herethere - I hear you! I've been watching this thread and hesitated to comment until now. I too had a nightmare with breastfeeding and my son dropped off the bottom of the growth charts completely at one point after languishing there for a couple of months. He was born an average weight but when he was next weighed at home at 6 days old (hospital forgot to weigh him at 72 hrs old!! 
) he had lost almost 11% of his birth weight. I'd had an awful labour lasting over three days, instrumental delivery and a post partum haemorrhage and blood transfusion. Breastfeeding support initially in hospital seemed fine and I was helped to express colostrum. But the outcome a few days later with baby's large weight loss made me think I should have got more support.
I so so wanted to be one of the mothers for whom breastfeeding worked out. We'd needed IVF to conceive and I'd then needed an instrumental delivery, so I think both those things made me want breastfeeding to work out even more as it's natural. I wanted to be one of those who could breastfeed anywhere, including lying down. I can see how that would be very easy and convenient. But in my case I could only feed sat bolt upright in cross cradle hold with specific pillows to support baby. I was in incredible pain feeding but no one could work out why. Latch was apparently fine and thrush was ruled out etc. I tried biological / laid back nursing positions, as advised by breastfeeding counsellors but me and baby just couldn't get on with those. Lying down he couldn't latch propertly until about 8 months old. I developed RSI from the hours spent feeding in that position so then had physio appts to add to all the frequent visits to breastfeeding clinics for ongoing help. All the counsellors insisted I didn't need to be topping up with formula despite baby being tiny (below bottom centile!) and constantly hungry. I was prescribed by HV to wake my sleeping baby to feed at night to maintain / boost my supply so for months I set my alarm for 4am and sat bolt upright in bed feeding for an hour.
There was also immense pressure in my case from my DP. He wanted our baby to be BF as he was breastfed and he'd attended all the ante natal classes with me and had heard over and over how breast was absolutely best for both mum and baby. The issue caused a great deal of conflict between us which was very stressful and not what you want in your baby's early weeks and months.
In the end we topped up with formula due to weight gain from 6 weeks or so. The formula to breast ratio slowly changed though I did breast feed my baby twice a day until just before their first birthday.
My breasts only ever felt full
or leaked on a few occasions. I had definite supply issues, whether inate or caused by repeated poor latch.
I also feel, knowing so much more about it all now, that my baby had undiagnosed tongue tie.
Pumping after feeds, drinking fennel tea, taking all sorts of natural milk boosters and a prescription one (domperidone) - I did it all. Exclusive breastfeeding just didn't happen for me long term. Breastfeeding only became enjoyable months down the line once baby was down to a couple of feeds a day as on solids and feeding lying down worked.
Breastfeeding is mis-sold in my view. It's made out to be easy, convenient, Yes, it's natural and is 'best' but I also do wonder by
exactly how much on each of the various aspects. I found it utterly exhausting, painful, relentless and I felt a complete failure because I couldn't make it work, unlike most other mums I knew. Only a couple FF and that was because they also found breastfeeding difficult but gave up a few days in as no-one (themselves or anyone else) was pressuring them to keep breastfeeding.
No formula is offered at our local hospital as it's a certified UNICEF baby friendly one.
Sorry for long, rambling and cathartic post!