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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

is it common for midwives to suggest formula when in hospital?

51 replies

DuelingFanjo · 20/08/2010 15:30

Just reading another thread and a couple of people have said they were advised to give a bottle as their baby was big/hungry etc.

I wouldn't be happy with this unless there was a medical reason for me not being able to breastfeed.

Is it likely to happen and do you just have to be really strong and refuse?

OP posts:
narmada · 20/08/2010 15:35

Well I don't know how common it is, but it happened with my DD 2 years ago, and this is in a hospital which is now going for 'Baby Friendly' status (e.g., one that actively promotes and supports BF as the norm). I was advised to give formula because my DD was struggling to feed effectively, and they told me she had some 'crystals' in her urine which indicated dehydration. Have since learned this was very unlikely to be true, and think it made BF 100% more difficult. If it happens to you, and you don't want to, ask to see a paed first, and ask on what grounds they think formula necessary. Surely not because a baby is big/ hungry!!

Shaz10 · 20/08/2010 15:38

I was advised to, and was so tired, sore, full of drugs and upset that I couldn't get him to latch on, that I felt I couldn't refuse.

Although I didn't have strong feelings about BF at the time, maybe I would have been more insistent if I had.

rainbowinthesky · 20/08/2010 15:39

Hi, I was one of the people who said I was told to give formula.
Ds was 14 years ago and I knew no better. DD was 6 years ago and I knew better and told them so. They werent impressed with me and I was left to it with no help whatsoever as I'd refused their "help". I was strong as am strong anyway. I was the only one on my ward exclusively bf. I think the other parents thought I was weird not following the advice.

Original poster
DuelingFanjo · 20/08/2010 15:39

this is my worry :( As a first time mum who has just given birth will I have the strength to refuse!

OP posts:
rainbowinthesky · 20/08/2010 15:41

Yes, you will. Just educate yourself and hold firm. I knew they were wrong and I was right.

sunchild77 · 20/08/2010 15:42

Hi Dueling I was advised to give DD1 a bottle of formula "to give me a break" I was apparently exhusted after a ridiculously long labour and emcs. It was made clear this was my choice, but they werent going to help me anymore with breastfeeding her, they'd done all the could and were busy :(. DD1 was very unhappy and restless and had a poor latch, and it hurt me. I was in a a v overtired and emotional state. Midwife thought it might make/help her sleep, so I could get some much needed rest.
To be honest it probably did help settle her, but left me feeling completely inadequate, and useless cos I couldnt birth my baby or feed her myself properly. I did go on to bf her, but in my mind I'd already failed her, and we never managed it sucessfully for very long :(
I think 1st time around I had unrealistic bf expectations.

DS1 I was adamant that I was BF and that he was getting nothing else. There was no way I was gonna fail this time! He had no formula until he was 6/7 months :)

narmada · 20/08/2010 15:42

DOn't be bashful, duelling- I think FF babies/ mums on the postnatal ward are probably less demanding of midwives' time. Don't get me wrong, I'm not unsympathetic to the overwork they are subject to, but it's not your or your babies' problem either - if you don't take their time up asking for help, someone else will!

Having said that, I was so fried in the brain department I really couldn't bring myself to argue. But I would if the same thing happened this time around....

LooL00 · 20/08/2010 16:48

Dueling, if you're worried that you won't get the support you need in hospital, then maybe now is the time to line up some other help to call on, maybe contact your local bf cafe or group and ask other mums locally for advice. IME bf was supported in hosp, but DC1 was in scbu and the scbu nurses supported me and dc2 was born in a 'baby friendly' hospital (poor mums who were trying to ff, they got zero help).
DC1 was cup fed so as not to interfere with bf. DC3 was born at home so if anyone had suggested a bottle there wasn't one to hand anyway.

theboobmeister · 20/08/2010 16:59

You can put it on your birth plan in big writing: "I am committed to breastfeeding my baby and must insist that s/he is given no formula unless medically indicated by a paediatrician. I would also appreciate help with breastfeeding, if needed." My midwives took my birth plan very seriously, but then it was a home birth so I had their full attention. Hopefully others will confirm that staff on busy labour wards also read and respect birth plans!

Also, it's good to educate yourself now about the time immediately after birth. In fact a healthy newborn can go for several days without feeding, so the formula-wielding-midwife-panic is almost always unjustified. If things don't get off to a good start, it's not the end of the world: keep yourself calm, hold the baby close (skin-to-skin), give yourselves plenty of time to get it right.

And do read up on some of the reasons for giving formula which have been discredited (jaundice, low blood sugar etc) but which some healthcare professionals apparently still believe in.

I just read Ina May Gaskin's book on BF which is brilliant, there were some very useful bits about this stuff.

BikeRunSki · 20/08/2010 17:02

I struggled to BF (and ultimately didn't) and felt no pressure to FF at all. My hospital were extremely supportive and sent me bf councellors and so on. After a week they let me know they had formula if I wanted it. Until then I was unware that they had.

