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Original poster

Best formula brand for newborn in hospital

36 replies

Elliejmulligan · 03/02/2014 17:22

I plan on breast feeding straight away after the birth in hospital,but if for some reason I can't, the midwife told me the hospital don't stock milk unless from a milk bank ( someone else's breast milk), and to bring some formula just incase.just wanted some advice on formula to buy? Which brand? I went into boots today and there was a few?. Want to get the best/correct one?due to give birth Thursday this week!

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PenguinsDontEatKale · 03/02/2014 17:27

They are all the same. pick the cheapest!

Are you sure there is no formula in hospital? Most hospitals do not provide it for planned formula feeding but will for medical reasons.

vj32 · 03/02/2014 17:28

Doesn't make much difference, they all legally have to be very nearly the same. Your baby might prefer one brand to another but you won't be able to tell until they are here. Unless you really care about it being organic I would just get the cheapest, especially if you don't plan to use it anyway.

Don't forget unless your hospital is really far out then you are never that far from a 24 hour supermarket - you can always send someone out for anything you find you need.

lilyaldrin · 03/02/2014 17:30

Are you in the UK? The hospital will provide it for medical reasons I'm sure, maybe clarify that.

Any brand is fine though, there isn't a best.

Loveleopardprint · 03/02/2014 17:30

Don't know if you can still get small cartons of formula which are already made up. May be a convenient way to take in a little formula.

elliejjtiny · 03/02/2014 17:44

It doesn't matter, although if your nearest shop only sells 1 or 2 brands it's best to get one of those.

Fairylea · 03/02/2014 17:47

Tesco stock ready to use mini bottles of cow and gate and some of the other main brands complete with teat and all :) really great - I formula fed from birth and took 2 boxes with me! (My hospital did offer bottles but I didn't want to have to bother anyone and ask for some).

SoonToBeSix · 03/02/2014 17:53

If Breastfeeding doesn't go well in hospital they have to provide formula.

BikeRunSki · 03/02/2014 17:58

Get the ready to use bottles, then no faffing with sterilisers etc. I have ff 2 babies from fairly young (1wk, 3 wks) and chopped and changed between all brands and they are all similar. None gave me any probs, and in the end I sticky cow and gate because it was cheapest.

mummie2b1987 · 03/02/2014 18:04

I plan on bf too but just bought a few ready made formula bottles of sma from tesco today 79p each and then a set if 2 teats you just screw on to that for 99p :) i just wanted to be prepared, and my hospital said they dont really have much in sterilising facilities which is why I went for the pre prepared ones instead of packing bottles etched in hospital bag :) even though bf is what I intend, you never know ;) xxx

curiousgeorgie · 03/02/2014 18:07

Just check for sure if they don't provide formula?

The hospital where I had both my children did, and when visiting siblings etc having babies it has always been made available in little one use bottles.

curiousgeorgie · 03/02/2014 18:11

Oh, and we used cow & gate if that helps! Smile

Peacenquiet2 · 03/02/2014 18:14

I priced up the available formulas the other day in various supermarkets and cow and gate seems to come out cheapest and has been around long enough so it must be pretty gud!
I used breast/combined with sma with last two dc but this time im going straight for cow and gate. If it doesnt suit this dc ile swap later.

curiousgeorgie · 03/02/2014 18:16

I super stocked up on cow & gate before DD2 was born (I'm unable to breast feed due to a surgery I had as a teenager.) literally 2 cupboards full, enough for months...

Well, she's allergic to it!

Epic fail Wink

Mintymoomoo · 03/02/2014 18:33

Really take own milk to hospital???? Is this a new thing ?? With my 3 babies you just went to a cupboard and helped yourself to whatever brand little glass bottles you wanted!

I have never heard of anyone having to take there own, then my last baby was 6 and a half years ago so maybe it's changed

Fairylea · 03/02/2014 18:42

Minty I had my first dd eleven years ago and I had the same experience as you then- helping yourself from the cupboard etc. Now they do tend to push breastfeeding more so they are less free with the bottles of formula - some hospitals have none readily available and ask you to bring your own with you. When I had ds 19 months ago my hospital did have bottles but you had to ask a midwife at the desk for one every time you wanted one and with a hungry baby if the midwife was busy you had a long wait! And they logged it all in a little book..(time and bottle given etc).

So that's why I took my own with me because I hated the faff of it all. I could just sort myself out without needing to ask.

PenguinsDontEatKale · 03/02/2014 18:49

Minty - I had my first nearly 5 years ago and it was standard policy not to freely provide formula then, so it's not that recent.

willilearn · 03/02/2014 18:58

I recently had to make a trip to my
Local maternity ward to deliver ready made formula for a friend as she hadn't got any, her family lived 20 miles away and the hospital wouldn't provide it. Quite what she would have done if I didn't live nearby...Appreciate the NHS has budgets, but keeping a small stock would be helpful! I tried all formulas for my little one in an effort to help colic and trapped wind, and found the ready made SMA bottles are awesome and really easy to use.

mel0dy · 03/02/2014 19:03

This is all very confusing. On other threads, people have been told not to bring formula if planning to breastfeed as it's "planning to fail" or some other such nonsense.

colleysmill · 03/02/2014 19:08

Double check op - this was a qu I've asked as I'm having to ff from birth and my local hospital will provide it.

I'm also opting for the cheapest brand

Uptheairymountain · 03/02/2014 19:11

I think SMA is the only brand that's vegetarian, just in case taht's relevant.

Beanymonster · 03/02/2014 19:17

We used cow and gate as it was the cheapest, never had any problems, but did when we struggled to buy some and had to use aptamil- she didn't like the change!
Stick to what you can get where you do your big shops and what's stocked at your local garage :)

ilovepowerhoop · 03/02/2014 19:20

SMA gold isnt vegetarian. Some of the products are but not the first milk.

from their website:
We have a range of products within the SMA range which are suitable for vegetarians, these include:
SMA Comfort Easy to Digest Infant Milk
SMA Extra Hungry Infant Milk (powders ONLY)
SMA Follow-on Milk (powders ONLY)
SMA Toddler Milk (powders ONLY)
SMA Wysoy
SMA Staydown
SMA LF

givemeaclue · 03/02/2014 19:22

Agree there are not sterilisation arrangements for bottles on the mat wards, need to take the ready made up disposable bottles.yow are unlikely to be able to sterilize bottles. Sterile pumping kits are available though, so you can pump and then the kit gets taken away and sterilized, but not case for bottles. Nuk teats are good for new borns

givemeaclue · 03/02/2014 19:23

I was given free formula bottles, didn't provide own, and some to take home.

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