Campaign to permenantly reduce the cost of formula

[Celesse]

I would like the supermarkets to be able to put formula on promotion - they're not allowed at the moment.

The problem with this is it doesn't encourage good practice. Wouldn't you rather, instead of promotions, see formula cheaper all the time?

Yeah true - and if formula was cheaper BF still would be free. I feel it's unfair formula so expensive.

The thing is though, breastfeeding for me was getting expensive...between buying a pump to express because I was too sore to put the baby on my boob, to buying lansinoh for my poor bleeding nipples, nipple guards (which were bloody useless and just nearly smothered my child), cooling pads, breast shells etc, all because I was determined to breastfeed.

In the end the expense wasn't a factor in me giving it up and switching to formula (the fact that I couldn't even think about feeding her without becoming a blubbering mess at the thought of the horrendous pain I was about to be in was what made me give it up. Every time she cried I broke down!). We're all much happier on formula but agree that it is expensive...we use cow and gate because we weren't happy with her on SMA and c&g was cheaper than aptamil!

sounds like you had a horrible time.

This piece of info won't help you now, but might help someone in same situation reading the thread......, you can get Lansinoh on prescription, which means it is free with your maternity exemption card.

 

[pinkpolkadot]

Totally agree with this. Why should formula feeding mums have to pay towards the formula companies 101 ways to exploit loopholes in the advertising law?

When I moved to FF from BF I was shocked at the prices and I often wonder why most of the brands are the same/very similar in price. I read on the link in the OP that in Italy the formula companies were found to have formed a cartel keep formula prices artificially high

I did notice that Aptamil was more expensive but I had heard it was pretty much the same as C&G. When I quizzed them I was told I would pay more as it was the 'top leading brand' (I could only deduce from that my extra quid or so would be going toward their branding effort/advertising)!

I also totally agree with other posters who have said allowing points/offers on formula will only raise prices at other times.

And to anyone defending this in the name of free market/commercialism, I think it is absolutely right of the government to step in and police these companies seeing some of what they have got up to in the past.

 

[midori1999]

And that's why I said health conditions aside when thinking of cost. There are some bowel disorders affecting premature babies which are proven to be more common in FF babies (at least 10 times more likely) this is why if the mother cannot BF a prem baby donor milk is highly sought after by hospitals because the cost of treating such problems is huge as well as the high mortality rates involved. It is understandable as to why governments would want to increase BF rates as well because of the costs of schemes such as WIC, no-one is saying WIC shouldn't give out formula (or that the UK healthy start vouchers should not be allowed to be used on infant formula) but it would cost governments less money if more women BF-that's just the Maths xx

You've got no chuffing chance of getting donor milk at our local hospitals - I was talking to someone desperate to donate to the milk bank who was faced with having to make trips to Birmingham with "deposits" if she wanted to do so. Choice I got given when they fitted her nasal tube... Cow and Gate or SMA. So yeah you can add wrecking my baby's bowels to the list of sins I've committed as a mother - I'm going to need a loo roll to write them on soon.

Getting donor milk in some hospitals is difficult, UKAMB, among others, are doing their best to rectify this.

Giving formula to prem babies doesn't 'wreck' their bowels, but it is a major factor in causing NEC, which is one of the biggest killers of premature babies, as I am sure you know if you have had a premmie. This is why it is so important that all neonatal units have access to donor milk. As the Mother of premmies myself, I know only too well how difficult expressing whilst travelling to and from a hospital is.

I would like the supermarkets to be able to put formula on promotion - they're not allowed at the moment.

The problem with this is it doesn't encourage good practice. Wouldn't you rather, instead of promotions, see formula cheaper all the time?

Yeah true - and if formula was cheaper BF still would be free. I feel it's unfair formula so expensive.

The thing is though, breastfeeding for me was getting expensive...between buying a pump to express because I was too sore to put the baby on my boob, to buying lansinoh for my poor bleeding nipples, nipple guards (which were bloody useless and just nearly smothered my child), cooling pads, breast shells etc, all because I was determined to breastfeed.

In the end the expense wasn't a factor in me giving it up and switching to formula (the fact that I couldn't even think about feeding her without becoming a blubbering mess at the thought of the horrendous pain I was about to be in was what made me give it up. Every time she cried I broke down!). We're all much happier on formula but agree that it is expensive...we use cow and gate because we weren't happy with her on SMA and c&g was cheaper than aptamil!

As has been said above, in some areas you can get Lanisoh on prescription. You can also use vaseline instead, it does the same thing.

 

[midori1999]

Totally agree with this. Why should formula feeding mums have to pay towards the formula companies 101 ways to exploit loopholes in the advertising law?

