Do you think that hospitals should provide formula milk?

[special_kala]

Would people have a problem if the hospital charged for bottles? so like £1 a bottle?

 

[DanielleM]

I would rather the money be spent on formula than methodone but hey ho we cant decide where the money is spent just like creating this thread is NOT going to stop formula being provided in hospitals!

 

[Blah11]

I always agree with everything you say Blah!

lol!

 

[Lightworker]

Also, the NHS puzzles me sometimes. On one hand they are busy investing in breastfeeding, training up support workers, employing them in hospitals, working within the community etc but then on the other hand providing free formula. It is a mixed messag and really it makes no economical sense (unless ofcourse the taxes from Cow and Gate and the like are too good to pass up on).

 

[aimee-lou]

I ff'd from birth, and I took formula to the hospital, and bottles, and nappies, and everything else I would ever need.

The hospital is a place to give birth - not to give you freebies (you get enough from the bounty packs if you're in the UK!). I also think that it's only good sense to have a plan b, and even if you plan on BFing, you should have a fallback - and be it provided by yourself or by the hospital, formula is that fall back. I think I'm naturally a planner, and even if we were going to BF I probably would have taken some FF essentials as an emergency measure (disposable sterile bottles and 3-4 cartons of formula aren't going to cost that much). I personally think that the hospitals are pretty generous - they gave my half a dozen nappies, maternity towels, oil to put on Earl when we got home, 4 glass bottles of formula, absorbent bed spreads and even a bar of chocolate!!

 

[tu123]

Whilst we are talking about taxes, etc, can i just say again that alot of hospitals get the prefilled formula free as a marketing gesture. SMA provided all the prefilled free at my last hospital of work. The manufacturer figure it is good marketing as mothers are likely to stay on the same milk and thus continue to buy. And the bottles are often recycled and sent back to the manufacturer.

 

[Blah11]

OK for those that have said that FF mothers like myself have to make the bottles whilst in hospital rather then being given formula in pre made bottles - I had an emergency c-section so could not walk, would you rather the midwife provide the pre made bottles, so she can get on and look after other mothers or would you want her time taken up to sterilize the bottle, boil the kettle, wait the 20mins to cool down, put milk powder in then wait until the bottle has cooled enough so i can feed my baby???????

No, I'd expect care assistants to help make a bottle if you cant walk. she wouldn't stand and wait for 20 minutes lol, in reality it would take a minute, maybe 2 to make the bottle up. Thats during the night when you dont have vistors. When you have vistors i'd expect the babys dad or gran to do it for you.

 

[whoops]

For purely practical reasons, I think the hospital should provide it.

If a mother has been feeding her baby whatever she packed in her labour bag, then the hospital have no guarantee that it hasn't been contaminated in some way - at least if they provide their own formula in a pre-made bottle, they know the baby is getting safe food.

 

[bigbetty]

I think they should have an 'emergency' supply but after the mother has decided to FF then she should provide the milk NHS money doesn't grow on trees.

No it comes from the taxes I've already paid!!!

I've paid mine too. It doesn't work like that. How much do you think it cost the NHS for you to have a baby? You can't just add up your tax money and say I'm entitled to X amount so I'll have some formula too please. The NHS is amazing cos it means everyone is entitled to care if they need it. However, it isn't a bottomless pit of money. It runs out and whats a couple of bottles to you, all adds up when 80,000 babies are born per year in the UK.

I'm sorry but everyone - whether they are newborn or 100yrs old - should be treated the same. If my meals are free then so should those of my baby. As I put in a later post there are areas that the government could save a hell of a lot more money than denying my baby a couple of bottles of formula.

 

[Odd Socks]

my hospital didn't provide it generally. if someone came in planning to formula feed, they were asked to bring cartons of ready made milk (they didn't have the facilities for powdered milk), & they provided a fridge for storing open cartons in.

however, they would never have let a baby starve. if someone came in intending to breastfeed & it wasn't working & the mother decided she wanted to formula feed, they did have milk & single use bottles & teats they'd give her. i'm sure they would have done the same if a mother had come in without milk if she'd, say, gone into labour early & hadn't stocked up or whatever.

when we were readmitted because bella was really struggling with breastfeeding, they gave me formula milk, even though oh had picked some up & brought it in.

i'm quite ok with hospitals not providing formula as a general rule.

