Breastfeeding

I am obviously not breastfeeding yet since the baby isn't even here yet, but I've been doing a lot of reading, thinking, and discussing about breastfeeding recently.  In our Bradley classes we speak often about breastfeeding, and it seems to me like it is a pretty popular trend right now.  Although I wonder if more women are actually doing it these days, since it seems like you see fewer women than ever before breastfeeding in public.  I do have a theory about that, I think maybe you don't see as many women breastfeeding because there are more places to do it now.  For instance many big department stores, or malls will have family restrooms, or even breastfeeding rooms.
Anyway the main thing I have been thinking about and anticipating when it comes to breastfeeding is how difficult it sounds.  It seems like many women have lots of trouble with the whole breastfeeding thing for a number of reasons.  Of course it also sounds like once you get the hang of it, it shouldn't be too much trouble, but in the beginning it can be, and often is difficult.
At our very first Bradley class our instructor explained to us that when it comes to natural childbirth one reason that it used to be easier for women to do 200 years ago is because by the time most women became mothers they had already seen several births.  A young girl might see a younger sibling be born, or go along to help out when an aunt or cousin was having a baby.  After seeing all these examples when it came time for that girl to have a baby of her own she would mimic what she had seen, and all of her past experiences would make it easier for her to give birth.
I bring this up, because it made a lot of sense to me, and it makes me feel even more puzzled about why breastfeeding is such a challenge.  I mean I get the struggles; latching, supply and demand, waiting for the milk to come in, lack of sleep, confused babies, engorgement, sore breasts, etc.  But it just seems like a lot of women, even women who are successful breastfeeders (is that a word?)  acknowledge what a struggle and challenge breastfeeding is.  If it is so difficult, than how did people manage to survive?  I guess back in the day women didn't have a choice, either you breastfed or your baby died, or if you could afford it you had a wet nurse.  My point is that it makes sense to me that in some ways natural childbirth was easier 200 years ago, but no one seems to have any reason why breastfeeding might be more difficult now. Which leads me to believe that it was always difficult which I find to be confounding.  Why is something as natural as breastfeeding so difficult?

I will be 34 weeks tomorrow.