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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Maternity unit to charge £1 per bottle of ready-made formula

107 replies

stressheaderic · 19/06/2011 23:14

I was pretty dismayed today to hear that in my local area, one of the hospitals is now charging £1 for each bottle of formula that you use post-birth - the tiny pre-mixed glass bottles with the long rubber teat.

When having my DD last year, we were told not to 'save' bottles and to use a fresh one for every feed, even when she'd only had a tiny amount. Can't think how many I used - maybe 10-15 over the duration of my (short) stay?

I remember the young girl in the bed opposite me on postnatal had no partner or visitors - she had no money on her and my DP bought her a Coke and a sandwich at midnight when he was getting me one that very first night....can't help but wonder how she'd have managed :(

NHS cuts running deeper than I thought I guess.

OP posts:

GetOrf · 20/06/2011 10:38

I don't see the problem with this at all.

If you plan to FF surely you would take your own formula in anyway.

£1 a bottle is nowt. FF isn't a cheap option is it. You will have to pay for it when you leave hospital anyway.

thaigreencurry · 20/06/2011 10:41

First time round, I had one midwife telling me to supplement and one midwife telling me not to so I don't know whether that counts as medical advice! Second time round I was scared of repeating the same mistake with ds1 (he lost 15% of body weight and very jaundiced) so on day two when ds2 became very sleepy and was becoming less interested I made the decision to supplement with formula. A bfing counsellor showed me how to cup feed the formula (when I tried to express I didn't get enough) but it was my decision. I suppose I could have brought some ready made cartons in as back up but everything I had read advised against this as it said it undermined bfing etc...

RitaMorgan · 20/06/2011 10:46

In that situation you could ask to see the paed and see if they think supplementing is necessary - often with very jaundiced babies/those under lights they do.

Generally though people are only in hospital for a day or two so supplementing is unlikely to be necessary unless there's a medical issue.

NunTheWiser · 20/06/2011 10:52

Nothing new here. I had DD1 at the Chelsea and Westminster in 1999 and they charged for ready made formula then. If you planned to formula feed you were told to bring in your own feeding and sterilizing equipment and your own formula.

CamperFan · 20/06/2011 11:07

Ditto, i don't see the big problem. I agree that if there is a medical problem with feeding/baby then nutrition should be provided. But I don't see why the NHS should pay if people are choosing to FF from birth. OP, I am sure that if the baby you mentioned needed formula then it would have been provided whether the young girl had a pound on her or not! I think most (no, not all I know) women have their hospital bag packed for weeks with money, snacks etc in it! And formula, if they intend to FF.

cordiality · 20/06/2011 11:35

Rita, I think you're being very black and white about this and it's unfair. I had every intention of breast feeding my baby, when she arrived she was starving and couldn't latch on. It took us both a lot of work to breast feed and we never really got the hang of it (hence me exclusively pumping for the last four months). Those little bottles of formula were a lifesaver (literally) for us, we didn't need a paediatrician to tell us that babies need some sort of nutrition!

It's all very well being pro breastfeeding, and I admire all the posters on here who encourage women to breastfeed, it is undoubtably the best way to feed your baby, but you cannot possibly know every situation and it just makes an already hard and stressful time into a guilt ridden one as well.

Sorry for the thread hijack. FWIW I wouldn't have had an issue with paying for the formula.

RitaMorgan · 20/06/2011 12:43

If a baby can't latch on, and the mother can't express milk, that is surely a medical issue cordiality?

spudulika · 20/06/2011 13:00

If you argue that the NHS should provide formula for mothers who are unable to provide their own milk, isn't there an argument for babies to be given donated expressed milk? It's available (at a price.......)

ohanotherone · 20/06/2011 13:20

Yet again, this whole issue makes things much less clear for women. I was told by CM that my local hospital would not have any formula at all so if top ups were recommended by paed [like last time, to prevent dehydration under phototherapy] they wouldn't top up it would just be me expressing. I was really worried as I could not express enough "fluid" last time, ie, 45 ml was needed each feed, I was expressing 10ml. So I went out and bought some cartons. Yesterday at the hospital tour I was told that they would have formula for those circumstances. But as Spudulika says I would prefer donated milk.

allthefires · 20/06/2011 13:22

At the end of the day aren't all hospital in patients suppose to be fed free of charge

Disgusted

allthefires · 20/06/2011 13:28

And this would encourage me to bring in formula " just in case" it didn't work out. Tired and post natal my unsupportive dp and hell hole of a hospital would make bf impossible.

allthefires · 20/06/2011 13:29

And this would encourage me to bring in formula " just in case" it didn't work out. Tired and post natal my unsupportive dp and hell hole of a hospital would make bf impossible.

