Bham women's hosp will not provide milk or sterile environment for new mums...

[satsumaish]

Cannot believe this, but mw warned me today that due to breast is best policy the hopsital will not provide first milk, or bottles or an area to sterilise bottles after July 1st.

I cannot bf due to medical reasons, but even if I could, I would like to feel that there was milk available for my baby after god knows how long being in labour. I reckon this is totally wrong and punishes new mums who can't or don't want to bf.

That is terrible!

It might be practical to buy some of those ready made up bottles (the ones Katie Price fed Princess with in that photoshoot) for when you are in the ward if you arent expecting to stay long.

I didnt use bottles, so cant really comment but it does seem a bit off not to provide anywhere to sterilise things.....what if mums decide not to bother then? Is there anywhere to wash up bottles?

Appalling. Ok, they don't want to pay for it, it's not that much of a problem to buy it but having nowhere to sterilise etc is not good enough.

Why should they supply it ?

TBF, I really don't think the NHS should be paying for formula milk, parent's should be bringing that with them. However, it is terrible not to provide somewhere to prepare a bottle, though surely they will have a ward kitchen anyway that you could use?

Don't think they should supply it but should have somewhere to get it ready. Have seen ready made bottles in a vending type machine, seems a good idea

TBH I don't see why hospitals should provide formula or bottles to those planning to bottle feed. Surely you would just take in your own in the same way as you would take in your own nappies?

Not providing an area to sterilise I find a little unlikely.

In practice they will have formula available for emergencies btw.

i wasnt plannin to bottle feed with dd1, but she wouldnt latch on, even after 3 days in the hospital, on day 2 i asked my husband to brin pump so i could express, and i was told i couldnt pump as the brand new pump wasnt sterilised, i was a new mum, didnt know about medicine cup feedin etc at that time, then they forced bottle on the baby, no help to breast feed at all.

surely it would have been better if they had an area to sterilise the bottles.

Standard practice here. They didn't even allow made up bottles to be brought into the maternity ward.

at my stray apostrophe...
I think the NHS is generally clamping down on things that people basically take the piss out of, I would imagine lots of parents just don't bother to bring formula as they think the hospital will just give them some. I'm not in midwifery, but we have loads of people who don't bring toiletries, towels, nighties and they huff if we have run out (work on a mainly elective ward BTW, but even in an emergency relatives should be able to bring stuff within a day or so). The money just isn't there to pay for all these extras. Not to mantion unnecessary transport requests!

I was really surprised with how much was provided when I was in after ELCS they provided nappies, cotton wool, maternity pads and premade bottles for those who wanted them I was surprised as I'd been told I'd need to take everything, but agree it's off not to provide sterilising space.

I had GD and intended to bf. I was literally bullied into ff by every mw I came into contact with and given no bf support or even instruction. So I guess if they no longer supply formula, that's a good thing...sort of. But I agree with Poncey, they can't have none, it's not workable.

ours dont provide it either, or areas to steralise. they say to bring i na cold water steraliser and cartons of milk

but this may help you

Find that weird - I bf, but needed to express and sterilise equipment before I went back in to surgery. The hospital gave me a big bucket and sterilising solution, can't believe they wouldn't be prepared to provide this?

Do you have to go to the Womens? I requested there, but they woudn't have me, because apparently they are so busy - could you transfer to somewhere else?

I can understand that they won't supply formula, though am sure they will have some for emergencies. I do however feel they should have an area for sterilising bottles.

order some of these

Other than from a moral judgy standpoint on non breastfeeding mums, why shouldnt formula be provided?

New born babies must be the only in patients that dont get fed by the hospital.

They cater for vegetarians, supply low sodium, halal and kosher meals [most of those meal options are personal choice based or religious] but nothing for babies of mums that either cant/wont breastfeed.

All seems very judgy to me...and wrong

What about sterilising facilities for breast pumps? When my DD was born she was so drugged from the morphine I had to pump milk for at least a couple of days and feed it to her with a syringe. Without a sterilising room this would have been impossible! I wonder how they get around that?

They will have a sterilising room for mums that need to pump because of health reasons.

I can understand the non-provision of formula, but not providing a sterilsing area seems very odd.
Could someone please tell me why people with gd would be advised to ff?
Or what medical conditions prevent bf? (HIV?) Surely in those cases there would be a risk to babies' health?

FF for mothers who had gestational diabetes? [confused}

Agree with Amberleaf