Hunkermunker I don't know tbh. I very much doubt it was an evidence-based recommendation. We were in A&E with a registrar because ds had developed a rash and mw wanted ds checked out because he'd also had the big weight loss on day 6. According to local guidelines (I found out afterwards) the mw should have referred him on day 6 anyway. Instead, she eventually sent us to a bf clinic on day 6 and they started me expressing & diagnosed tongue tie. By day 9 he'd put on about 1oz, so had at least plateaued. The registrar was more interested in the weight loss than the random rash, and insisted that he needed something more than my milk. I stood up to him fairly well, as I really didn't want to give formula. He said something about how it might be possible to give fluids by IV, but that it was better for the baby to receive it orally. At that point I crumbled (emotionally anyway), as I was so worried about my tiny skinny baby. Just like everyone else, I was incredibly vulnerable after the birth of my first child, and it hadn't been a great birth either so I wasn't in good physical shape myself. The bolshy confidant me wasn't much in evidence that week! I did, however, insist they got me a pump so that I could express and top-up with EBM first, as per the plan formulated with the lactation consultant. We had the discussion about brands with the nurse, who also suggested that I skip expressing at this point and give formula for that night and try bf again tomorrow. I didn't have much regard for her opinions by that stage.
Immediately ds drank the formula he fell into an unrousable sleep. It was really scary, we just couldn't wake him. He slept through having an IV inserted, and it didn't go straight in.
To this day we don't know what happened, but it led to IV rehydration anyway, telephone call to consultant, lumbar puncture, chest X-ray and several days of precautionary IV antibiotics. They were worried he might have an infection, as I had on my notes that I'd once tested positive for GBS (in a previous pregnancy, so irrelevant anyway as it turns out). They then banned me from feeding him anything for several hours, during which time he cried a lot. After that I bf, then expressed and topped up EBM, and then topped up formula to the set volume they'd decided he needed as a minimum. Several days later, his blood tests all came back clear. His 'floppy episode' was never explained and everything was put down to breastfeeding difficulties. Great irony was that we missed our first appointment to have the TT snipped, as we were in the wrong hospital.
I think the bizarrest thing, is that these days I know a great deal about bf, but at the time I didn't know much at all really. I just knew inside me that was how I was meant to feed my baby. I'd never contemplated formula feeding -all the babies I knew from childhood onwards, including me, my mum and all family babies were breastfed. I had no political views on formula, in fact I knew nothing at all about it except that it was inferior to breastmilk and exclusive bf for 6 months was the recommendation. I had an overwhelming urge to feed my own baby.
I keep meaning to request ds's hosp notes to see what they say, but tbh it's too long ago now to complain anyway (2005) about the things they did do wrong in terms of bf management/support during our inpatient stay. Given our situation, it is arguable that formula might have been the correct/best course of action. He only had a litre over 2 weeks in total, though that was down to me, rather than anything the hospital did or said. They wanted to measure everything he drank and didn't seem to believe he got anything direct from me.
Sorry for going O/T .