formula feeding from day one?!

[cappello1]

can anyone help?

planning on formula feeding from day one with DC2 hopefully with some EBM

last time when went on to formula, used sma gold as that was the one they gave at hospital but hadn't anticipated problems BF so didn't prepare

being sure what i want to do this time i just wondered if anyone can help me with the following

is there a considered 'best' brand?

should i take some ready cartons to hosp? (powder later)

should i take my own bottles and steriliser tabs etc?

am i ok to take my own pump in as last time the ones on the ward werent great? (battery)

thanks to all in advance

I'm not sure about what to take in with you, though if you have a favoured brand it makes sense to take it with you to hospital, since they might not use that one. But I'm a bit confused about your plan to formula feed and hopefully use some EBM.

Obviously I don't know your history of feeding, but what makes you think you won't be able to feed your baby breastmilk from the onset, if you're hoping to give him/her breastmilk along with the formula?

Would you like to expand more about the problems you had breastfeeding last time round? There are lots of well-informed people on this board who could help you. There are really very few women who just can't breastfeed, and with the right support and information, you might well find things are entirely different this time round. Up to you, naturally.

Sorry, I hope I didn't sound too hectoring. You do say that you're sure of what you want to do, and I respect that, but I'd hate a negative experience before to put you off, or that you felt you had no support or help. Lots is available here.

my baby (ds2) had real problems with SMA Gold. We swapped to Aptamil and he was fine, so I would start with that. Avoids 4 weeks if hideous screaming! Take some cartons to hospital, but they should be able to provide bottles etc and take your own pump if you want to. Congratulations on your imminent DC!

Hey, I used Aptamil when I was combi feeding with no problems. Most hospitals will provide formula for you (little glass bottles with sterilised teats) but some don't so best to check before hand. If they don't you could buy pre sterilised bottles from Boots or somewhere like that and take in cartons with you. It maybe difficult to take your own pump in as there maybe no where for you to sterilise it between uses, although again it may depend on the hospital. And reshapewhiledamp- I'm sure you didn't mean to but your post was a bit insensitive - I'm sure Cappello1 has thought about and made her own decision for her own reasons. Good luck on the birth of DC2!

Both mine were ff from day one. I didn't take anything into the hospital, they had little glass bottles with sterilised teats as Bubbles says, and had more than one brand so you could make sure you used the one you had at home or whatever.

agree with Reshape - if you want to get any BM into your baby then bf is the easiest way by a long way. If you have had specific problems last time, are byou able to get any help with them in advance this time?? Apologies if you've tried all this.

The best person to ask re: what to bring is your mw

different hospitals have different policies, mine provided everything for ff, but some won't unless it is an emergency

as to which formula is best I think it really depends on the baby, I would start with the cheapest one that is available in your corner shop, they are all nutritionally complete and contain the same necessary stuff, but some have extras

the jury is out on whether the extras are any good/useful etc

did you have a bad time bf your first child?

Hth

Hospitals should all have pumps

if you are expressing it is easier to hand express colostrum and 'hoover' it up with a syringe before your milk comes in

there may not be a lot but this is NORMAL and no reason to panic

I only expressed a ml or two (ml not oz!) of colostrum at a time, so don't let anyone imply that there us something wrong with you or that you should have more

once your milk comes in a pump is more effective, you can probably rent one from your hospital

I exclusively expressed for my ds who was born prem until he was able to latch on himself

She didn't ask about BF - why can't she make her own decision on how to feed her baby, why must she have had problems, issues etc? I know you're all trying to help but this is what sometimes puts people off trying to Bf!

She did ask about pumping though.

I mentioned the pumping thing because she referred to it, and because I thought my experience was relevant

I had a mw try to get me to use the pump right from the off and it would have been pointless

I also had a mw telling me I should be expressing 3+ oz from the first time and because I wasn't something was wrong

luckily I knew this was bollocks but not everyone does

I also wrote a mega post about ff how to choose etc did you miss it lol

She did. Presumably so that she can give her baby some breast milk and colostrum before going to exclusive FF and pumping would be a great way to do this - I had an electric one and found it very useful at the beginning. I feel bad talking about 'she' - sorry Cappello1!

ps and Chibi the last post was not aimed at you X

just because she might have made assumptions that she can't breastfeed (althought presumably not about supply) and challenging those might mean she can give a few bfs without having the hassle and stress of pumping.
Of course she equally well might not have done, in which case she can just ignore me

cappello1

Here's my thoughts on your questions:

• is there a considered 'best' brand?

There is a very useful leaflet for parents produced in association with UNICEF.

You can find it here and also a more comprehensive one for HCPs here.

A quote from them "There is no evidence that one company's milk is better for your baby than any other. If you think one company's milk disagrees with your baby, try another company's milk and speak to your midwife or health visitor.