When I moved to FF from BF I was shocked at the prices and I often wonder why most of the brands are the same/very similar in price. I read on the link in the OP that in Italy the formula companies were found to have formed a cartel keep formula prices artificially high

I did notice that Aptamil was more expensive but I had heard it was pretty much the same as C&G. When I quizzed them I was told I would pay more as it was the 'top leading brand' (I could only deduce from that my extra quid or so would be going toward their branding effort/advertising)!

I also totally agree with other posters who have said allowing points/offers on formula will only raise prices at other times.

And to anyone defending this in the name of free market/commercialism, I think it is absolutely right of the government to step in and police these companies seeing some of what they have got up to in the past.

You're right. Aptamil is 'cleverly' marketed as 'premium' and 'closer to breastmilk' as well as all their other gumpf to pray on Mum's who feel guilt/failure/grief at not being able to breastfeed or who have breastfed and want to stop. It's virtually the same as Cow and Gate, also owned by the same company.

 

[AP]

Sorry midori , moved to news and debates as it has grown into a little debate. x

 

[midori1999]

Sorry midori , moved to news and debates as it has grown into a little debate. x

No need to apologise, I wasn't sure where best to post it anyway.

Thankyou!

 

[summer rain]

And that's why I said health conditions aside when thinking of cost. There are some bowel disorders affecting premature babies which are proven to be more common in FF babies (at least 10 times more likely) this is why if the mother cannot BF a prem baby donor milk is highly sought after by hospitals because the cost of treating such problems is huge as well as the high mortality rates involved. It is understandable as to why governments would want to increase BF rates as well because of the costs of schemes such as WIC, no-one is saying WIC shouldn't give out formula (or that the UK healthy start vouchers should not be allowed to be used on infant formula) but it would cost governments less money if more women BF-that's just the Maths xx

You've got no chuffing chance of getting donor milk at our local hospitals - I was talking to someone desperate to donate to the milk bank who was faced with having to make trips to Birmingham with "deposits" if she wanted to do so. Choice I got given when they fitted her nasal tube... Cow and Gate or SMA. So yeah you can add wrecking my baby's bowels to the list of sins I've committed as a mother - I'm going to need a loo roll to write them on soon.

You are aware that I also had to give up BF two babies due to medical reasons right ? And that all that one of my boys had formula in the first six months at some point? So I'm not accusing you of any 'sins' or doing anything to your baby? If I had that attitude then I would believe I have screwed up my own two boys as well, and no I don't think I have, I don't regret them going onto formula as there was no other safe option at the time and they thrived on it, with my second youngest he was losing weight at a rate of 8oz a week due to allergies and becoming severely dehydrated despite me having an oversupply and him gaining over 1lb a week many weeks prior to that, because his diarrhoea was so bad. Sometimes the benefits outweight the risk. It does actually upset me that some mums think because I am BF currently I have never had any issues or that mine, or any other mums experiences with having to switch to formula in the past are somehow less 'valid' than theirs were or are. Just because someone is currently BF doesn't mean that their past experiences were any less valid or that they don't have feelings or upset over what happened, BFing mums do have feelings too you know.

However its an indisputable fact that pretty much every study has found that FF prem infants who are well below their due date, do have a much higher risk of NEC while they are still very tiny; it isn't a risk to them once past their due date and getting healthy and strong and no-one said it was, nor did anyone say anything about 'wrecking' your childs bowels. NEC is a fairly rare illness thankfully but when it does occur it can be lethal and treatments are extremely costly both finanvially and in terms of mortality rate; so if its a possibility that mums whose babies are in SCBU and they are able physically to BF, this should be encouraged and in cases where they aren't, donor milk should be provided. Of course we don't live in an ideal world and this doesn't happen in many cases but if it could it would be wonderful. Also no-one said it doesn't affect BF babies because of course it can do; but its just not as common.

Believe me I'm well aware of how donor milk is not widely available in many areas/hospitals because I also had two boys in the SCBU due to a severe hereditary form of jaundice which is completely unavoidable as it runs in BOTH sides of the family, and at no juncture was donor milk ever given to me as an option, the rules of donation are quite frankly far too strict and the milk banks too far away from most people which rules out 99% of those mums who would want to donate. Consequently those few hospitals that do have stocks of donor milk have to ration it to the very sickest and earliest babies. I did not have much awareness of private donation at the time either although this would be something I would have liked to have been able to consider. They insisted on giving both boys formula fed by bottle or they wouldn't be discharged because apparently them BF is not 'feeding well' . Next time I am going to insist on neocate and I would not be at all surprised if their policy suddenly changed then because of the expense as opposed to it being free bottles of cow and gate they have lining the corridors xx

 

[Kess]

Do other milk banks not collect then? I donated milk and my local bank called me every couple of weeks when they were going to be in the area and a chap with a van came and emptied my freezer of the bottles I'd pumped. Surely that way makes much more sense - how many women with young babies are going to be able to trek to the nearest milk bank (mine was an hour away roughly) regularly??

