bottle feeding after birth in hospital

[HeavenK76]

I've decided to ff my baby after birth, but I've been told to bring formula in with bottles for the baby.
I've now bought ready to feed cartons, I've also seen the tiny bottles with nuk teats but I don't really like the nuk teats, I want to start the baby straight on the Avent bottles I bought.
So can you advice how to sterilise the bottles at the hospital, how many bottles to take with me, etc.
All advice needed regarding ff in hospital.
tia

At our hospital they provide free formula in single-use bottles (which they are VERY careful not to recommend or encourage in any way) and I understood that the reason they do this is precicely because there are no facilities for sterilising in the hospital. If you've been told to take bottles in then they must have sterilising facilities, but you'll need to ask the hospital itself rather than mumsnet I think! Good luck.

I've been to two different hospitals both of which provided the pre sterilised bottles but not the milk.
Its probably worth phoning to see if pre sterilised bottles are provided in the UK I'm pretty sure they all provide them for health and safety reasons.

If they dont I think the easiest option would be cold water sterilisation. You can buy from mothercare / amazon / boots travel bags which already contain the sterilisation tablet you just add the water.

Our hospital provides a lidded bucket for you to cold sterilise the bottles so maybe you will just jeed the milton tablets?

I plan on taking in the little ready bottles of SMA and disposing as I go. I have TT bottles at home, never gave a second thought to the teat difference - just trying to make life a bit easier in hospital.

The vast majority of hospitals provide bottles but not milk , my advice use them. I doubt there will be facilities to sterilise your own anyway.

I believe you can purchase pre sterilised Avent teats and bottle liners in places like Boots. I personally didn't bottle feed but I know others that did had no problem moving from the SMA ready bottles to different formulas and bottles.

I've had lots of trouble previously with other dc as babies who got confused very very quickly with different teats, that's what I'm trying to prevent really. Will ask my midwife about bottles once again to make sure.

Most hospitals will have sterilising facilities because of premature or special babies that need expressed breast milk. The breast pump kits need sterilising every time. I was in two hospitals where they used microwave sterilising bags but some use cold water and tablets.

Hospitals don't promote ff but some women have had mastectomies etc and have no choice so they do have facilities.

You can buy starter kits, which comprise of 12 or 10 individual glass bottles with sterile teats from the supermarkets.

I remember sending DP out at 3am one morning when dc2 was being awkward while bf'ing - they are pricey but very handy x

Do they have a long shelf life? Ill be taking a box in with me and not sure when to buy them!

You are , that's really strange the pumps don't need sterilising at all . My twins were in NICU you just wash them as breast milk itself is sterile unlike formula.

Our hospital had sterlising facilities, buckets and Milton, and they gave you stickers to put on your bucket and on your cartons in the fridge.

All hospitals will provide some facilities for bottle feeding, as there are many women who will have to formula feed for medical reasons. We had pre-made bottles given to us as we went straight onto the bottle without entirely planning too, but as we were in for five days, after a day or two they very nicely suggested that we should bring our own in.

I used cartons. Got DH to sterilise bottles and bring with him twice a day, taking the dirty ones home at the same time. I had 12 (!) bottles on rotation so didn't run out. In the hospital I was in there was actually a "milk kitchen" for sorting out your bottles in, but this was better for me.

the ladies i saw bottle feeding in hospital had tiny little glass avent bottles.. maybe 40ml at most in them.

i dont know how much formula newborns take in the first day or so but breastfed babies are only getting tiny amounts of colostrum.

Our had the little bottles of milk and different sterilised teats I think. They had cold water sterilisers too.

I would contact the hospital or ask your midwife.

They last forever in the bottles/ cartons I reckon