Formula milk no longer available in hospitals.
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- Due in March
- Formula milk no longer available in hospitals.
1/9/08 08:01
1/9/08 00:17
Aroseforyou, hospitals cannot afford to buy every type of milka dn keep it available for mothers, look at the amount of mothers having a babies a day, now imagine each baby staying 2 nights, newborns feed often, its a big cost to them.. Nobody is saying that you bad if you cant breastfeeding, they just say take your own milk in for the baby.. Just like we take clothes and nappies for a baby, we should all take milk in for a baby.. Like someone else said on a previous post, the hospital are better off getting more midwives than providing milk.. They always have the milk for emergencies but they shouldnt have to provide you with milk..
My cousin cannot breastfeed, she tried with 3 of her kids and it didnt work, however each time she went prepared and took formula as its better to have it just in case.. Atleast that way you know your baby wont go without..
31/8/08 21:25
wel certainly nobody came up to me like that, but then Lucy was generally under a shawl so she probably couldn't be seen anyway!!!!
When I found it hard in the early days, my Mum tried really hard to convince me to give up, but I am really glad I persevered with it. It is a tie, because nobody else can take over for you, but at the same time it's great in the middle of the night because you don't have to wake up totally in the same way you would have to if you need to think about warming bottles up!
I have to say that my friends who bottle fed found it REALLY hard to get advice when they encountered problems......there isn't so much support available if you don't bf, in my experience, which I think is totally naff!
31/8/08 21:20
the biggest plus to breast feeding is that you get that private space i think.
when i used to bottle feed my daughter in public, people used to come up and touch her face, and pinch her cheeks and stuff. no stranger would ever do that when baby is on your breast! lol!
i think that so long as your baby feeds then your doing a good job as a mum!
good on all for doing whats best for them!
rose xx
31/8/08 21:12
I am sure they will have milk for emergencies. I fully intend to bf again, as I did with my dd. I had some problems with getting her to latch on initially, so I did give her some formula in hospital in addition.
This debate always ges too heated......whatever you choose/have to do to keep your baby fed, just be happy with that. Breast milk is free, is designed for your baby etc etc BUT I have many friends who either never breast fed, or tried it and found it too painful, difficult, impossible etc.
All I would say is that I agree that if you have decided up front you are going to ff from the word go, then it isn't unreasonable for you to take the kit with you, same as you will take nappies, clothes, maternity pads etc etc etc.
On a slight side issue......to all of you ff mums who feel that you are treated badly or as 2nd class mums......I bet none of you have been asked to take your baby into a toilet to feed him/her or received disapproval for feeding your baby in public. bf is still not completely accepted, and I was often made to feel that I should not be feeding my baby where people might see me. The longer you bf the worse the comments get, so it isn't all a bed of roses on either side!
Good luck to all of us however we feed our babies. Whatever we do, we know we are right, and no-one else should try and tell us otherwise.
Sarah 12+4
31/8/08 20:51
this has probably been said already, but i've not managed to read every post,
if they stop giving you milk thats awful, I am one of the few who physically can't breast feed, all of the women in my family have the same problem, and like with everything else i have to do, including looking after my daughter, who won't even be 2 when this baby comes, like you need to have to worry about that too!
if the hospital just offered every brand of milk, then there ouwldn't be a problem, and you can't force a woman to breast feed!
ooh! feeling all cross now! lol!
thanks for the heads up though xx
31/8/08 19:54
Well said Jo.
31/8/08 19:54
Ah thought so
here are the rules
FM isn;t allowed to be advertised for under 6 months old.
That could be the reason.
31/8/08 19:52
I agree that whatever works best for you is what you should do.
I don't think hospitals should wholesale out ff, but there should be some for emergencies. I think they stopped because they can't be seen to favour one over the other. I think it has something to do with the advertising of formula milk for infants as there is a lot more regulation about this of recent years.
I plan to have my 3rd baby at home and I don't expect the midwife to bring formula with her if I can't bf.
