Losing hope

I desperately wanted breastfeeding to work this time, and I am starting to worry it never will. Looking for advice on next steps and stories of how similar journeys were saved.

Baby #2 is now 9 weeks old and almost completely bottle fed with pumped milk. I'm still trying to latch 1-3 times daily and it's not working. He gets very little milk (confirmed with 2 weighted feeds), his latch is painful, and I can't stop using nipple shields (which are painful in their own right because my nipple pulls through the holes). I pumped and combo fed my first for over 4 months and it was awful. I had an under supply, felt like a total failure, and struggled to bond with or enjoy my baby. I was desperate for it to be different this time.

The LC I've been working with is out of ideas other than tongue tie. Dentist she referred me to confirms the diagnosis but it's a controversial posterior tie and I can't shake the feeling the release is a bad idea. Pediatrician says he does not have a tie and we should not treat.

I don't want to do a release unless it's guaranteed to fix our issues, and it's not. The only other paths I foresee are commit to exclusive pumping, which I do not want to do, or quit and switch to formula, which I cannot imagine doing after I pumped like a maniac to create a full supply this time.

I'm worried he's getting older and we are losing our chance to fix whatever is going wrong. I can't believe I will never know what it's like to have a happy breastfeeding experience.

Please give me some hope.