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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

What milk can you take to hospital??

87 replies

Duemarch2021 · 06/01/2021 21:07

Due in march and am planning on breast feeding but im worried my milk will take longer to come in or she won't latch... I've heard you can only take a specific type of formula in? Im completely new to all of this and frankly don't have a clue what im doing but want to pack my maternity bag... i have bought aptamil ready to mix sachets which u mix with water in a bottle.. is this wrong??

OP posts:

Original poster

Duemarch2021 · 10/01/2021 18:53

Ive decided to put a pack of 6 ready to use steralised bottles in from aptamil... will this be enough do you think?? X

OP posts:

Terracottasaur · 10/01/2021 18:53

In my hospital they gave formula to people who needed it.

alliejay81 · 10/01/2021 19:01

I would think so. Also no hospital is going to let a baby starve. If you don't have enough, either someone will be allowed to drop it off to you, or the hospital will provide.

I took two cartons and did use one of them as I ended up really struggling with breastfeeding and it was making me unwell. No harm to have a safety net.

Cornetttttto · 10/01/2021 19:12

Your baby will not need formula. Do some reading on postnatal nutrition needs. If you are breastfeeding, your colostrum will be more than enough to nourish your little one as they are usually sleepy for the first few days. Your milk comes in after 4 to 5 days. You do NOT need to "top up" with formula in the meantime! Keep offering the breast and allow your baby to nurse freely. I stayed in bed for about a week just sleeping and nursing baby, boobs out pretty much hours on end. Basically, don't take in formula. I would second the poster who read up on expressing colostrum. I bought syringes from amazon and expressed a few syringes full for any emergency use which thankfully wasn't needed.

Catty1720 · 10/01/2021 19:24

The lady next to me had to breast feed and use formula.
Take some better to be prepared I took 6 but I was never going to BF my partner had to drop more in as I had to stay so don’t worry OP if you need more they won’t let your bub go hungry!

Almostslimjim · 10/01/2021 19:28

Your milk takes 3-5 days to come in, until then baby does very well on your colostrum.

Parkermumma07 · 10/01/2021 19:31

I like you wanted to breastfeed but didn’t want to put too much pressure on myself. At my hospital Lancashire your could only take in the little bottles of premixed formula ( came in little glass bottles) Breastfeeding was fine in the end and I didn’t need them :)

AlbusSeverusMalfoy · 10/01/2021 19:32

@otterbaby

If you're planning on breastfeeding, don't bother taking formula. Your colostrum is all baby needs at the beginning and it's pretty unusual for your milk not to come in. The midwives will be able to help you work on your latch and/or hand expressing if necessary. Some hospitals have lactation specialists that you can ask to see as well 🙂 if you do end up needing it, the hospital will be able to supply some!

It's not unusual at all. Milk doesn't come through for lots of mothers, no matter how hard they try. I hope no one who is sat trying to get their milk to come through is reading this and feeling hormonal and now 'unusual' - cheers. !! But any way OP you can take premade stuff but some hospitals will supply this but it's best to check with them first.

june2007 · 10/01/2021 19:32

Check the policy of the hospital. Some may have access to milk banks, some may not. I never had to provide my own formula when mine were in SCBU. (I expressed and bf as well.)

canigooutyet · 10/01/2021 19:39

How can a hospital refuse to feed a patient? They cannot and shouldn’t be denying babies bottles.

Would you pack your own food or eat what’s provided as a patient? (I know some people do cos of allergies etc)

OscarWildesCat · 10/01/2021 19:41

All hospitals are different, some provide, some don’t, you’d be better asking your midwife/maternity unit, everyone in here lives in different places so you could have hundreds of responses all saying something different.

canigooutyet · 10/01/2021 19:44

It’s also not unusual for the milk to not come in. It’s not unusual for the colostrum to be lacking.

When I had my youngest the bfing militants were well established. Despite failing with the older 3 I was pressured and made to feel like shit when yet again I couldn’t produce. That really didn’t help my mh or the bond.

itsausername · 10/01/2021 19:46

I second expressing the colostrum before birth, you can get 1ml syringes from Amazon. The first few times you do it you'll be lucky to get half of a mil but do it for a few days and you will have a stash to freeze and rely on. I found having the stash relaxed me that I'd have a back up in case I couldn't feed straight away. Just make sure the hospital staff freeze it for you when you get there.

Astormofswords · 10/01/2021 19:46

I never packed formula but I did pack frozen colostrum in syringes.