-should i take some ready cartons to hosp? (powder later)

Yes I would take the ready to feed cartons. This is the safest way to feed and best practice for newborns. This is because powdered formula is not sterile - this means it can contain lethal bacteria. The ready to feed has been ultra heat treated and doesn't contain bacteria. When moving over to powder make sure you look through the current guidelines and understand that the formula needs to be added to water which is at least 70 degrees C. There are safe ways to make feeds in advance - adding formula to cold water is NOT one of them.

-should i take my own bottles and steriliser tabs etc?

Yes I would - therefore you are not reliant on the overstretched midwives and your baby gets used to the bottles you have.

• am i ok to take my own pump in as last time the ones on the ward werent great? (battery)

Yes - just take it in. Don't ask.

Here are the links to the leaflets which cover the safe preparation of infant formula:

FSA leaflets for HCPs

FSA press release from February

WHO leaflet

FSA research report

Cool, I know you all just want to help. Pumping can be a major pain in the ass, that's for sure! I would second what someone else said before, a syringe is a lot easier for giving colostrum then a bottle as you get so little at first. I just worry sometimes that people ask for FF advice here, get some responses (not everyone!!!) that say 'but you could BF' which is not what they ask and that it could put them off asking for more help in the future. That's all, I'm not trying to upset anyone. Any breast milk, delivered by syringe, pump, bottle, breast, cup, whether is, as we all know, fabulous!

Some supermarkets (the Asda nearest my hospital does) sell cartons of SMA Gold formula premixed in little bottles with sterelised teats,so you don't have to worry about sterilisers.

*Bubbles1066" I agree with you - OP said
"being sure what i want to do this time" ...

If she were in the slightest bit unsure she would have asked for advice on BFing!

I assumed she meant she definitely didn't want to give breastmilk, other than the first few feeds, and so was querying the pumping. But I do agree that if she's made her mind up and is sure then saying "but you could breastfeed" is less than helpful

hi ladies please don't argue on my account

i am being deliberatly ellusive because it's a contencious issue isn't it? also if i give too much away i'll lose anon.

it was abad time BF my DC1, latched properly maybe a few times and only with someones help (not too forth coming). i got some sheilds and masking tape and we managed to get 6 1/2 hellish weeks of mixed feeding.

i was hit with severe insomnia and felt isolated and that i couldn't cope. at 6 1/2 weeks we gave up bf and expressing went onto formula and life was good from there.

i was adament from the start of this pg that it would be ff all the way and you can imagine how that went down. as time went on i remembered i found expressing quite easy, though i shouldn't take it for granted that i'll be lucky enough to get 2/3 ounces from the first go this time, but i should at least do that

as my due date approaches i wonder whether i shouldn't give bf a go, it can only not succeed but i am just not sure

i know i'm preparing to fail but i still don't know if i'll try. sorry if thats not liked!

i think i will take a couple of bottles and cartons, might be favoring aptimil atm. if i don't need them DH can take them back. ditto pump. they have a sterilising room for the hospital pumps etc

thanks to all for input, will pop back tonight

That's the thing - you mihgt find it much easier this time. But fair enough, it is your choice completely and if the thought of bf is making you very stressed then it's something you'll take into account
of you finding expressing easy

Hey, if I were you I would take it one day at a time. Make no decisions, just see how you feel. You might have a desire to try to latch baba on, you might not. Some babies are wonderful and latch on straight away and feed like a dream, some don't. Either way, try to do what you feel is right for you, not what you feel you should do. No need to make a decision now - sometimes when you finally see your baby it can all become clear! Sometimes hospitals have feeding advisors you can talk to and there are some good independent people (like little angels) you can talk to although they will probably be pro BF but it is probably worth talking to someone anyways if not just for pumping advice.

And yes, it always gets very contensious. But at the end of the day people just want what's best for you and to share their experiences if they can.

I had a bad time feeding the first time the second they gave me more help I was more confident. You might as well try for a day or so as what you are planning to do will still mean you milk will come in and you will get engorged. enjoy you new baby what ever you decide

Can I suggest you look at where you are going to be buying your formula from and see what they usually have plenty of stock of. Our local supermarket runs out of our brand too frequently and as a result I now have to buy several lots at a time and store to ensure that I am not going to run out and be stuck running about looking elsewhere to buy it.

Good luck - I FF and expressed as much as I could with all 3 of mine as BF just didn't work out despite trying hard. If you do express for longer term then consider a battery double pump for speed as I found this quite a help on my time in the longer term. I got mine from ebay so the price was pretty reasonable.

Hi capello1, I could have easily written your post just before DS2 was born. Really panicking at the thought of having to go through breastfeeding again. I actually asked the V unhelpful midwife what I could do to dry my milk up if BF didn't go well. Last time hideous experience with mastitis, cracked nipples etc etc
In the event I didn't take anything to hospital with me, successfully breastfed/mixed fed for 4 weeks and stopped at exactly 4 weeks on mothers day. It was enough for me. I proved to myself that I could do it, but ultimately decided it was not for me, or my family come to that.
DS2 is now a HUGE happy 3.5 month old baby happily guzzling Aptamil Hungry Baby milk!
Good Luck and do what is right for you.