When in hospital we aren't patients only a small majority become ill through child birth (usually caused through medical intervention but thats a different debate) most are healthy and go home within days/hours. So bring in something for every eventuality and you won't feel short changed. Then the money saved can go into saving lives (or another midwife as one poster said).
I do think this thread has become a slanging match, with certain finger pointing going on. Come girls it's time to grow up we are all becoming mum's, either for the first time or again.
Good luck whatever you decide.
Jo
31/8/08 19:10
Hi all just reading through somke of this i had DD 2 yrs ago and i fully intended to Breast feed, so i took nothing with me?? cant believe i didnt take anything but anyway i managed to breast feed but due to a bad weak left arm i couldnt support DD on other boobie as you need 2 good hands one to squeese boob into shape and other to move babys head soz tmi. so in a panic i phoned DP and said bring in bottle and milk. with this the midwife took me into the milk kitchen and there was about 5 different makes of steriliser!! not sure how it is now but ive brought myself a v pillow so i can lay baby on that and have free hands so i will try to breast feed again. i bet they do have milk due to babys in speacial care etc
31/8/08 16:40
I had the same experiance as Kellie and as i had a c-section the nurses would go and get the bottle untill I was able to go myself
x.x
31/8/08 16:32
Thought i would re-post my answer to the original poster as i feel it sticks to the OP thoughts on the matter and kinda got missed in all the hype!
HTH ladies
2 years ago i had my DD, i fully intended to bottlefeed, and i took in, as was told to in a letter, 6 bottles and a tin of formula.
Once she was born they let me have two or three of the small bottles with teats already on of ready amde formula (even though they said this was not provided), then when i moved up to the ward, they took me to a sterilising room, with every different brand of steriliser going!
And as i was a first tiem mum they showed me how to sterilise and make up 3 feeds and put them in the fridge. I used the same steriliser as i had at home, put my bottles in a little basket and named them as mine and in the firdge they went!
Absolutely no problem at all, and if i hadnt have taken in all my own things because lets say, for examplke they provided everything i wouldnt have had a trained midwife teach me, as a first time mum, how to sterilise properly and make up feeds correctly!
NO problem at all, just ask midwife at next appointment if the hospital you intend to give birth at has sterilising facilities and if you need to bring in your own steriliser etc etc, least then you can prepare yourself.
HTH ladies
oh and i gave birth at Colchester General Hospital
31/8/08 15:07
PLumper agree, with you, im still trying to figure out who said tha they are better than someone else jsut because they breastfed.. Read this over and over but still cant catch it lol..
31/8/08 14:37
Wow, hormones flying all over in here!
It seems reading the posts that some of you have had "tunnel vision" when reading.
It's a pasionate subject to most, I bf (tried) our last daughter, ended up using formula, had no option, she tore my nips to bits (4th baby and still didnt know how to do it properly!) Was too scared to ask anyone (at 33!) so chose the easy route.
Most women are aware of when their baby is due for months, so even if you intend to bf, you should always take ff to be on the safe side, we can't predict what will happen when our little ones arrive, I don't agree with Mothers (who know full well baby is en-route) expecting the hospital to supply them with milk, especially if that Mother never intends to bf.
I take on board the op opinion that the hospital supply Mother, so why not baby, but surley, this is something we have been preparing for for months, buying cute little sox, mittens, so what is the problem with popping a bit of formula in that bag you have sat by the front door for weeks?
The problem is with leaving formula out readily available (and I have 4 children of all ages, from 18-3, and have seen this 1st hand) is people get greedy, and take more than they should, stuffing formula, and nappies into their bags, and girls, before anyone jumps down my throat at this, I have seen this happen, I am not accusing anyone in here of doing it, but the NHS have a budget to stick to, and if it's a toss up between 1 new midwife a year on the ward or a few bottles of formula (which is pennies really) I know what I would rather see.
