Breastfeeding & a Good Sucker!

We've been having breastfeeding drama lately. I never knew there was so much to breastfeeding that needed to be worked out to make it completely successful. Ethan latched on right after he was born no problem and was born with a really good suck. So strong in fact that he sucks a little too hard.
This may seem a little too personal, but I'll try to keep it light. We headed into see the nurse practioner and lactation consultant on Monday for his 4 day appointment only to learn that he had lost 12% of his body weight since birth. We were told that we would have to supplement with 1 oz pumped breastmilk or formula after each feeding. Meanwhile, Ethan had already gone to town destroying my nipples because of his powerful suck and because he wasn't latched on properly. I was a little concerned, but hopeful that we would fix everything and he would gain weight.
We came back the next day for a weigh in and another appointment with the lactation consultant. He had gained 6 oz in the last 24 hours. We were really happy and figured he would continue to gain really well and be at his birth weight soon. He was doing so well that we then were told to supplement every other feeding and come back on Friday when he was 8 days old.
On Friday, he had only gained another 1/2 oz in 3 days. I was discouraged and getting a little more concerned. The lactation consultant reassured me that he was gaining weight just slower than we had hoped for. He looked very healthy and we had nothing to worry about. I had been feeding him with a nipple shield to let my nipples heal for the 3 days prior and they were finally healed so I could go ahead and nurse without it.
Unfortunately, by this last Monday he had completely destroyed my nipples again and they were worse. We waited for an appointment on Wednesday and when he was weighed it showed he had only gained 3/4 oz in 5 days. I started crying in the doctor's office because I felt so responsible and guilty. Again, I was reassured that we could still fix this and that he was still gaining weight, just not as fast as we had hoped.
I was advised to stop nursing to give my nipples a chance to heal again, pump every 3 hours and feed him with formula and the pumped milk. It was very sad to think that I wouldn't be nursing him for 5 whole days. I was told that he wouldn't have a problem going back to the breast. It appears that my son does not care where he gets his food...he just wants it. He evidently doesn't suck correctly and this is common with many newborn boys. We were told it's not to late to train him and that boys just take longer to figure it out. We'll start suck training early next week and hopefully be back to the breast soon. We are 24 hours into this new arrangement and I do like that Ken can do more feedings and Ethan eats faster with a bottle than from the breast so I sleep more. Ken does not sleep better because he actually has to get up now to feed him while I pump. Luckily, I have a ton of milk and pump what Ethan needs to eat at each meal.
I have no doubt that we will go back to weigh him in the morning and he will have gained a few ounces and by Monday he'll have gained much more. It's nice to be able to see how much he's getting from the bottle.
I have to keep reminding myself that even if breastfeeding doesn't work out, that my son is happy and healthy. We have a very good baby who sleeps at least one 4 hour block during the night and who sleeps in his own bed. Even when he wasn't getting enough to eat, he was still happy (as long as he could suck on something).