Gargula · 20/08/2010 17:06

I had a planned CS with DD and the midwives were very supportive of breastfeeding - skin to skin straight away and lots of support when needed. Very different to my experience with DS two years ago (at same hospital) but he was prem and was being tube fed formula before I knew it and I had no support for breastfeeding after that.
Whilst in hospital this time round I overheard (as you do) several people in my bay (the CS bay) who had big problems with BF and at no time did the midwives suggest formula - they just suggested expressing colostrum and syringe feeding.
Really varies I guess

Original poster
DuelingFanjo · 20/08/2010 17:10

thank you all. I have been trying to get hold of a copy of the Ina May book on ebay as it's been recommended before :)

Will definitely do a birth plan so good tip to include that.

OP posts:
Meglet · 20/08/2010 17:12

They offered it to my DS after 48 hours of me trying to express and him crying all the time. I was more than happy for them to give him some, I got my first sleep in 3 days.

I still carried on with trying to get him to bf though and cracked it 3 weeks later.

leftangle · 20/08/2010 17:12

I was told I needed to formula as dd had jaundice. They bulldozed me into it and I was too concerned about her to refuse - didn't dare to risk her health, although I'd been bfing with reasonalbe success for the 1st night.

Still managed to tail off the formula soon after leaving hospital and still bfing a bit now (15months).

IrenePollock · 20/08/2010 17:15

When I gave birth to DS2 he was brought back down to the ward from theatre more quickly that I was. When I got there I could hear him crying and a midwife was trying to feed him formula as "he is a big baby and looks hungry". This was despite me having breastfed my first, and having put on my birth plan that I wanted to breastfeed. Luckily he was having none of it and screamed the place down, but then happily latched on when I fed him.

This was 6 years ago, but a friend has recently given birth at the same hospital and going by the lack of help she got I don't think things have changed very much.

Original poster
DuelingFanjo · 20/08/2010 17:23

omh Irene! Do they do that then? Just give formula without consent!?

OP posts:
theboobmeister · 20/08/2010 17:24

That jaundice thing makes me Angry. There is no medical justification for putting a jaundiced baby onto formula, but lots of neonatal units have yet to update their knowledge it seems.

Good article here by Dr Jack Newman about it

moondog · 20/08/2010 17:25

I would have gone insane if someone had given my baby formula without consent.

spiritmum · 20/08/2010 17:32

Duelling, at the (big teaching) hospital where I had my dc they are very bf friendly and IME the mums who are left to it are those who are ff. They had lots of time to help and also had health care assistants on hand to help too. Dd1 had been in special care and needed some ffeeding as I was to ill to feed her myself but neither dd2 nor ds had any formula in hospital.

gingerkirsty · 20/08/2010 17:34

Duelling you might find your worries are unfounded, the hospital where I gave birth were amazing and helped me so so much with getting her latched on (it took a day or two to get going properly after a looooooooooooong labour, epi and forceps delivery). There was always someone there to help if I buzzed and they were really positive. I hope that will be the case for you. Good luck with your baby! :)

ruddynorah · 20/08/2010 17:46

My hospital never suggested it. They said they wouldn't discharge me until dd latched on and fed for a decent length of time. They said if we didn't manage it I'd have to express for her. No mention of formula. We managed it fine.

Second time round they just left me to get on with it.

RubyBuckleberry · 20/08/2010 19:20

read up on it and you will feel confident enough to refuse. tbh, if the baby has latched and is feeding well then i wouldn't have thought the midwives would offer at all. i put on my birthplan, 'under no circumstances is my baby to be given formula, unless a medical emergency' (like i died or something). jack newman excellent book that talks all about jaundice etc etc. look at pictures of latching etc you'll be fine!

Irene that is the most Shocking story. Even now. It happened to my mum Sad but you wouldn't have thought it would happen now. And even if a baby is 'looks hungry' Shock Angry he/she has the tummy the size of a marble fgs and needs colostrum from the mother not formula. (situations where this is not possible aside of course).

I would go totally full metal jacket if that happened to my baby.

JamieJay · 20/08/2010 19:27

Duelling there was never any suggestion that formula be given to DD at UHW (think Llandough have the same approach) even though they were worried about her blood sugar being a little low at one point, us having latching problems and me being a little out of it following the birth.

Was very much a case of 'get on and feed this baby' (in the nicest possible way though!) with plenty of support to crack our latch problems.

I have heard of formula being pushed as other hospitals though.

catinthehat2 · 20/08/2010 19:40

Amazed at Irene's story.

You could advise the person holding your hand when you give birth that they don't let the baby out of their sight if you have to be seen to for longer than the baby (ie they hold the baby until you can).

Then prime that person that BF is your intention, so you can take control by proxy.

IrenePollock · 20/08/2010 19:44

I had no idea that they woudl either, otherwise I would have been more firm about it.

I think DH was just too relieved that nothing had gone wrong to really realise what was happening (I had a very bad time having my first and we both had to be recussiatated).

When I had my third I wrote in very big letters on my birth plan that I did not want the baby to have formula, and made sure that the midwife had read it and understood.