Is it easy to FF on antenatal wards?

[coffeeforone]

For those that FF from birth, did you find it straightforward to do so in hospital after the birth (e.g. at times you are on your own - e.g. DH is at home with toddler)
I could use ready made liquid to save faffing with powder/hot water, but what about washing bottles and sterilizing and warming milk in hospitals? Will the ward staff help make bottles, or would it be ok to leave hungry newborn to do so yourself?

I'm just wondering if it might be easier to give colostrum, then switch to FF once i'm home with a trusty perfect prep and a batch of ready sterilized bottles?

It could be fine and they might not care. As pp said, put it in your birth plan.

At dc review at 10 months I was actually told off for still breastfeeding by the hv among other odd advice! Maybe you'll get one of those

I took th starter ones, used at room temp, absolutely no judgement. No on even mentioned breast feeding to me. Not their business. Although it’s just as well I had no intention of breastfeeding as my milk never came in.

I intended to BF but my DD couldn't latch, so ended up using the SMA pre-made formula bottles until we got BD sorted and they were brilliant; 70ml pre made bottles in packs of 6 with individual wrapped teats, no sterilising needed - you can buy them from any supermarket; hope it works out for you

My hospital did not allow powder formula, so we had liquid ones in bottles. They were giving us disposable bottles and teats we chucked after each feed, and there was a special room with fridge and sink where you could store breast and formula milk (and wash the breast pump if you expressed). We warmed the milk up in hot water from the tea/coffee machine that was in the corridor.
We got a few bottles to start off, and then got to buy our own (spent 8 days in hospital altogether, so we used a LOT of their resoources).

Use the premade starter bottles. Discard after an hour. If you're in for a while, I did see some people with a Milton steriliser and a few bottles by their beds. We had to switch because I was in so much pain. Do stand your ground. You are feeding your baby. Doesn't matter how.

They didn’t care on the ward I’ve just been on. I’d say it was about half and half breastfeeding and ff. of those breastfeeding a few seemed to have brought formula with them too as a backup.

If anything, there was a lack of help with breastfeeding and it seemed as if they wanted everyone to use formula, so they’d stop asking for help!