Nothing wrong with formula feeding but I really wanted to breastfeed. The breastfeeding back up is colostrum hand expressed from 36/37weeks and collected in syringes. You then freeze and can take some with you to hospital

canigooutyet · 10/01/2021 19:47

Lactation specialists will vary across the country at the moment. Local maternity have mw who are trained, another one has specific people coming in for that only

mioz · 10/01/2021 19:50

Please for the love of god don’t listen to anyone saying don’t take formula. Take it. You don’t need to use it if your milk comes in but fuck me it’s so stupid to advise someone not to take it in this current situation.

canigooutyet · 10/01/2021 19:51

Check with wards. Not all have fridges/freezers.
At the moment due to CV a lot of the patient specific things have been removed.
Even things like freely helping yourself to refreshments has stopped.
Also stopped as well as visitors is patients going for a wander around the ward/hospital.

Don’t forget to pack face masks.

Heyha · 10/01/2021 19:54

We planned to (and did) bf but I still took a pack of ready-made, with the teats, just in case. They have a pretty long shelf life and got used up when we started 'training' DD to take a bottle as we wanted the option to do so although in the end we rarely did as we were lucky to have a smooth bf journey. I wasn't tempted to crack them open in hospital but it was one less thing to worry about knowing that the backup plan was in place.

samandpoppysmummy · 10/01/2021 19:59

For each of my DC, I took 24 of the small glass bottles of SMA with 24 disposable teats into hospital as I wasn't sure how long I'd be in (I didn't need them all though as I went home 48 hours after having my DS and 24 hours after having my DD). I had two elective caesareans and no intention of breast feeding in hospital, so I wanted to be well prepared. At the time (2005 and 2007) you could get them from Ocado, not sure if you still can!

I waited until I got home and my milk came in before trying expressing and then breastfeeding (in that order) as I wanted to mix feed if I could. It was great to be able to try it with no one watching me, in my own time with no pressure, as the babies were well fed and happy with the formula, so it was all very unstressful. The ready mixed formula in the little cartons was great after I'd used up all the glass bottles.

Mixed feeding worked really well for me
and it made it so easy to wean them off breast milk when I wanted to stop after four months. I don't know why it's not recommended more - midwives seem to have such an 'all or nothing' to breastfeeding.

Spanglybangles · 10/01/2021 20:02

I took a starter box of ready made bottles and disposable teats. My hospital however, told me to keep my bottles and just use theirs. I was shown where the room with the formula was kept (all brands) and was allowed to help myself as and when required. I was also told to take a few bottles with me when I went home to get started. This was 6 years ago though and every hospital is different.

Chocowally · 10/01/2021 20:10

OP 6 bottles should be enough. If you need it, it will get you through a few feeds while you figure out if the hospital has some you can use or your partner gets more. Wouldn’t recommend packing too much stuff as you can get moved around a bit in hospital from ward to room and you might not want to cart too much stuff around. One pack/6 bottles just right.

People saying don’t take it are wrong.

Some people’s milk take longer to come in. I’ve had two big 9.5lb hungry babies by induction and PPH. My milk took 3 weeks to come in sufficiently both times. I topped up for those three weeks before reaching the point I could EBF.

With DC1 I had a midwife shouting at me in the middle of the night to feed my baby, which I’d been trying to do for hours. I overheard the lady I shared a room with talking about top ups. I staggered out to the midwife desk to ask for some. They unlocked the cupboard to hand me a precious bottle. DC2 I took a stash.

PurpleFlower1983 · 10/01/2021 20:11

Get the premade bottles.

GameSetMatch · 10/01/2021 20:19

I’d take formula those little pre made bottles that you just add a teat on. If you breastfeed great, you can donate the milk so it won’t go to waste, but it’s good to have a backup if you are anxious like me it’s these little things that help. Asking a nurse for milk and then waiting up to an hour with a screaming baby is a nightmare.

This hospital milk pack is a great idea, no need to buy bottles, steriliser etc. www.chemist.co.uk/aptamil-pro-futura-1-first-infant-milk-starter-pack-ready-to-feed-6s.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiA6Or_BRC_ARIsAPzuer9hymCW_xEJOGEitQLNHYChaAEHTAPsAH3WgSzPOJDEE6CYaaDHwfMaAopHEALw_wcB

Sceptre86 · 10/01/2021 20:29

My hospital would suppy it if you needed it but that was three years ago so not sure about now and I think it varies between hospitals. It may be rare that your milk doesn't come in but I was one of those mums and it has happened to me twice. Myy dd ended up losing 10oz and going back into the hospital because it didn't. You don't know what your birth will be like, by all means persevere with breastfeeding and I hope it works out for you but pack some just in case.
At my hospital you couldn't just up and get the baby formula yourself but had to ask for it each and every time and as newborns feed little but often it is a waste of an already stretched midwife or hca's time!

Airyfairymarybeary · 10/01/2021 20:39

There is absolutely no need to take in any milk if you plan to breastfeed! Your amazing body has grown a child and will produce milk for your baby once they are born.
Your baby will only need a tiny amount of milk and the first bit is the most important thing- look up colostrum. Especially with Covid.
In the very unlikely event that you cannot feed your baby then the hospital will give you milk.
Formula companies want you to take a back up because it makes them money.
Good luck!

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