Like countless other young moms, she wanted the best for her baby but had problems latching the infant to the breast, and was constantly worried about her newborn's weight.
Yet Cooper, a former journalist, not only overcame her difficulties but emerged as an authority on the subject, authoring a book called The Greatest Breastfeeding Tips In The World. It was recently launched in South Africa.
Cooper overcame the problems encountered by new mothers by refusing to give up, despite "a comedy to errors" in which neither she nor her infant knew what they were doing.
"The problem is I didn't have the best support from health professionals, nurses and doctors, who weren't trained in breastfeeding," she recalls. "They did their best, and so did I, but it was purely thanks to three people that I was able to continue: my mom, my partner and Sister Lilian, a parenting expert, midwife and author who told me things that no antenatal class, clinic sister, doctor or gynaecologist ever had."
Cooper says Sister Lilian helped her to look at her baby's overall health instead of test-weighing to see if she had enough milk - for a long time the only way a new mother had of determining whether her infant was thriving.
From her she learnt that the baby should have five to six wet or dirty nappies daily; be alert during the times she is awake; have moist, sparkling eyes; and reach milestones more or less on par.
Cooper says weighing babies has caused more heartache and chaos than most bad breastfeeding advice. "For years we've been basing our statistics on the growth charts gleaned from a control study of a group of formula-fed babies. Breast and formula babies often pick up weight very differently - and all babies, anyway, are different."
She says a mother can see and hear if her baby is starving. But, if she is anxious, she should consult a lactation consultant or get reassurance from her doctor.
Cooper also ignored advice from known health personalities. One book she bought was written by a health expert who told mothers to stop breastfeeding at a year, as after that age mother's milk had "no nutritional value", and mom would not be helping her child to become independent.
Yet she found otherwise: "International studies and my own experience have proved that this is absolute nonsense. But, unfortunately, many moms have followed her advice."
The young mother has received much support from an international board-certified lactation consultant and medical doctor, Nan Jolly, who in the foreword to the book says breastfeeding isn't so much about the milk, but about the intimate relationship between mother and child. "It's the prototype for all our relationships for the rest of our lives," she says.
In her information search, Cooper learnt that SA researchers discovered that "exclusive breastfeeding is safest for babies of HIV-positive mothers if sustainable formula-feeding is not possible".
The African Centre for Health and Population Studies and the University of Natal found babies of HIV-positive moms are twice as likely to be infected if given formula together with breast milk. The risk grows if those babies are given solid food as well.
She quotes Dr Jolly, her expert consultant, as saying that in most cases it is safest for a healthy HIV-positive mother "to exclusively breastfeed for six months, then wean to formula". However, risks will vary in each circumstance.
She says all women are advised to apply four "safer breastfeeding" methods: exclusive breastfeeding for six months, optimal feeding techniques, prompt treatment of breast problems and safe sex.
How to feed your baby, Cooper explains, is a difficult issue for infected mothers, and each must decide after weighing the risks inherent in all choices.
Ill health, too, need not deter a mother from breastfeeding unless, of course, she has a very serious illness that could decrease milk supply and make necessary temporary substitute feeding. For instance, chemotherapy could preclude breastfeeding.
"Mostly, an ill mom can continue breastfeeding without putting her baby's health - or her own recovery - in jeopardy," Cooper says. "The great thing about breastfeeding is that most babies acquiring an infection from mom will do better if they are breastfed than artificially fed."
Cooper also discusses options for women who have undergone breast enlargement or reduction, and says neither category is precluded from breastfeeding.
The important thing, she maintains, is that all mothers can continue breastfeeding if they want to, even once they are back at work. She says it helps to have the right equipment and a considerate employer. And it also helps to live fairly close to home.
"Nipping home for a feed is easier than pumping milk for later use but, then again, pumping is feasible at work, The point, though, is whether you're okay with that. If you hate it, don't do it."
1 Stop the clock. Scheduling feeds interferes with milk production.
2 Learn to latch. Getting baby correctly positioned on the breast is the root of success (and the cause of most problems if done incorrectly).
3 Position, position, position. Both mother and baby need to be in a comfortable position, sometimes for hours.
4 Expert support. Lactation consultants are the wise goddesses who know how to help you - go to them first, rather than a doctor or a nurse.
5 Take a babymoon if you are stressed and your baby seems to be starving. Go to bed with baby and do nothing but rest and nurse.
6 Super-size your supply. There are excellent supplements available to boost milk supply without resorting to formula feeds.
7 Wait to weigh. Your baby's weight is not the main indicator of health.
8 Mother's milk can never be "weak". A woman's breasts are designed for making milk.
9 Forget routine. A mother's milk supply and demand system need her to feed on cue - in other words, when baby is hungry.
10 Choose your rock! You need someone around you who thinks you're a breastfeeding champion. Self-confidence is an important factor in breastfeeding.
- The Greatest Breastfeeding Tips In The World by Beth Cooper is published in South Africa by Zytek Publishing and costs R135.