Educate yourself about breastfeeding
Read. Read some more. The more you know before you start breastfeeding, the better. Consider taking a breastfeeding class if your birthing classes don't cover breastfeeding extensively.

See: Breastfeeding Books

Create a support system
Make sure your doctor (or midwife) is knowledgable, or at least, supportive of breastfeeding. If you are planning a hospital birth, visit and find out about their breastfeeding support and policies. Do they have a board certified lactation consultant on staff? Will they allow you unlimited contact and rooming in with your newborn? You might want to write down your breastfeeding plan as part of your birth plan. Include the fact that you will want to nurse immediately after the birth, you want to completely avoid glucose water, formula feedings and artificial nipples. Also include a clear cut plan for unexpected circumstances like a c-section or illness (you or the baby) When our daughter ended up in the NICU for her first week, they did their best to follow my feeding instructions and helped me pump milk to supplement the "at the breast" feedings she was allowed.

Dr Newman's article, How to Tell if a Health Professional is NOT Supportive of Breastfeeding has some good information.

If your hospital does not have a Lactation Consultant on staff, or you are planning a home birth, consider arranging for a Lactation Consultant in your area to visit you after the birth. Try to meet a few while pregnant and pick one that you like and feel comfortable with. Have her phone number handy in case any problems arise.

You might consider having a Doula assist you with your birth and post-partum care. The majority of Doulas are trained to help women and newborns establish breastfeeding. For more information about doulas, read this FAQ about doulas and how to find one.

Contact a La Leche League group in your area and try to attend a few meetings during your pregnancy. Other moms who are experienced breastfeeders are an invaluable resource for a new mom.

If you are in a lower income bracket, consider signing up with WIC. The Women, Infants and Children program strongly encourages breastfeeding and provides nutrition counseling and food to pregnant and lactating women and their young children

See: Breastfeeding Help Resources

Preparing Your Breasts
I have read so much contradicting information on the topic of how to "prepare" your breasts for nursing. Some resources say to air your nipples and occasionally go braless to "toughen" them, other resources say to apply nipple creams, or avoid using soaps on your breasts and others say to do nothing special. From the education I have had about breastfeeding, I think the best advice in most cases is to do nothing but your doctor, midwife or lactation consultant may have individual advice for you on this topic. If you suspect that you have flat or inverted nipples, do have them checked out during pregnancy in case you need to deal with that before you breastfeed.

The First Few Days
Breastfeed as soon as possible....within the first hour is preferable. Other pages in this guide give basic information about positioning and latch on. Hopefully you will have a knowledgable professional available to you to coach you through your first few nursing sessions. There is no information available online that can replace one-one-one support from someone who is knowledgable about breastfeeding. Request that the hospital lactation or nursing staff demonstrate a couple of positions and check to see that your baby is latching on well. That way, you can go home from the hospital reckognizing a good latch and proper positioning

Remember, if any problems arise that can't be easily fixed with a bit of guidance from this (or any other) online breastfeeding guide or a good breastfeeding book, it is crucial to seek help as soon as possible. Failure to seek help could lead to your child becoming dehydrated or ill, and you also run the risk of a health professional who is uneducated about breastfeeding insisting that you supplement.

How Often?
Breastfeed frequently.... at least 8-12 times in each 24 hour period.This ensures an adequate milk supply and greatly reduces your chances of engorgement. Current research shows that limiting the amount of time at the breast going too long between feedings can diminish your milk supply and reduce the fat content of your milk which can result in a hungry, crying baby. Do not let your baby sleep through feedings until your milk supply has been developed, which usually takes about 2 to 3 weeks. If your baby is not awake and wanting to feed, wake her if 3 to 4 hours have passed since the last feeding. If this persists, call your pediatrician.

Learning to Read your Baby's Hunger Cues
Your baby will indicate her hunger by giving feeding cues.

Early hunger cues include:
rooting reflex
nuzzling against your breast
sucking on her lips, tongue, fingers or fist
opening her mouth wide and moving her head around
smacking her lips

Late hunger cues include:
fussing and crying

Feed your baby as soon as you notice early hunger cues. Don't wait until she is fussing or crying to nurse her. Even if it's only been thirty minutes since the last feed, it's okay to offer your breast whenever your seems hungry. The stomach of a newborn is very small, amd breastmilk is generally digested in 1-1 1/2 hours. As your baby gains weight and gets older, she will be able to wait longer between feedings.

To help you learn how to read your baby's hunger cues try these suggestions:

Rooming-in
If you give birth in a hospital, keep your baby in your room while you are in the hospital instead of in the nursery. You'll have the opportunity to start learning your baby's cues before you go home. Rooming in also encourages your milk to come in faster helps you establish breastfeeding successfully before you leave the hospital.

See: Connect Early With Your Baby

Skin-to-skin Contact
Studies have show that babies who are held skin-to-skin cry less and their mothers will learn how to meet their needs more quickly. Hold your undressed baby (with or without diaper) against your bare chest and drape a light blanket around you both. This is also a great thing for dads too....enabling him to bond with his baby. This technique is often called "kangaroo care" and has been shown to have numerous benefits to babies...especially those with low birth weight.

Avoid Pacifiers and Artificial Nipples
Pacifiers can interfere with your baby's feeding cues because sucking is one of the ways she tells you she is hungry. Some babies can have "nipple confusion" if artificial nipples are introduced too soon. It's a good idea to avoid pacifiers until breastfeeding is well established...usually about six weeks. A healthy baby needs nothing besides colostrum. Sugar water (or supplementation of any kind) is rarely needed, and in fact can undermine breastfeeding by interfering with your milk supply.

Limit Visitors the First Few Weeks
It can be hard to get to know your baby when your home is full of people. Try to spend this time establishing breastfeeding and learning your baby's cues. If family and friends are visiting to provide support, have them cook, clean, run errands, etc....your baby needs to be held and cared for by her parents. Listen to your instincts on this issue, you don't need to ban grandma from holding her new grandchild but do make sure that for the most part you are the one providing nourishment, comfort and touch.