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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

was shocked by the amount of bottle-feeders in hospital

737 replies

misdee · 27/02/2005 09:35

found it quite upsetting at times. my bed was by the empties 'bottle bank', so saw how many people on the ward were bottle feeding. in the 4 days i was there, there were 10 women on the ward in total, and only myself and another lady was breastfeeding. The midwives offered help to everyone, but most decided on bottles.

the reason i found it upsetting was because i didnt want dd3 to have formula but that choice was basically taken away from me whilst she was SCBU and was given formula by tube.

OP posts:
Tortington · 27/02/2005 17:59

well ssaid stitch - i like a strong opinion it takes guts.

i do think that your human rights comment was boll*cks though! i didn't breast feed cos i didn't want to - i was perfectly healthy - nothing stopping me but i didnt want to - but now my children are withered, smaller, less intelligent, more prone to violent crime and torturing budgies, and without the immunity i never gave them they are constantly ill - nah not really, my kids are fine and healthy 15 and 12 year olds.

FairyMum · 27/02/2005 17:59

Suedonim, I am Swedish and we also have much higher bf-stats (like Norway). I think we are generally more informed and educated in Scandinavia on the benefit of bf. My impression is that not that many mums in Britain can list all the actual benefits of bf. I also know that a lot of my friends from my baby-groups keep getting advise from HV;s and their mother to stop because baby is not putting on wegith or it's tiring the mother out. In Sweden you would continue to bf a baby and not substitue with formulae so quickly (at least among my friends). I think we are slightly less chart-obsessed. But i am only saying what I have seen. It's also a lot less stigma attached to bf in public which makes it easier.

tiktok · 27/02/2005 18:29

I think it is 98 per cent in Scandinavia - even more than 95 per cent! If you don't bf in Norway it is assumed you cannot for some insurmountable reason and there is a lot of sympathy for you.

Earthmama - not right about Baby Friendly hospitals, sorry. A few hospitals in the UK (and they are prob Baby Friendly) ask ff mothers to bring in their own gear, but most Baby Friendly hospitals have free formula for mothers who want it, which is the norm in the UK.

I don't see it as a big deal - mothers are asked to bring in other stuff for themselves and their babies, after all. I don't think it would make that much difference to the breastfeeding statistics, though. All maternity units would have to have some no-cost supplies of course, to cater for people who changed their minds.

leglebegle · 27/02/2005 18:36

Stitch. am not getting into a slanging match though, so have your thoughts whatever they might be.

MummytoSteven · 27/02/2005 18:37

agree with Tiktok re:baby friendly hospitals and formula. the hospital I was in in Liverpool was "baby-friendly" but had oodles of free SMA and Cow & Gate (but unfortunately rather too great a predilection for topping up!).

MummytoSteven · 27/02/2005 18:38

tiktok - any idea what the later bf rate is in Scandinavia - I assume that the 95/95% rate is for the first week - just curious what the rates are for say 3 months/6 months/as long as they wanted to?

anchovies · 27/02/2005 18:47

After I had given birth I hadn't put any serious thought into breastfeeding but just thought I'd try it. On my ward all the mums were breastfeeding so I just got on with it cos I thought that was just the done thing. I feel a bit ashamed now when I think about how little time and preperation went into my breastfeeding decision before I gave birth. I suppose I was lucky everyone else was doing it as if it had been the other way round maybe i wouldn't have persevered? DS was given a bottle at one point before my milk came in and the decision to do this was pretty much made by one of the ladies who worked on the ward (who wasn't a midwife but dont know what her official title was.) She told me it was upto me but he was starving so she really thought I should. Thinking back this really upsets me. So much of my early choices were completely led by other people and I definitely wont let it be like this next time.

marthamoo · 27/02/2005 18:52

I breast fed ds1 until he was a year old. He never had a bottle. I breast-fed ds2 until he was 8 months old (he did have one bottle a day from 6 weeks). I am pro-breast feeding. But I am not anti- bottle feeding and I think you are wrong, Stitch.

One of the saddest things in the world...really?

FairyMum · 27/02/2005 18:54

I don't know the statistics in Scandinavia. I am sure it exist somewhere on the internet. But from my friends in Sweden I know that a couple have given up bf around 6 months and that has been considered early.

HappyMumof2 · 27/02/2005 18:55

Message withdrawn

MummytoSteven · 27/02/2005 18:56

Dizzymama - feelings of pain/guilt at giving up bfing before you wanted to will fade away over the coming months - you will start to feel a little better when other mums start to give up bfing (often between 3 and 6 months mark) and when you start weaning, when you will be facing similar issues to other mums. I felt fairly terrible at first at giving up bfing but by now (DS 11 months) it really is hardly an issue for me any more.

Mosschops30 · 27/02/2005 18:57

Message withdrawn

docket · 27/02/2005 19:01

Hear Hear, Happymumof2. Everyone has to do what is best for them, from both physical and mental point of view and has a right to do so without judgement from others.

duster · 27/02/2005 19:01

I agree with Happymum too.
I think intolerance is one of the saddest things in the world.

HappyMumof2 · 27/02/2005 19:02

Message withdrawn

HunkerMunker · 27/02/2005 19:04

Sweden 98 53
Norway 98 50
Poland 93 10
Canada 80 24
Netherlands 68 25
Britain 63 21
United States 57 20

First number is the % of mothers who start breastfeeding, the second figure is the % who continue for 6 months or longer.

(Source kellymom

Original poster
misdee · 27/02/2005 19:05

is it really only 63% here. i thought it was higher, maybe thats why i was a bit shocked.

OP posts:
oops · 27/02/2005 19:10

Message withdrawn

FairyMum · 27/02/2005 19:10

Hmmm...not sure I agree. I think it does make a difference for a baby what he is fed. I think it's okey to say "breast is best" without condemning mothers who choose not to bf.

sparklymieow · 27/02/2005 19:10

misdee what did you start??? I am pro breastfeeding but I don't think anything of mums that bottlefeed. Each to their own. I do think that bf isn't encouraged enough in hospitals tho.

FairyMum · 27/02/2005 19:11

That should be agree with HappyMumof2.

HunkerMunker · 27/02/2005 19:12

Can I just link to {http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=1364&threadid=54412&stamp=050125154110\this thread}, please?

HunkerMunker · 27/02/2005 19:12

It would appear not

How about now ?

Original poster
misdee · 27/02/2005 19:13

i know iknow. naughty me for being shocked. but that clink-clink of bottles drove me mad when the mothers used to bring them through for the bin and woke me up when iwas trying to kip

OP posts:
bobbybob · 27/02/2005 19:41

When I was in birthing centre there were about 7 other women at various points in my stay (3 days) only 1 was formula feeding. The birthing centre did not provide formula. All the other babies stayed in the rooms with mum all the time, the formula fed baby was in with the duty midwife most of the night.

Do UK hospitals provide nappies and maternity pads?