Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
shouldistop · 10/01/2021 20:44

If you're planning to breastfeed there is no need to take formula. Your milk won't come in until about 3 days after you give birth so you wouldn't be expecting it to come in in hospital. It would be colostrum at the start and you'll already be producing it even if you haven't noticed.
If there's some emergency and your baby needs formula then the hospital will provide it.
If you're serious about trying breastfeeding them having premade formula to hand will just make you less likely to keep it up tbh.

shouldistop · 10/01/2021 20:48

*I think the posters saying don’t bring any formula are nuts! I planned to BF but I had a PPH and was away from my son for 4 hours straight after birth, I packed these just in case and thank god I did.

PACK FORMULA! Worst case you don’t use it. My hospital also don’t provide formula so don’t rely on the hospital either.

www.boots.com/aptamil-1-first-milk-starter-pack-ready-to-feed-6x70ml-10175040*

A hospital will not let a newborn starve. A newborn also wouldn't starve in 4 hours after being born.

mioz · 11/01/2021 11:19

@shouldistop

*I think the posters saying don’t bring any formula are nuts! I planned to BF but I had a PPH and was away from my son for 4 hours straight after birth, I packed these just in case and thank god I did.

PACK FORMULA! Worst case you don’t use it. My hospital also don’t provide formula so don’t rely on the hospital either.

www.boots.com/aptamil-1-first-milk-starter-pack-ready-to-feed-6x70ml-10175040*

A hospital will not let a newborn starve. A newborn also wouldn't starve in 4 hours after being born.

What if the mother has emergency CS and is away from baby for hours? What if she has PPH and is physically too exhausted? What if for some reason she can’t produce any milk? When I had DS 2 years ago the hospital were not providing milk. There were defiant couples who expected milk to be provided even though the hospital said they didn’t supply it and low and behold the idiots had to make a trip to the Tesco down the road at an unholy hour because they hadn’t brought any formula with them.
FelicityBob · 11/01/2021 12:21

If you want to breastfeed then don’t buy formula. If you’re struggling and it’s there you’re more likely to use it and then less likely to breastfeed. If you’re not that bothered and happy to mixed feed then by all means take premade bottles if your hospital doesn’t provide them.

FelicityBob · 11/01/2021 12:23

A hospital will always have milk and will provide it if medically indicated

fireearthwaterair · 11/01/2021 12:23

You can take any brand in? It’s your baby and you’ll be the one deciding which of the formula brands to use.

GrolliffetheDragon · 11/01/2021 13:04

[quote mioz]I think the posters saying don’t bring any formula are nuts! I planned to BF but I had a PPH and was away from my son for 4 hours straight after birth, I packed these just in case and thank god I did.

PACK FORMULA! Worst case you don’t use it. My hospital also don’t provide formula so don’t rely on the hospital either.

www.boots.com/aptamil-1-first-milk-starter-pack-ready-to-feed-6x70ml-10175040[/quote]
I didn't see DS for over 12 hours after birth, nobody fed him in that time or asked me to express or anything Angry

FelicityBob · 11/01/2021 15:42

Do you mind me asking why you were separated from your baby and why wasn’t he fed?

queenofSI · 11/01/2021 16:01

buy 1ml sterile syringes online and hand express colostrum from 37 weeks. Great to have a freezer stash as back up that your partner can bring in it required. and gets your comfortable with hand expressing should you need to when in hospital

zigaziga · 11/01/2021 16:29

Taking a few syringes of expressed colostrum is a better idea. Just a few syringes of 1ml each will replace several feeds if you are in theatre or something.

jgjgjgjgjg · 11/01/2021 16:34

Have you actually done any reading or reseach on breastfeeding? No one's milk comes in straight away. Which is just as well because it wouldn't be right for a newborn's needs anyway. They need colostrum - tiny amounts of it, but massively high in antibodies and calories.

You need to give much more more formula to a baby to achieve the same calorie intake, which is not what their tiny tummies are geared up directly after birth.

