TSimpsy07:thank you so much for all of the replies! I'm new to this site and it seems like an awesome resource to have. I do feel that my frustration and feelings of inadequacy attributed to me giving up and giving in to formula. I was always worried that she wasn't getting enough to eat.
do any of you have specific tips for stimulating milk supply? Like how often I should put my newborn to my breast during the first few hours/days? My first daughter was so drowsy the first day (which is to be expected) that I was instructed to strip her down to her diaper for every feeding so the chilly air would keep her awake..
Breastfeeding is really hard. I only lasted 5 months, and exclusively pumped for 2 of those months. I had inverted nipples and DS had a bad latch. You should put your newborn to the breast about every 2 hours. That is 2 hours from the start of the feeding, so if baby feeds for an hour it would be an hour after that. Some babies can go 3 hours, but if you worried about it you might try the 2 hours first. If they are sleepy yes, strip them down to a diaper and use a wet washcloth to keep them awake.
The Breastfeeding Board here is really helpful, you might take a Breastfeeding Class through your hospital or read a book such as the Nursing Mother's Companion. I did all those things, and still had a hard time even meeting with a Lactation Consultant twice, so I am just hoping that with our previous experience, and hopefully my LO will latch better this time that overall it will go much better.
Also bring your nursing bras to the hospital, and don't let the nurses and LC give you crap this time. If the LC at the hospital is rude and not helping you can always hire your own for a home visit. Unfortunately my experience was that insurance did not pay for the LC home visit. It was about $250, but we were able to get DS to the breast finally so it sort of was a success if I hadn't of had those other factors.