 

[SnuggleMum]

Do other milk banks not collect then? I donated milk and my local bank called me every couple of weeks when they were going to be in the area and a chap with a van came and emptied my freezer of the bottles I'd pumped. Surely that way makes much more sense - how many women with young babies are going to be able to trek to the nearest milk bank (mine was an hour away roughly) regularly??

My bank used to have a lady who lived up this way who'd collect on her way to/from work, but as she doesn't anymore (I presume moved/changed jobs) they don't collect. It is a real shame. I've heard of so many who couldn't donate but wanted to. I even enquired about using my local hospital as a drop off, but no go there either.

 

[midori1999]

There aren't that many milk banks, but there are some 'satelite' banks you can use to drop off milk. My nearest milk bank is an hour away and I would have driven the milk there periodically, as well as the milk anyone else in my area wanted to donate. However, i was unable to donate due to recurrent mastitis and now they have set up a collection service in my area. They are trying to set up more collection services, but funding is limited sadly.

 

[Missy86]

I am not sure where is the most appropriate place to post this and appreciate the mods may want to move it, but what do you think?

Baby Milk Action are supporting a petition campaign to stop the marketing of infant formulas and in turn reduce the cost of infant formula permenantly.

Details here:

https://info.babymilkaction.org/pressrelease/pressrelease30may12

This is because the cost of advertising/promotion is passed on to the customer (as with everything).

Would you prefer to see formula prices permenantly lowered or do you think there's a need for advertising?

I would rather see the cost lowed than it advertised

 

[babyhopes2010]

Having hungry twins means that we go through the 900g tubs every 3 days! So yeah it would be nice to see the prices go down. Ok so breast is best and I totally agree with that but why does that mean formula has to be so expensive? It isn't as if ff was an unhealthy choice like smoking where they drive up the price constantly to put ppl off?

EXACTLY!

I dont think putting price up or keeping in the same encourages BF.

90% of women would like to or are or have BF. sometimes its not a choice!
I had to FF my baby so why should it have to be so expensive;

i think its disgusting that its 'illegal' for hospitals to sell formula!Bloody ridiculous

Our hospital provides formula for the entire stay if a mom formula feeds her baby. The formula companies give it to them for free to promote their product. But this is in the US. Or atleast my hospital does. They kept trying to push it on my when my son was jaundice. Thankfully I didnt give in

Most hospitals in the UK still provide formula for free it is only a few that have stopped. The hospitals around here claim to have a policy of only offering formula to BFing mums for medical reasons but the reality is a lot different. The midwives really push formula top ups here and consequently most women leave the hospital combi feeding xx

yes if u ask and on maternity ward and just had baby.my daughter had to go to hospital for hip scan at 10weeks. i forgot formula my mind was everywhere. i went to shop in hospital and was told its illegal for them to sell it

 

[XJessicaX]

Our hospital is a huuuge hospital and it doesnt sell formula. Whats quite sad is when I had to go into hospital when my LO had jaundice, I was asked whether I BF (I did) and the doctor called to the lady in charge of the lunch trolley and said for her to come and see me. I asked why BF mattered and the doctor said they only supply food and hot drinks to BF mothers!

 

[summer rain]

Having hungry twins means that we go through the 900g tubs every 3 days! So yeah it would be nice to see the prices go down. Ok so breast is best and I totally agree with that but why does that mean formula has to be so expensive? It isn't as if ff was an unhealthy choice like smoking where they drive up the price constantly to put ppl off?

EXACTLY!

I dont think putting price up or keeping in the same encourages BF.

90% of women would like to or are or have BF. sometimes its not a choice!
I had to FF my baby so why should it have to be so expensive;

i think its disgusting that its 'illegal' for hospitals to sell formula!Bloody ridiculous

Our hospital provides formula for the entire stay if a mom formula feeds her baby. The formula companies give it to them for free to promote their product. But this is in the US. Or atleast my hospital does. They kept trying to push it on my when my son was jaundice. Thankfully I didnt give in

Most hospitals in the UK still provide formula for free it is only a few that have stopped. The hospitals around here claim to have a policy of only offering formula to BFing mums for medical reasons but the reality is a lot different. The midwives really push formula top ups here and consequently most women leave the hospital combi feeding xx

yes if u ask and on maternity ward and just had baby.my daughter had to go to hospital for hip scan at 10weeks. i forgot formula my mind was everywhere. i went to shop in hospital and was told its illegal for them to sell it