DarcyParty · 11/01/2021 16:40

Loving all these posters with a crystal ball! OP, you might need it, better safe than sorry surely, especially during Covid times :)

I tried breastfeeding but found it wasn't for me. I harvested colostrum by hand and they provided me with formula in the hospital, but this was 3 years ago. I'll be packing some to take with me this time

Royalbloo · 11/01/2021 16:42

I took little pre-made Aptamil bottles - you can get them in Boots or online

ThornAmongstRoses · 11/01/2021 16:45

If your baby needs formula they will give it to you.

If you plan on breastfeeding then you don’t need to take any in with you.

SummerHouse · 11/01/2021 16:49

I would take some ready made. There are all sorts of reasons why you might decide to give it. Jaundice, breastfeeding latch issues, low birth weight, loss of birth weight. I was a birthing partner for someone with gestational diabetes. I said feeding needed to be a priority and was basically ignored. The baby ended up in special care being tube fed due to low blood sugar. In all probability you won't encounter any of this and you won't need any formula. But I would rather have it so I could be in charge. I found it quite hard to be assertive after giving birth.

I would also add that my two births were the best days of my life. Feeding was an issue for both but I wouldn't have changed anything about my experiences. Other than to have taken formula to the hospital with me.

nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut · 11/01/2021 16:54

You have to take ready made, you can't take powder as they won't make it up for you and you won't have access to a kettle. They don't give it out easily anymore either. Friend was in a few days ago and took that stuff that you just screw the twat on.

nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut · 11/01/2021 16:54

Teat! You screw the teat on not the twat. He's done quite enough.

DarcyParty · 11/01/2021 16:57

@nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut

Teat! You screw the teat on not the twat. He's done quite enough.
Brilliant 😂😂👍
GrolliffetheDragon · 11/01/2021 17:07

@FelicityBob

Do you mind me asking why you were separated from your baby and why wasn’t he fed?
My baby was in SCBU and I was in theatre then HDU.

As for why he wasn't fed, I don't know. Nobody told me anything.

What can I say? I have issues with how my hospital stay went.

mioz · 11/01/2021 18:18

@ThornAmongstRoses

If your baby needs formula they will give it to you.

If you plan on breastfeeding then you don’t need to take any in with you.

Please, no. This is incorrect and potentially dangerous misinformation. My hospital physically do not store or provide formula. I’m not sure how many times to say this?
MrsPatrickDempsey · 11/01/2021 18:22

Yep - a baby friendly accredited hospital will only provide formula if medically indicated.

ThornAmongstRoses · 11/01/2021 18:24

I work in a Baby Friendly Hospital and I work very closely with maternity and although they do not supply formula to parents who are choosing to give formula for their own reasons, if the baby has got a medical need for formula the ward will of course provide it.

What do you think would happen if a baby was suffering with dangerously low blood sugars and the mother didn’t have any formula with her?

Do you think they just let the baby go into a hypoglycaemic coma or something??

No - they’d give it formula which they keep on the ward for medical reasons.

Lazypuppy · 11/01/2021 18:24

If you are planning to breastfeed don't take any milk in.

Your colestrum is enough and can be hand expressed if baby won't latch. They need such a small quantity in those first couple of days until your milk comes in.

My dd didn't actually feed from me until halfwa through day 2x i just hand expressed and fed using syringe. It helped my milk to come in brilliantly!

VestaTilley · 11/01/2021 19:07

Don’t take sachets as you may not be able to get boiling water to mix with them, take the small bottles of drinkable formula instead; it’s already mixed up for you, you just have to put it in a sterilised bottle and warm up. A Godsend for me with a tongue tied DS and no breast milk after huge blood loss in labour.

Good luck with your baby, OP! Repeat after me: it does get easier.

NoJetter · 11/01/2021 19:13

The hospital gave us bottles for ds1 as was planning to breastfeed and couldn’t. With ds2 I planned to formula feed from the start and took my own little presterilised ready made ones. I wouldn’t bother if you are planning to bf as the hospital will have some if you need it.