough. 
 

Helpers at home

Make sure you have help at home, especially for the first few weeks.   Hopefully your mate will be able to take some time off.  Your only job should be to get to know your baby and get breastfeeding well established.  Let someone else take care of everything else.  Enlist friends and family (if they are supportive).   No matter how close you are to your mother or mother-in-law, if they are likely to pipe up with "why don't we just try a bottle" at 2 a.m. when you are working on getting breastfeeding right, you don't need them around! 

If it hurts, if something is wrong, Get Help!

Pain is not a normal part of breastfeeding; it is an indication that something is not right and needs fixing now!    If nursing is painful, or you have the slightest suspicion that something is not quite right, get help.  Contact a Lactation Consultant or your local La Leche League Leader.  The most common reason for pain is incorrect positioning and latch-on.  Sometimes just the slightest correction in positioning will make a world of difference.  Here's where to find help:
 

Lactation Consultants

  Visit Our Directories

Lactation Consultants
Doulas
Midwives
Child Birth Educators
Counselors
 
 

La Leche League

The one and only.  Providing support to breastfeeding mothers for decades.  There is almost certainly a La Leche League group near you.