Please note, I have not mentioned bf is best, ff is pants, cows milk is not right, I have tried all 3, and agree with all, whatever is best for you and baby, and only you know that.
I wish you all a healthy pregnancy, and painless (as can be!) labour!
Lisa xxxx (pg with hopefully number 5)
31/8/08 13:50
O come on ladies, we are all here to support and help each other, I certainly dont want to be making enemies in here as we all might need each others help 1 day!
We have a long time together in this forum so why cant we all agree to disagree on some things, does it really matter what choices a parent makes? we all love our own children and we do whats best for our children and us! simple as, I ff my daughter although I wanted to bf so does that make me a bad person? Nope it sure doesnt, my daughter is healthy and she also drinks cows milk, does that make her a cow? Nope it sure doesnt, I really think this should be left alone now as its starting to upset people which isnt nice, Do we really need the added stress of what others think of our choices? I know I dont, please just leave it as it is!
31/8/08 13:40
I have no problem with bringing Formula milk with me at all but this thread does disgust me greatly! Im quite new to this forum and i didnt expect for people to act like they are better than others just because they BF! catch a grip , BF or FF doesnt determine wether your mother of the year! I think its great if BF works and thats what "YOU" choose to do but as that didnt happen with my DS , I dont feel like i have let him down at all!!!!
MY mum had six children and BF none of us and quite honestly wouldnt have made her any better a mum than she is !
Rant Over but some of us choose to live in the real world instead of a dream one!!!!!!!!!!!!!
31/8/08 12:10
Lillysuesmummy.......just wanted to ask then do you not drink cows milk or eat cheese or yoghurts or dairy products??? And will/do you not feed them to your children either?
And am I right in thinking that you think all things should be as natural and black and white as cows milk is for cows etc?
How do you feel about ating eggs? And chicken and meat and fish?
Just out of curiosity
31/8/08 10:38
I dont think anyone is saying dont bottlefeed.. People are saying, provide your own formula.. Thats all, it makes perfect sense! Mothers should take their own even if they plan to breastfeed, for those little emergencies.. One of mine was breastfed for a month at most as he was lactose intolerant, gave him special formula.. Isha was on breast only.. Both are healthy and happy.. Feeding a child should be stress free, if you feel breastfeeding is not for you, its better to bottle it.. FF babies are the same as BF babies31/8/08 09:41
Hi all, this is my second pregnancy and I remember these types of posts from my first time round. It is so crazy for these debates, or arguments as they usually end up as, to go on. I don't really see the purpose of mums making other mums feel guilty for the decisions that they make. We all know how hard it is to make decisions on this topic and I am pretty sure that none of us make any decisions that affect our childrens well being lightly and without considerable thought. I wanted to breastfeed my first but after a difficult birth, three days of not latching on and not being able to express I tried formula, which was provided by the hospital, and my dd fed happily and I was content to continue with formula. I did however feel extremely guilty about this - not because I thought I had made the wrong decision but because I read posts like this on Bounty! Such comments are so counterproductive and like pps have said completely against what Bounty is about. My sister in law tried to breast feed and had some problems and at her hospital they did not supply formula to supplement the feeds, she wasn't told this in advance and as a result her husband was spending his time at the supermarket getting what they needed rather than with her bonding with their baby. She needed help and she wasn't given it and I find this disgusting as it only stressed her out further, she did breast feed for a few weeks and I don't think that a little help in the early days would have been so bad. I guess the moral to the debate is that we all need to check what our hospitals policies are before we go in to deliver. I will certainly be giving those ready made bottles a look if my hospital has stopped helping out. Good luck on whatever you choose and I will say if you decide to formula feed don't read these debates on Bounty after the birth - your hormones are enough to deal with without other opinions knocking you back. Rant over!
31/8/08 08:59
Soz, no idea what happened there!
erm can we let this drop off the page now..........if u all want to carry it on take it up in debates! Please............its getting me down keep seeing this piping up everyday!
Thanks
Lou x