Formula in hospitals

[tsw]

Expecting to be delivering soon (section) and I know the hospital do no t provide formula unlike another nearby hospital I am more familiar with.

Does anyone know have or have experience of how anyone formula feeding does so in such a hospital? Do they have bottles and sterilising equipment?

I plan to breast feed but don't like to be caught out so have a couple of pre-made formula bottles in my hospital bag just in case milk doesn't come in.

I think they don't have formula for those planning to ff. If you are bf and there's a cause for concern they will almost certainly have some available for top-ups.

Even with a section, though, these days there's a good chance you'll be out of hospital before your milk comes in anyway.

I think a traumatic birth would count as medical need, in which case they can supply formula. They just don't supply it for women who choose to FF from the outset.

If you are planning on breastfeeding you won't need bottles and teats in hospital anyway. If for some reason your baby needed formula it should be given by cup or syringe so as not to hinder breastfeeding. Bottles are fine once breastfeeding has been established but can stop the baby from learning how to breastfeed if they are introduced too early. In a baby friendly hospital your baby would be given any formula that was required in a way that would enable you to get back to breastfeeding once the problem was sorted out unless you changed your mind and decided not to breastfeed.

TheRani I know that's the theory but at my 'baby friendly' hospital they did do the colostrum expressing/syringe thing during the day but during the night they just didn't have the staff - there were two midwives covering the entire combined ante- and post-natal ward during the night and my endlessly screaming baby was keeping everyone awake. Both he and I were exhausted. They did explain that they 'ought' to be using a syringe but that they simply didn't have the time or staff so showed me how to give him a bottle instead.

I would definitely recommend taking some formula as a precaution. I was very naive about this going into hospital. Ended up having EMCS and then difficulty getting feeding established. I had assumed that as I wanted to breastfeed I wouldn't need to take formula and the hospital didn't provide any. After a very tearful night (both me and DS!) with a hungry baby the staff made me feel very small and useless for not having bought formula in. They were quite blunt and plainly rude about it and made a huge deal about having to borrow some formula from another Mum for me. I then sat in floods of tears whilst they fed my new baby from a bottle in front of me and asked me to ring DH to bring in a replacement carton of formula (11pm at night!) as soon as possible. After that experience I almost gave up on breastfeeding as they'd made me feel so bad but luckily got sorted when we got home. Now 6 weeks with DC2, I won't be making that mistake again!

Im sure if you bring some tabs and bottles they would allow you to use the nurses station to prep your feeds.
They usually have a sink, fridge and microwave in there.

Try Breast massage when you are in the bath or shower to help stimulate production.
If your milk starts to come through you can always pump on occasion to keep it coming if you are afraid of drying up.
Good Luck xx

When I had DD they gave her formula in SCBU - even asked me which one I preferred. But she had low blood sugar after a difficult delivery. Thing is, it's perfectly normal for your milk not to come in for a couple of days, and topping up bubs won't really help it come in. You need to get them on the boob and sucking away to stimulate milk production. Not all lovely and sleepy from having a bottle (although they do get lovely and sleepy and milk drunk, it's adorable). Your baby may be hungry, and may not sleep loads in hospital (and DD didn't sleep AT ALL the entire time we were on the ward), but it's worth it when your milk comes in. DD did cry all the first night, when she wasn't sucking away on the boob, but I'm afraid I just ignored the tutting and huffing and especially ignored the woman who was loudly PRAYING FOR ME in the next bed.

If you are planning to breastfeed, I really wouldn't!
As someone else explained above, a newborn has enough nutrients already stored to last three days without dehydrating or feeling hungry - and as someone else also said the stomach is the size of a marble - if you can't get your latch right straight away then you can express that tiny amount by hand and give in a syringe or squirt directly into the mouth.

Having the formula with you, you are more likely to give up and then fall into the top-up trap of offering bottles which greatly impacts breastfeeding.

The best thing you can do is forget completely about the formula, have a positive attitude that you can breastfeed, and persevere.

If there is really no medical reason why you can't breastfeed - and the percentage of women who have a valid medical reason is really very low - then there's no reason to think you can't.

I had a section with my first, and had no support on hand or any idea what I was doing. The midwives occasionally positioned baby for me, and it was excruciating, feeding wasn't established by the time we left the hospital three days later, it can take up to six weeks...but by that point it felt like I'd been doing it forever, and it was pleasurable!
23mo later and i'm still breastfeeding!

It's definitely about attitude though - there's not a chance in hell that I'd ever give my baby formula.
Its not an issue for some people but that's what got me through the tough bits.

It depends how much you want it.
Good luck (=

Are you going on a ward tour as it may be useful to look aaround and see what's where. You can then use this as an opportunity to ask about the formula situation.
If not I'm sure you could just phone and ask.

I had babies at 2 different hospitals and both provided single use pre sterilised bottles and cups for cup feeding but it was up to parents to provide the formula. But I know at some hospitals they provide everything milk included.

Its a really good idea to take milk with you just in case. I was having an elective c section and was determined to breastfeed so didn't take any milk with me.

The surgeon then accidentally severed my uterus artery so that meant I lost a great deal of blood very quickly and needed blood transfusions. The loss of blood meant I didn't even get colostrum. I tried everything skin to skin plenty to drink and my baby pretty much didn't leave my boob for 2 days still no colostrum.
I gave up after 2 days and asked for some formula but was told it was no longer provided so my dh had to drive to the nearest supermarket and buy some.
Not a big deal but i wish I'd taken it in just in case.
As my milk never came in at all so my baby had to bottle feed

I'm sure your c section will be fine I think its a million to one that happened to me but things can happen to stop you being able to breastfeed so even just one carton of milk will give you 24hours worth of feeds and they're 75p so its well worth taking.

I had a CS and dd had jaundice so we were advised to top up wity formula. The hospital had a stash of made up glass bottes of Aptimil (like mini milk bottles) with Nuk teats in sealed packets. They were happy to make them up and give them to me. We were in for three days due to cs and jaundice. It is worth having a carton of formula on standby - even at home- but the hospital will help out I am sure if you need it