Ridiculous question about hospital bag and sterilization

[Squtternutbosch]

So I'm starting to get my hospital bag together at the moment and did my first pharmacy run yesterday to buy nappies and the like.

I plan to breast feed but have been advised to take a bottle with me as well just in case he needs formula top-up or I need to express if he won't latch.

So, I bought a bottle. But it needs to be sterilized. Planned to sterilize it and then seal it in something and out it in hospital bag ready for when I need it, but all the advice I read says to use a bottle within 6 hours of sterilization. I assume i won't be thinking about sterilizing bottles in the last hours of labour so...What do I do? Am I being really thick? I'm quite sleep deprived!!

you can but formula in ready to use bottles for newborns, the packs costo about £8 I think and are ready to use.

I wouldn't worry about taking a bottle. If breastfeeding is difficult, they recommend finger feeding or cup feeding to prevent nipple confusion and preserve breastfeeding and there's sterile versions of both on wards. The infant feeding team will help you if you're struggling.

I wouldn't have had a clue what any of this was until I had a baby so not thick at all!

All the different brands make them, and they sell them in boots and supermarkets etc.

I saw on another thread you can buy ready made disposable bottles so that would be an option.
However if you're planning to BF I wouldn't take anything, I never have (going in tomorrow for dc3). If there's a real problem and a bottle is really needed I'm sure the midwives will help you with that.

You really don't need to take a bottle unless you're set on bottle feeding. Didn't even occur to me to take one!

Our hospital had sterilisers etc on the ward though if necessary

If you're planning on breastfeeding then don't worry about taking anything. As PP have said the hospital have formula for these situations.
If you want to FF then taking those ready made bottles a PP mentioned saves having to ask the midwives for formula every time baby wants a feed.

The hospital I had my DC in had Milton cold water sterilizers available on the post natal ward for new mum's to use if required.

They also had formula. Hospital policy was not to give it to mum's who were planning on formula feeding from the start (unless baby a patient in neo-natal), but when DS2 needed formula top ups as he was jaundiced and my breast milk hadn't come in, they arranged for him to have formula cup feeds from the hospital's formula stocks.

I hope you get proper support both as you try to breastfeed and hopefully succeed, and equally if you decide not to.

Giving a determined chance to getting breastfeeding established is likely to take longer than you are likely to be in hospital anyway - unless they have to keep you in longer for some reason. Your milk doesn't start to flow right away - at first your baby is sucking away and just getting a few drops of colostrum which is super-high in energy and nutrients. Chances are you'll still be at that stage when you are ready to be discharged.

However - and this is something they don't and quite rightly shouldn't advertise - the hospital will be able to help if your decide not to breastfeed. They will have sterile equipment as it's easier and cheaper for them to provide what you need than to provide a ward full of mothers the facilities to do it all themselves. Obviously they will stay quiet about it because when you are exhausted and hurting from labour, getting through the early days before the milk comes in is tough. It's harder to have the resolve to get through that when there's an easier option that is very visible and accessible.

But it's your choice and they will help either way.

Fabulous, thanks all!

I reckon in that case i'll just stash it away in the little baby drawer and just take my breasts to the hospital with me.

I live in Germany and they seem to be pretty big on breastfeeding here, but also potentially on keeping people in hospital for a couple of days after birth, which is why I thought it might be necessary. But thinking about it of course they would have supplies in case they're necessary!