mothers who plan to bottle feed should take in their own milk

[thebeesnees79]

If a woman decided prior to baby being born they shouldn't expect the hospital to provide bottles and milk they should bring their own?
Why should the nhs give out milk? aibu?

I thought it was normal that you are advised you will need to bring formula and bottles with you if you plan to bottle feed? We are here, it is on the guidance notes of what you need to bring with you to the hospital.

I planned to breastfeed but was unable and my son was given formula by the hospital until my husband was able to bring in some formula and bottles for him. They didn't ask me to sort it out and I think they would have been fine to keep providing it for the duration of our stay but we had bottles and it was no problem to bring in formula.

When my son was admitted hospital again at nine months old I again got my husband to bring in formula and bottles and they seemed really shocked, they kept telling me they had formula and bottles there and there was no need. They have been very kind about offering bottles every time he was admitted as a baby so it seems round here they are quite generous with it.

I think it is a good balance, to advise women to bring formula if they plan on using it but give it to them if they don't have any with them. Aside from anything they can be given a demonstration on measuring it out correctly and sterlising the bottles which I found helpful.

OP

I see my post was deleted, I am not sure why. I repeat, I think it's hypocritical to say that milk should not be provided for babies if you have taken free food yourself from the NHS. Have you eaten for free on the NHS? Why should you get free food and a newborn not when a mother has pre determined not to breast feed. It might for physical or psychological reasons but you want to target them for cost savings.

If you worked in a hospital surely there would have been more wasteful things to get upset about especially as they don't generally even give free formula out anyhow!!! I think it's this that leads many posters to think you are just anti FF.

At the hospital where I had my 3 dc's they ask you to provide your own milk, the advice is to buy the sma glass bottles, with the teats, that come packaged up.

Which is what I done all three times, as they were ff and bf, however mine didn't like the ready made ones, especially my last ds, so I had a load of the sma bottles left, I asked the midwives if they wanted them when I left, and they were very grateful. The hospital will still hand over milk if someone doesn't have any obviously, and that should be the case. I don't see what the point is arguing about it.

i work on a ward [ nothing to do with babies or maternity but an example of nhs ludicrous money wasting] it was reopeneed 5 yrs ago after being ripped apart and redesigned from a day hospital at present it is being ripped apart and redesigned to accomadate male and female patiernts just how much money have they wasted in 5 yrs are manageres are wasting taxpayers money willy nilly but trying to save on formuula milk i no my argument is abit long winded but do you get my point?

They should let the babies sleep in drawers under brown paper and use kitchen towels for nappies.

Honestly. YABU. Women and babies are only in hospital after birth for about ten seconds these days anyway.

I don't agree with the op either but my god I hate the word r***, wish you hadn't used it

Just to add OP yes YABVU, of course the hospital should provide the milk, if the patient hasn't managed to get any, or couldn't establish bf, it's hardly the end of the world

aspimum2 my apologies! It was not meant to offend but this post gas upset me.

Our hospital haven't provided formula for years (unless you are struggling with bfing). They provide nothing else either. No nappies, cotton wool, wipes, maternity pads etc.

It all made perfect sense to me. The baby isn't a patient. The mother is the patient. It's your responsibility to provide for the child, be that milk from your breasts or formula from a bottle.

It's the same as when a baby is admitted to hospital and a parent stays. The parent buys their own food as they are not a patient. Unless you're bfing in which case you of course get meals (and if you're diabetic too).

in exceptional circumstances where mother is struggling or baby won't latch and needs topping up etc

That's not exceptional OP, that's commonplace stuff. Anyway, the Formula companies provide the milk free afaik so your 'point' is moot.

Hospital provided milk when both of my DC were born but if they had had a rule that you had to bring your own, I would've been fine with that.

I would agree, but there should be a clean feeding area with sterilisers a kettle that is free from lime scale,also room to put a baby because the current guidelines on ff you are going to be in there at least 20 minutes making a bottle.

Fairyjen, your baby being a patient of course necessitated that he was given free formula. I really do think the op is getting an unnecessarily hard time. Her intentions weren't to denigrate formula feeding or mothers who choose to ff. She is expressing an opinion which is actually translated into common practice in many hospitals across the country.

This thread usually goes the other way. Usually it's somebody saying 'I am planning to ff, the hospital says I have to take milk with me, is that fair?' and the answers are far more balanced.

If a baby is a patient or formula is medically necessary then it is provided. Providing milk for the baby if you plan to ff is the same as providing nappies, wipes etc.

I cannot believe you have just been called a r*** over this op.

I am disgusted.

I had an elcs and was unable to get out of bed for a day or so. The hospital provided formula, so all was fine.

Just out of interest, what happens in hospitals which don't provide formula? Do the midwives sterilise the bottles and make up feeds for you if you are unable to do it yourself? That would seem very time consuming...

Enorma to be fair she did apologise

Whoops x-post

Haven't read the whole thread. I planned to bf my dd3 after bfing all my others. Didn't take anything in. She was born at 34 weeks and taken to scbu where she was given formula until I could express enough. After a week she was on full breast milk feeds and having some breastfeeds. Came home after 9 days and was fully breastfed but after 4 days was readmitted suddenly and was very poorly. I managed 3 more days of just breast milk feeds and expressed what I could for her top ups via a ngt tube in her nose. I then got very down and struggled to express enough. We decided to give her formula as well as bf which they provided for a day and then dp went to get a tin. They provided the bottles and the sterile water to make up the feeds. She was in hospital for 10 days. I gave up bf after 3 weeks as my supply had been affected. I was very grateful that the nhs provided her feeds when she was so poorly.

The formula milk isn't free. It is illegal to provide it for free. I sort out the purchase of this milk and it costs around £5000 a year for around 15,000 bottles.
Have considered stopping providing it routinely but not because of cost, it is relatively cheap but because when it is easily available midwives can take advantage of vulnerable mothers and offer formula instead of breastfeeding advice whereas if the mother provides it, you can be more reassured it is her choice.
I don't think that hospitals who provide formula milk do so because they are somehow less 'pro' breastfeeding or more evenhanded either, most of the time if you ask they provide it so they can control it and thus control parents' choices, you are more likely to be 'forced' into breastfeeding in a hospital where formula is provided than where you bring your own, when it is up to you when you use it.
The main reason for stopping providing formula though is so that parents who choose to formula feed can be shown how to prepare formula safely and have some practice with health professionals available for support which is surely a good thing.

Can anyone tell me where to buy the glass bottles with teats? SMA gold is what Im going to use.

I didnt realise you could buy those bottles.

I went on a tour of the birth centre last week, they stated that if you want to formula feed you need to bring your own formula and bottles but they do have cold water sterilising facilities. I just thought that was standard but obviously not in a lot of hospitals