To ask why breatfeeding mother get free hospital food

[McHappyPants2012]

In work last week and was working on the children ward. Formula feed babies the mothers had to pay £1.50 for a meal yet breastfeeding mother was told ther is no charge.

Formula on children ward are only provided in an emergency so I don't think it's down to cost

I used to get free meals. It's not that exciting a perk! It's a way of feeding the child (bm) and also, I think anyway, showing they value bf. We all had access to the kitchen but supplies were not provided, altho I would always stock it with tea and coffee for everyone - makes a difference to be able to make a cuppa

it's because the nhs are breastfeeding facists
obviously

dorothy muckmermot told me and she knows everything

The last time my DD was on the children's ward (recently refurbished, thank god) there was a really nice little kitchen with cooker, microwave and kettle, and table and chairs, so it was easy to do cheap meals if we'd wanted.

But I do think if you are breastfeeding a sick baby it is good to be offered a meal from the trolley, if you are kind of 'stuck' bedside.

I'm a children's nurse. We provide breastfeeding mothers with their meals because the mum is providing the baby with their meal. We only provide meals for the mum until the baby is up to 1ish, because after that the child will presumably be having breakfast lunch and dinner.

However, we also provide formula milk (c&g 1, sma gold and aptamil 1) for all babies who need it, for the whole of their stay in hospital, and obviously all prescription milk. Cow's milk always available too for over 1s. The parents who aren't breastfeeding can't buy the meal from us, but if they had no money or food we would of course give them something! Cant imagine anyone paying £1.50 for hospital food!!

I can't see how a ward can provide the food for older children but not for formula fed babies? You wouldn't expect the parents of an older child to provide their child's meals while they were in hospital.

But the OP has said they only provide formula in emergencies?

I was fed when dc2 in paed ward for 7 days following birth. The said it was the nutritional aspect for milk production.

They have a very clean milk making milk. I was just curious on why.

£1.50 for 3 courses is a bargain it far more expensive in the restaurant

Not sure about the policy itself but when ds was in hospital and needed several operations I was always given free hot meals-I was breast feeding and there was no way I could have left him for a couple of hours to eat-he fed every 2 hours. I know some formula feeding mothers often left during the day and the nurses fed the children so I'm guessing that's why.

Our local hospital does this, free meals for BF mums but not FF mums. They also don't provide formula unless in emergencies.

I can kind of understand but it was pretty upsetting when my tea and toast were snatched back from me after a long night in high dependency when they realised I wasn't BF - my son was tube fed so BF wasn't even a choice for me!!

At the Royal Brompton children's ward they do this for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, except non breastfeeding parents don't get the option of buying a meal, we have to use the canteen.
I assume it's because they need the extra nourishment, especially since a lot of parents can't afford the canteen food so just don't eat as there are not parent facilities.
Please note, I haven't been there in a long time so it may have changed!

I found out after the fact I should of been offered hospital food while I was in with my ebf 4 month old. IME the nurses actually had little comprehension of BF anyway.

Formula on children ward are only provided in an emergency - what counts as an emergency?

Are the parents expected to bring in formula if their baby's admitted to hospital? Hardly seems fair, unless they expect parents to bring in all the food their child requires, regardless of the child's age...

wow that is bad imo.
there are lots of reasons why a baby can't be left. the idea that only BF mums will be helped is bad.

I was still bf'ing DS when he had to stay in hospital at about 16/17 months. I got free meals and DS got meals too, which sort of goes against the whole point a bit . He only fed 2 or 3 times a day (maybe more in hospital because he was quite poorly and it comforted him in the first couple of days).
I assumed it was part of the pro-breastfeeding stance the NHS seem to have.
The lady in the dining room (on Childrens Ward) was a bit about it all. She said 'they said you're breastfeeding. Still.' and gave DS a sideways glance. I offered to prove it, but she declined.

I was fed while staying in a paed ward with dd aged 5 to 9 days, 'qualifying' because she was under six months. No idea what would have happened if formula feeding. Tea, cereal and toast was available to all parents.

Given she was there partly for weight loss, I was trying to bf and having to express between feeds, see the various doctors, nurses and bf advisors, who i often had to wait around for or go and find - this could take a lot of time, as they'd say 'back in a minute' and be gone an hour - and comfort her while needles were poked into her and antibiotics pumped in, some days I'd have found it really hard to leave the ward to find food.

I thought it must have been very hard for some of the parents of older children who didn't want to leave the ward either but I thought the rationale must be that I was dd's food source.

Lilly I suspect if the baby is bought in the middle of the night and the mother had no time to pack for a hospital stay.

When DS was in hopsital they did provide formula (but I recently noticed they don't anymore). I starved provided my own food which I do now he is 2 and still in a lot. I can fully understand why they provide for mothers who are breast feeding but not those who are FF, I do wonder If they have a cut off age at which they provide food though

All my meals came with dd's name on, which I found quite amusing but the point that I was not the patient but her food source seemed clear.

IMO and IME one of the best thngs you can do for anyone you know who is in hospital with a child is to take in some tasty, fresh, nutritious food. Everyone brings chocs etc, but canteen food is mass produced and institutionalised, or very expensive, and I always end up craving good salads, nice fresh non-stodgy proper food, or at least anything but a bloody sandwich!

In response to your post though, I think age was the criterion but, if asked to pay £1.50 I wouldn't have minded at all but would just have been grateful to be fed in situ.

It does seem slightly odd to me. If it was down to me to make a decision (as hospital manager etc) I'd say something like a free meal will be provided to mothers of under 3's (thinking being partly that they may be BFing, partly that at this age they will have an especially close bond with child, and harder for them to leave child in someone else's care to go to canteen or elsewhere for a meal) Perhaps parents of those over 3 could be offered a meal at cost.

Seems a little odd/harsh to have different rules for BFing/FFing mothers.

Speak as ardent BFer, who BF DCs beyond 3 years, but acknowledges later on it wasn't the same tie to the baby/child as in very early years

still no doubt this will soon stop as part of cost cutting, at least all babies will be treated tha same.

I had to spend a night in hospital when my ebf ds was 8 weeks old and I was given free breakfast. I was very relieved considering I'd only brought him in for a check and ended up being admitted. Can't remember the rules and why I got free food.

Totally agree with juggling. I breastfeed DD but if she was in hospital I wouldn't be continually at her bedside purely to provide milk! I am sure that whether FF or BF no mum would want to leave a sick child in need of comfort to get something to eat so providing food whether charged or not seems reasonable.

Our kids ward provide toast, biscuits, tea and coffee for any parents and a fridge to store your own food - I think that's perfectly adequate and wouldn't want hopsital food anyway!

I do think it's a bit off that formula isn't provided - when DS was in as a baby he was fed tiny amounts so the prepared stuff was used (literally 5ml at a time) I wonder how that would work if a parent provided just the powder?