If planning to ff do I need to take bottles etc to hospital with me?

[1978andallthat]

And how would I sterilise them there? Or will they give me everything I need while there?

I think you need to ask your midwife as I think hospitals all have different policies from what I've read on here. I didn't plan to ff but was persuaded to top up and they gave me all formula in disposable bottles with teats.

If you do have to take them in, you can buy presterilised prefilled bottles of most of the main brands, I know aptamil do them at least. They are pricy but would be a good standby
Otherwise you can take a huge Tupperware with a lid, some Milton tablets and some liquid cartons of formula.

Talk to the hopsital, each hospital has different policies.

The little readymade bottles may be easier though

I sterilised my bottles before I went (I took two, not knowing how long I'd be there!), plus a few small cartons of the ready-made stuff, not knowing whether I was going to BF or FF.
I didn't actually use mine at hospital, because baby was very sleepy from morphine and didn't wake up until we got home!

If you sterilise the bottles, then just make sure the the lids stay on until you need them, they will be fine.

Visualise' I guess you weren't in the hospital for very long then - 2 bottles would only last a few hours surely? I ebf for the first 5 days so don't know what the norm is if ff from the start, but surely you need to offer milk straight away and then every 2-3 hours? I was in for 8 days post csection so perhaps my perspective is skewed!

I had an elective section and was well prepared and took two boxes of cow and gate ready to use prefilled bottles from mothercare. 13 in each pack... you just peel the foil off and put a teat on.

My hospital supplied them anyway but I found it much better using my own as I didn't have to keep asking for them and plus I could feed on demand and as often as I wanted to which made everything stress free!

I was in a birthing centre, where they normally send you home within 6 hours. I was home within 4!

But the cartons are big (for a newborn), and can be used over 24 hours. So you'd only be giving 1-2 ounces at a time, so two cartons would have lasted a while, plus, had I decided to use them, I would've sent OH to the shop to get more.

Yes, true enough, as long as you have a fridge and somewhere to re sterilise the bottles (my hospital had neither)