Concordia · 20/06/2011 13:33

I think this is taking the piss to be honest, and i am very pro breastfeeding. I was told i had to give formula top ups to my DD as her body temp was very low and her glucose was low and seh was premature.
I continued to breastfeed her for 22 months with no formula after the first tend days or so but i had been charged for formula having already paid out over 40 quid in the parking over the course of my pregnancy i would have thought they were being ridiculous.

happyinherts · 20/06/2011 13:34

Did I read someone here having to take loo roll into hospital? I know in practice that's a sensible idea, but compulsory???

If so, where does this charging principle end?

Quite frankly I'm also disgusted. Everyone in hospital from 100 year old geriatric to 1 minute old newborn should be entitled to have all their needs provided for. What about the risk of infection / illness from having things from homes brought in? Seriously not impressed with this idea - cost cutting gone mad

choccybox · 20/06/2011 13:43

Hospitals don't provide nappies, clothes, sanitary towels or such as you are expected to bring these in with you. IF you INTEND to FF I think it's reasonable to bring that in too.

I don't think new babies are going to starve! And if you don't have £1 for formula in the hospital or pre bought formula then how will you feed child at home?

happyinherts · 20/06/2011 13:49

Oh well, just charge everyone for all the food consumed in hospitals then. That would make it fair and right, I suppose?????

ReshapeWhileDamp · 20/06/2011 13:57

Terrible. Babies are under the care of the hospital just as much as their new mothers. The mothers get hospital meals free at point of eating, so how can they justify not doing the same for babies?

It'll backfire massively too, because it won't be seen as a cost-cutting measure, but an anti-formula one. I'm massively in favour of supportig breastfeeding in hospitals and outside of them, but this move will alienate a lot of mums who might be tempted/encouraged to try breastfeeding.

And I'm sure all hospitals have different policies, but at the JR where I gave birth to DS1, not only were bottles of formula provided for mothers who were ff, but a few (5 or so) weeny disposable nappies were put in every cot for new babies too. We also were given a pair of disposable briefs and several maternity towels. I did bring in my own supplies for DS and myself but this was a really thoughtful provision - a lot of people might not have had time to pack a bag, or left something out, etc. Perhaps there's a gap of several hours between giving birth and a partner coming back in with supplies.

I don't see what's sensible about bringing in your own loo roll. A ward full of mothers with unravelling loo rolls everywhere, not to mention the hygnene implications of taking the roll out again afterwards, when you could just have one in the loo, where it belongs. I think taxes can stretch to the odd economy roll of toilet paper, surely??

ReshapeWhileDamp · 20/06/2011 13:59

hygiene, tch

happyinherts · 20/06/2011 14:00

Reshape - Practically you're right about the loo roll. My experience of hospitals however has taught me that from the point of view of not being caught short, it's sensible to bring your own in.

Agree with your first paragraph whole heartedly.

whathellcall · 20/06/2011 14:46

I agree with the other posters who don't see a problem with this. Most women will have their hospital bag packed well in advance and if they intend to formula feed from the offset can easily bring their own along with everything else they bring for the baby. If you're intending to breastfeed you can just be sure to have some extra money in case you want to buy a bottle. When I was in hospital for the 2 days following an emergency C Section I was the only one breastfeeding, the other mothers had clearly already made their decision to bottle feed.

CrapolaDeVille · 20/06/2011 14:48

Good. Milk can be free, if it's not from your breast it costs money, your choice. Unless of course bf fails....

RitaMorgan · 20/06/2011 15:53

I really can't imagine a situation arising where a doctor says "this baby is dehydrated and needs formula, it'll be a pound please".

MoonFaceMamaaaaargh · 20/06/2011 16:19

Agree with others.

If you intend to ff start as you mean to go on by paying for it.

I am sure that if a bf baby needs formula this will be provided gratis.

Almost all babies have a free supply of milk...but it needs proper bf support to establish this and sadly this is not always provided.

Perhaps if this leads to a system for allocating formula, rather than just handing it out, there will be better discussion between mw's about when it is really necessary?

Amieesmum · 20/06/2011 17:18

I was a teenage parent - Ready for the onslaught-

I BF DD from the word go, until 6 months when it wasn't practical with working/ CM/ Expressing etc.

I met alot of other teenagers that were pregnant the same time as me, 90% of them had decided from the get go, they weren't going to BF, I think it's a problem with alot of young parents, It's just not "Fashionable" to BF for them.

I think hospitals just shouldn't provide formula unless on medical grounds. I honestly feel BF gave me a stronger bond, and would champion it all the way.
Having said that, I guess it's up to mum's to decide how they want to feed their babies, but yes, you don't get formula for free when you leave hospital, you should bring it with you.

Ephiny · 20/06/2011 17:21

Wouldn't it be some kind of age discrimination, given that they feed older children and adults who are in hospital, even those who need special diets of some kind?

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