scream re BF'ing....i found the first couple of weeks were fine, i then got very sore and yes it was toe curling for a while, but i highly recommend getting yourselves some lansinhoh cream. It meant i could tolerate feeding through the bad patch (about a month i think) and then from then on, i can honestly say i have had no pain whatsoever, even now, when DS is 14 months and has lots of teeth. I would never condone anyone for using formula, but i really would recommend that if in your heart you want to breastfeed because you believe it's the best, that you can do it, but when they tell you at NCT etc that it only hurts if you are doing it wrong, they are talking bollocks so just ignore them! It will hurt most people (from our group of 8, not one of us escaped pain) but the pain doesn't last for long, and the lansinoh makes a big difference, and since the pain stopped, i have really enjoyed breastfeeding, as has DS. The biggest problem i know some encountered was when it hurt, they would favour using one side over the other, but this then altered their supply, and meant that in the end they had to use formula which they didn't want to do, as their one side wasn't really producing much at all, so they actually put the guilt on themselves, as they wished they'd fed through the pain.
The main thing is that your baby is well fed, so it is happy, content and thrives. Whether you do BF or bottle or combination, the end result is what counts. But if you want to BF, then get some lansinoh and be prepared that the first couple of months may not be perfect, but that the pain will go and then you will have this amazing time bonding with your baby, and it's nice knowing its something only you can do for your baby, and some people i know found it a good excuse to have a rest for a while....."i'm just going upstairs as baby needs feeding" and then watching tv whilst feeding and the post feed sleep, whilst their DH slaves away downstairs....