Do I need to take formula in my hospital bag?

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I am planning on breastfeeding however in the event I cannot....do I need to take formula in my hospital bag? If so, how much, which and how do I make it in hospital?!

Ive done literally no research on formula feeding etc

Help!

Thanks :)

Hospitals will supply everything for you if you plan to breastfeed from pumps, to nipple cream / breast pads, and pre-made formula so don’t worry.

I think the people saying it is unnecessary are forgetting that they gave birth before C19!

I would take some given the current circumstances.

I’ve got a few bottles of the ready made aptimal just in case. I want to be discharged ASAP so if that means giving a bottle I will do that.

I’ll then carry on with getting to grips with breastfeeding at home if any problems.

With my first baby they didn’t supply any milk and I had to get my mum to go out and buy some as baby was starving!!

Yes, definitely take formula. It’s good to have a back-up and not all hospitals will provide formula if you have no colostrum to feed your baby. Aptamil, Hipp Organic and others do pre-made formula. The Aptamil pack also comes with sterilised teats which are really helpful. It’s better to be prepared than not. I gave birth in February and really wanted to breastfeed only my colostrum and milk never came and my baby wouldn’t have eaten anything for 2 days while I was in hospital if I hadn’t had a back-up plan. The starter packs aren’t that expensive - about £8 and you can keep in your ward bag or in the car until you need it. Really worth having even if you never have to use it.

@Happyralphymummy well I didn't add planned on breastfeeding, no milk came and my partner had to run around trying to find ready to feed as the hospital didn't allow powder formula and would not allow us out until some sort of feeding was established (and we spent there 4 days).
So I'd say just in case take a few small bottles of ready to feed.

@GrumpyHoonMain not always the case. My hospital supplies bottles and teats, and one bottle of ready to feed. If you need to stay longer or need more, you need to bring your own. Anything else they give you in an emergency, like I run out of maternity pads as had to stay in longer and got one and was told my partner needs to bring more asap.

Both my babies had low blood sugar at birth and needed topping up urgently and colostrum wasn’t ding the trick. I would take some so that if you need some, it’s one less thing to have to wait for or to stress about. Also, I know this isn’t what people on this thread are saying at all but I really hate the idea that being in possession of formula is some kind of unholy temptation that will break the resolve of a woman intending to breastfeed. Most women who want to breastfeed give it their best shot and the difference between having formula in the house and not having it is a practical one meaning that once they make the decision to give some, that decision is fulfilled quickly and without practical barriers. I can’t look at some of the baby photos of my children now because they were so thin - I wish I’d listened to the doctors and fed them formula sooner, and not having any formula around wouldn’t have made latching or baby weight gain any easier at a time when I was also quite seriously unwell after the birth. (By the way, I’m writing as someone who then breastfed my youngest son till he was 2.5 so I am personally a big fan of breastfeeding).

I'd get a pack of pre-made bottles. I was determined to breastfeed but really couldn't manage it and the hospital were really funny about letting me have a bottle, despite the midwife pretty much telling me DD was starving and BF wasn't working out. It was 3am, DH was at home and feeling like the bottle was absolutely begrudgingly given to me made me feel even more terrible than I already did.

Don’t take formula!!! Honestly! If you want to breastfeed taking formula is the wrong way to go about it, because the first few weeks are really hard and if you’ve got it (rather than having to physically go out and buy it) you will stop far quicker!

@kittykat7210 The idea is of having some is just in case. Hospital will not release you if there is no feeding established. In this climate hanging around there more than necessary would not be great. You can always try breastfeeding in the comfort of your home without the pressure, you wrongly assume that every woman who has just-in-case formula will never even try to breastfeed.

@MonaLisaDoesntSmile

I was released from hospital without having feeding established, so that’s just not true!

I never said anyone who has just in case formula would never try, just that it would be so so much easier to give up when it got a little tough! I remember having so many thoughts of just giving up in the first few months, my mum even told me to give up and that I’d ‘had a good go’ and to just give my daughter formula. If I’d had some I would have, but luckily I didn’t and managed to breast feed without formula supplements until my daughter self weaned at 12 months.

@kittykat7210 See but it depends- our two local hospitals do not release patients because they dont want to have to readmit women with babies who do not feed a couple of days later and thus we spent 5 days in hospital desperately trying to establish breastfeeding and the stress made is so much more difficult than if we said we would do a bottle and then tried again at home without being under the watchful eyes od midwives. We don't know what OP's hospital is like.

If someone choses not to bf later then going out and getting some is not going to be a problem anyways (from what I have seen, formulas are back in stock in most places now when people stopped panick buying).
Having some just in case will not stop anyone from breastfeeding. It's a precaution though and I'm sure OP has enough common sense to do what works for her- at least it would take some pressure away if things go according to the plan.

I put my babies’ health at risk by hanging on for weeks before trying formula. They didn’t regain their birthweight until they were over 8 weeks old. Having formula in the house played no part in how quickly or slowly I stopped exclusively breastfeeding. I would hate to think of women hearing a message that they have to put up physical barriers to their decision-making in this way, at what can already be a difficult vulnerable time for some.

@kittykat7210 - you did not have to give birth during a pandemic. I have heard numerous stories of people not being allowed home until breastfeeding established. In the current circumstances it is not unreasonable to prepare for different eventualities. I would rather be home than be kept in hospital because of feeding at the moment

Get a pack of the ready to feeds with teats. You can always give them to the food bank if you don't use them.

Utter BS about not having formula in if you plan to bf. I needed to feed my baby and be wasn't working for my baby on a Sunday night and didn't have anything (bottles, formula, pump) and it was ridiculously stressful- it would be more so in the middle of a pandemic . Better to have it in and not use it.

@IDontLikeMondays88 I am giving birth within this pandemic. It’s not unreasonable but if someone wants to breastfeed then they shouldn’t bring formula!

But Kitty - the pandemic sort of makes things slightly different.

Also if you have never breastfed before then you are not confident it will go well.

Stupid question here, do you need to heat up the premade bottles?

This is such a good idea. With DC3, I had colostrum. But my milk simply didn't come in for about 2-3 days and it was really difficult. Sometimes it can take several days for your milk supply to kick in. Hopefully that won't be the case and you can save the formula for later, but it's so handy to have it in hospital, just in case. I never even knew this was a possibility.

There are these great ready-made pre-sterilised bottles with teats - pop a pack of them in your bag and you're ready to go - they're really great.

No need to heat up the bottles.

OP, ultimately it’s your decision, you don’t have to take formula if you don’t want to, if you’re not fussed by all means take it, after all, fed is best! You can do what you like with your baby!

I'm due in 2 months and will definitely be taking formula (starter pack with pre sterilised bottles and teats) - I want to be out of hospital ASAP considering the circumstances and will try to be as prepared as I can to make that happen.

My milk didn't come in until day 4 last time and DD had suspected jaundice so even with colostrum (I assume she was getting colostrum but who knows) we had to top up with formula anyway. When my milk had come in properly and she was getting full after breastfeeds and didn't need the top ups anymore.

With both mine I took the ready made packs to hospital. I successfully breastfed my first for 18 months and ebf my 5mo currently. The idea of not having some in case you "give into temptation" is a very peculiar attitude. It is absolutely not the same as having chocolate on a diet - in the event you struggle, you will be jeopardising the health of your newborn baby. It is definitely worth having some as back-up for peace of mind.

@UnilakTea When I moved from exclusively breastfeeding to combination feeding, I had to warm all bottles for both ds1 and ds2. Unless it was the right temperature, they wouldn’t drink much or they’d cry and refuse.