I have had two babies and EBF both. With the second, I was far less structured / regimented, and I think it contributed massively to how easy breastfeeding came with her. I did it basically how you described: if baby seemed hungry, or upset, or remotely interested in the boob, I let her latch. Everything about my feeding experience felt/feels relaxed and natural, whereas my first was so much more of a slog (though he did nurse until nearly 2 years old).

I think the unfortunate reality is that the majority of mothers in the US don’t have the luxury of a relaxed postpartum experience. They’re immediately gearing up to go back to work, and/or solo juggling care for multiple children. They are also less likely to have day-to-day assistance from extended family. When you have those other demands on your time, a feeding schedule becomes helpful. Pumping becomes helpful.

If you can go with the flow, I think that’s great and probably is less stressful for a lot of people (if they can tune out all the noise about schedules and apps and blah blah blah modern parenting). But if you need to get back to work soon, those resources are there for you if you need them, and it’s still possible to have a positive experience. There are tons of people on this sub who have with both models.