Best formula brand for newborn in hospital

[Elliejmulligan]

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!

When I was in hospital after having dd, I asked the scbu nurses what brand formula they use as I was having problems breastfeeding and they use aptimel, I eventually went on to ff and use aptimel.I figured if they are using it in scbu then its good enough for my baby, but really I think they are all pretty much the same.

As a side note I wouldn't stock up on masses in advance.... Ds started with cow and gate and was fine but then at about 2/3 weeks he developed awful silent reflux and after numerous doctors trips and prescriptions the real thing that seemed to make a difference was switching to sma gold! So glad we didn't have masses of cow and gate!

Aptamil is my pet hate. They have spent a lot of money on marketing to health professionals. They had a (now banned as it wasn't true) advertising slogan saying that their product was closest to breastmilk. And they use premium pricing to convince people that their product is better.

It isn't. It is paying more for the same thing with a different colour scheme and branding.

willilearn - It isn't really about budgets. It's about the fact that free provision of formula undermines breastfeeding. There have been studies. It's quite complex to explain why and it's a bit like why advertising undermines breastfeeding (because, of course, no one thinks 'ooh, a free bottle of formula, I won't bother bfing then). However, they are meant to provide it in circumstances where it is necessary (e.g. mother needs to top up, mother who had planned to ff goes into labour prematurely and doesn't have any, etc, etc). Sounds like your friend had a horrid time.

Goodness this is good to know! I have always used the hospitals (last DS 3) will get some SMA gold little bottles to take with me :)

OP, I planned to BF but baby couldn't latch and was very tiny so the paediatrician said she had to have formula (while I expressed as best I could) As she couldn't afford to lose weight. The midwives asked me what brand I wanted to use, I said I had no idea and "anyway, aren't they all the same and it's just marketing?". They looked at each other and basically agreed and brought back SMA. They're a much of a muchness I think, but have to be when you think about it.

I wouldn't worry about taking some in - if you really struggle with baby latching, or there's a medical need, I'm sure they'd provide some, surely?

BUT because I was planning to BF I had zero equipment at home. We were sent home with some formula cartons, syringes and a baby cup to tide us over night (from a kind midwife). I would, at the very least, ensure you have a bottle of sterilising fluid in the house (and maybe a carton of instant formula), just in case you end up in the same boat. Then get Dad to pop to Boots the next day!

And by the way, we ended up managing to mix feed. So even if you struggle in hospital, it might work out ok.

I had a baby in 2012 and they had cupboards full of glass-bottled formula with the disposable teats. Thank god they did as my LO was re-admitted at 5 days for dangerous weight loss, all of the lactation consultants saw she had perfect latch but was getting hardly any milk. I pumped and pumped but couldn't pump enough so in the end the midwife got some formula from the cupboard and that was the first time in the first week of her life she had a full belly. I'd think they'd need to have some around in cases like this. (we did mixed feeding - pumped FT for 5 months and gave formula when I couldn't pump enough).

My hospital said they don't provide formula, I planned to breastfeed but for medical reasons had to top up with formula. I didn't have any with me but the MW said they do actually have it.
I broke down in tears when she asked what brand lol.
She said legally they can't say one is better than the other but Aptimal is the closest to breast milk, & Cow & Gate seems to be the hardest to digest & causes the most constipation.
Good luck breastfeeding, it's tuff the first few weeks but once you get going with it it's amazing x

Aptamil is NOT closest to breast milk. That was an advertising slogan, which is now banned because it wasn't true. Sadly even many HCPs got taken in.

Aptimil and Cow & Gate are made by the same company and are basically the same - Aptimil is just marketed as "premium" (expensive)

None of them are any closer to breastmilk than any other mixture of powdered skimmed cows milk with vegetable oil, fish oil, soya and vitamins added.

Aptamil and cow and gate both really didn't agree with ds so I think they are the same thing / same company. Sma and other brands seemed ok.

Wow I better stock up on those little ready made bottles of SMA to take with me then when this one arrives!

Yes my previous babies were nearly 11,9 & 7 years ago and you used to just go grab a handful and always had a few left over I could bring home meaning I didn't have to start sterilising the second we walked through I door on the first day!

I'm going to ask my neice about this, she is a 1st year training midwife at my local hospital

How things change lol