In the local hospitals here they not only sell it in the shops; but they have cases of formula on children's ward and in childrens a&e and they will offer it to you if you have children up to 2-3 years old and apologise that its not follow on or toddler milk, so I doubt its illegal probably just a local guideline where you are. The local NHS trust here made a breastfeeding policy in 2004 where they made some very strict rules but they haven't stuck to any of them and never reviewed the policy every two years as it says on the document. If anything things have got worse now, when I had my eldest 14 mums in SCBU were expressing for their babies; as I counted the kits in the expressing room that were put into personalised boxes, this time there was only me and one other lady. This is Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS trust but I've heard similar about some of the other London NHS trusts in West and South London where friends have had babies xx

 

[summer rain]

Our hospital is a huuuge hospital and it doesnt sell formula. Whats quite sad is when I had to go into hospital when my LO had jaundice, I was asked whether I BF (I did) and the doctor called to the lady in charge of the lunch trolley and said for her to come and see me. I asked why BF mattered and the doctor said they only supply food and hot drinks to BF mothers!

They don't here and yes I was EBF. When my son was readmitted with jaundice I had to go and get my own meals from the restaurant which was 1/2 a mile around the other side of the hospital complex, this was even the case when I stayed in overnight. The second day I just didn't eat anything because it was just too far to go, I only ate at 4 or 5pm that evening when we were discharged and hadn't eaten anything proper in 18 hours. They told me they don't provide meals to any parents staying in with their children only mums staying on maternity ward immediately after birth. Instead they provide a microwave and a fridge on children's ward and SCBU ward and say if you need any food you can bring it in yourself-if you don't want to to go to the restaurant. I'm pretty sure my NHS trust are not the only ones with such a policy? xx

 

[lhancock90]

Formula is ridiculously expensive.
Lowering the cost won't lower the number of BF-ers, its still costing whereas BF-ing doesn't!

 

[sequeena]

Our hospital is a huuuge hospital and it doesnt sell formula. Whats quite sad is when I had to go into hospital when my LO had jaundice, I was asked whether I BF (I did) and the doctor called to the lady in charge of the lunch trolley and said for her to come and see me. I asked why BF mattered and the doctor said they only supply food and hot drinks to BF mothers!

The same happened to me when T was in hospital. I was bf at the time so they fed me then they made me ff him because he didn't get enough. They stopped feeding me then.

 

[mrs.amillian]

Our hospital is a huuuge hospital and it doesnt sell formula. Whats quite sad is when I had to go into hospital when my LO had jaundice, I was asked whether I BF (I did) and the doctor called to the lady in charge of the lunch trolley and said for her to come and see me. I asked why BF mattered and the doctor said they only supply food and hot drinks to BF mothers!

The same happened to me when T was in hospital. I was bf at the time so they fed me then they made me ff him because he didn't get enough. They stopped feeding me then.

Wow this is truely shocking! I honestly can't believe they get away with this!!!!

It's like treatong formula feeding Mum's like second class citizens, and what if your combi feeding? Do you only get half a dinner? Half a cup of tea? Crazy!!

 

[suzib76]

i dont think formula milk is expensive, so many times i have read people grumbling about the cost and it baffles me why they even have a child as the costs only go up as they get older, surely these are things we should all be aware of before deciding to have a child? i wish i could feed my 3 for less than a tenner a week each lol

Our hospital is a huuuge hospital and it doesnt sell formula. Whats quite sad is when I had to go into hospital when my LO had jaundice, I was asked whether I BF (I did) and the doctor called to the lady in charge of the lunch trolley and said for her to come and see me. I asked why BF mattered and the doctor said they only supply food and hot drinks to BF mothers!

The same happened to me when T was in hospital. I was bf at the time so they fed me then they made me ff him because he didn't get enough. They stopped feeding me then.

Wow this is truely shocking! I honestly can't believe they get away with this!!!!

It's like treatong formula feeding Mum's like second class citizens, and what if your combi feeding? Do you only get half a dinner? Half a cup of tea? Crazy!!

because the baby is the patient, the docs are making sure its needs are met by feeding breastfeeding mother. they are under no obligation to feed mothers, who are essentially 'visitors' i think its great that some do, but its not terrible of the ones that dont. its not a case of treating formula feeding mums differently, its a case of making sure the patients needs are met, whioch with ff, isnt an issue

 

[Tasha]

I don't mind paying 7.99 or even 8.99 for a tin of formula. What bothers me is the cost of milk for babies dealing with reflux etc. £11+ for a tin?!?! seriously?! and that only used to last 5 days.

So I don't mind paying but I think if your LO has a medical issue there should be something in place to stop companies charging way more for comfort milk etc.

We were prescribed stay down milk for my daughters milk and when that didnt work, we were prescribed a thickener.