To think hospitals should give baby of atopic parents hypoallergenic formula instead of normal formula

[ShineSmile]

... if baby is not taking to breastfeeding for whatever reason, and needs formula milk (normally for a day or two to build up strength etc), the hospital should give baby of atopic parents hypoallergenic formula instead of normal cows milk formula?

(babies of both atopic parents have a 80% chance of allergies, which includes food allergies)

But how would you know they are allergic at newborn?

I work on a children's ward and we provide all sorts of milk, but obviously that's to children with known allergies. And to be fair we expect parents to being in their own formula regardless of what it is.

My DS was on Neocate, it's not something to just hand out on the off chance, it costs £30 a tub!

Just adding my agreement with the posts about prescription formula. DS5 is breastfed and it's easy. DS4's prescribed formula is a massive pain in the neck. I order his repeat prescription over a week before he's due to run out and then 9 times out of 10 the pharmacy or dr surgery mucks it up and it's not there when it's supposed to be. It's too heavy for me to put in the buggy basket and the pharmacy doesn't open weekends so DH has to finish work early to pick it up in the car. Then I've got the faff of carting around bottles and formula when we go out.

We used to just use one pharmacy (small village it was the only one!) and they got used to how many tins we needed per month or whatever and would always have some in stock and would allow me to "owe" them a tin off the next prescription if I was in dire need.

This wouldn't work in a big town where you weren't known though!

I think until a baby has been confirmed as having an allergy or genuine intolerance then it should be fed what any other baby is fed.

It would be inappropriate to prescribe formula based on a possibility of an allergy.

I have a child with coeliacs, coeliacs get prescription GF food; both children have multiple food allergies. DD1 was breastfed; DD2 I was unable to breastfeed, and she had prescription formula.

I'd have given anything to BF DD2. Anything.

I find your posts incredibly insensitive and judgemental grocklebox, not everyone can BF, and not everyone can afford £30 a tub for needed formula; maybe you should think before you post.

Hospitals should have it available for sale to parents, but I really don't think they should provide it.

Agree Stratter5. I really wanted to bf DS, turned out due to being anaemic and having an undiagnosed medical condition, I couldn't. Tried and tried for weeks, never made any milk. DS ended up on Neocate anyway as he has a dairy allergy. Which at £30 I got on prescription.

So anyone that judges people that can't or think we haven't tried, fuck you.

its highly unlikely that the baby "cannot" be breastfed, rather that the parent(s) choose for one reason or another not to do it
Either way, buy your own. Its your kid, not the NHS's

Wow, take a chill pill.

Adults are provided with good while staying in hospital. Why should it be different for a baby?

I would rather my baby was given doner breastmilk in that situation.

Oh and DS4 couldn't breastfeed. It's more common than you think. The 99% figure that gets quoted all the time is the number of mums that can breastfeed. It doesn't include the babies who can't.

But don't they usually encourage mothers to express rather than give formula in that case? That's what they did with my son when he was too whacked out to feed properly?

Well iirc atopicity (is that a word?) is LIKELY to have a hereditary component but until tested positive, standard infant formula, provided by parents as in most hospitals, should be the norm, surely?

its highly unlikely that the baby "cannot" be breastfed, rather that the parent(s) choose for one reason or another not to do it.

Idiot. Tell that to my friend who produced no more than a dribble of milk. Nearly starved her babies trying.

Just a point - How do you store, steralise and make up bottles when in hospital esp if you've just had a c section and not allowed to get out of bed ?

fluffy I think that's why my hospital gave us the ready-sterilised bottles that you get in the 'starter packs', rather than letting us use our own milk.

We have ready made formula, SMA, C&G etc, the hypoallergenic stuff and the more weird and wonderful we have to get made up via the dietician, and it can take hours.

Which is why it's better to bring your own (why wouldn't you bring your own anyway? I would automatically bring my DS's milk if he was having a planned hospital stay, along with nappies etc).

But that's on a children's ward. I can't speak for a midwifery unit.

My dD is atopic with many allergies.

But not one to formula.

YaBU

"Idiot. Tell that to my friend who produced no more than a dribble of milk. Nearly starved her babies trying."

I feel that there is a lot of ignorance about breastfeeding on this thread. Top ups in the early days is the most effective way to sabortage breastfeeding. In the early days a mother only produces a drivel of milk. A full term baby is desgined to lose 10% of its body weight while its establishing breastfeeding. A baby only needs a few drops of colustrum to survive. Generally milk comes in on day 3 to 5 for most women.

There a circumstances when a baby may need top ups if a baby is ILL. For example exceptionally low birth wieght, jaundice, low blood sugar levels may make top ups essential. I feel that a sick baby who has atopic parents should be allowed hypoallegenic formula. If a baby is seriously ill then its maddness to take the risk of conventional formula. Special care babies are the exception to the rule.

A condition of free formula should be that a mother is attempting to establish breastfeeding. Formula should not be given because a mother has chosen to give up. I feel that a healthy baby should take the risk of conventional formula as it is nutritionally better for an non atopic baby. I see no reason why free formula should be provided to any healthy baby.

Not sure whether it should be given as a matter of course. I know someone whose first child was very intolerant of cows milk protein. She chose not to breastfeed her 2nd DC for whatever reason, baby reacted to first feed in hospital so they immediately prescribed the hypoallergenic formula with no further ill affects.

For those saying for the parents to just buy it, it is generally only available on prescription, pharmacies don't keep stocks of it in anyway - it nearly always has to be ordered, and it costs an absolute fortune.

So with a 20% chance of not being allergic and no proven allergy you think the NHS should commit to £30 a week for a year or however long they need it? Does your hospital have a protocol for situations like this?

Very allergic babies can also react to proteins in the mother's milk, so breastfeeding isn't always the answer anyway.

I think it would be very rare for a parent to be allergic to milk and have a reaction if the milk was touched.

Surely the breastfeeding mother just needs to avoid the allergen then Molly?

Yawn really tired. You are wrong. You have no idea what it is like not to produce enough milk. I will never forget as long as I live dd2 being admitted at 10 days and screaming having a cannula stuck in her arm after I had listened to 'experts' like you online. I didn't have enough milk to feed her, I was there and you weren't. You cannot over the Internet tell people they are ignorant about breastfeeding. dd 1 I made the right decision, topped her up early, switched to formula and she stayed well.

Exactly, if your baby had an allergy and you're bf you're supposed to give up dairy and soya yourself. Not something that's going to happen in hospital having just given birth to a baby.

There is the heel prick test to rule out conditons like Phenylketonuria

A family with a history of Phenylketonuria would be right to feel nervous about breastfeeding. Thankfully such conditions are very rare.