 

[Blah11]

I would rather the money be spent on formula than methodone but hey ho we cant decide where the money is spent just like creating this thread is NOT going to stop formula being provided in hospitals!

It is being phased out I believe. A lot of PCT don't provide it anymore.

 

[Sarah&Ady]

We took some formula in with us on the day of my c-sec..as a 'just in case' even though I wanted to BF. I ended up having a general anesthetic... I have no recollection of the first 24 hours. Jamie was formula fed as there was no other way of feeding him that first day... the hospital REFUSED to let Ady use the formula we had brought in and instead gave him a ready made up bottle.
Years ago , it was the norm for baby to be given formula (if wanted) mittens, shawl, booties etc.. the only reason it is not the norm anymore is due to the fact this country is financially overstretched and overpopulated..... however THAT is a WHOLE other subject matter......

 

[NG09]

Yeah, I see a problem with charging even £1 for a bottle of formula after you have just given birth. If the NHS is that strapped then lets start charging the junkies for methodone. Not babies for formula.

 

[Murphy98]

OK for those that have said that FF mothers like myself have to make the bottles whilst in hospital rather then being given formula in pre made bottles - I had an emergency c-section so could not walk, would you rather the midwife provide the pre made bottles, so she can get on and look after other mothers or would you want her time taken up to sterilize the bottle, boil the kettle, wait the 20mins to cool down, put milk powder in then wait until the bottle has cooled enough so i can feed my baby???????

That is a good point

 

[Blah11]

I think they should have an 'emergency' supply but after the mother has decided to FF then she should provide the milk NHS money doesn't grow on trees.

No it comes from the taxes I've already paid!!!

I've paid mine too. It doesn't work like that. How much do you think it cost the NHS for you to have a baby? You can't just add up your tax money and say I'm entitled to X amount so I'll have some formula too please. The NHS is amazing cos it means everyone is entitled to care if they need it. However, it isn't a bottomless pit of money. It runs out and whats a couple of bottles to you, all adds up when 80,000 babies are born per year in the UK.

I'm sorry but everyone - whether they are newborn or 100yrs old - should be treated the same. If my meals are free then so should those of my baby. As I put in a later post there are areas that the government could save a hell of a lot more money than denying my baby a couple of bottles of formula.

Like what? Sorry I missed the post you are referring too. Unless you mean methadone? i don't think thats very practical. you can't pick and chose who is more entitled to MEDICAL treatment (which methadone is). I don't think providing formula to mothers who can afford milk for their babies is a medical issue.

 

[Blah11]

Yeah, I see a problem with charging even £1 for a bottle of formula after you have just given birth. If the NHS is that strapped then lets start charging the junkies for methodone. Not babies for formula.

lol, that's ridiculous. Heroin addicts aren't going to swap heroin for methadone. Great idea though, a sure way for muggings, theft and robbery to go on the rise again.

 

[special_kala]

Surely methadone is cheaper for the NHS in the long run? rather then dealing with heroin overdoses, dirty needles, aides?

I dont see how drug addicts are revalent to this discussion though

 

[Windmills]

How are methadone and formula even comparable? Are people really saying that drug addicts shouldn't be offered the chance to change? Or have to pay for it when generally they csn't even buy food? That's stupid.

 

[Sarah&Ady]

Yes, they should save on other things, but even if they do the NHS still had to get cutbacks. They all have seperate budgets and they're all being cut back. The NHS has to cut back 3% per year and this is going to be ongoing, not just for this year in 3 years time that's almost 10% cut back which is ridiculous (i hate the tories).

I think it may be more to do with the fact that Labour overspent so much ..... (now I am just going to run for cover..... )

 

[bigbetty]

I think they should have an 'emergency' supply but after the mother has decided to FF then she should provide the milk NHS money doesn't grow on trees.

No it comes from the taxes I've already paid!!!

I've paid mine too. It doesn't work like that. How much do you think it cost the NHS for you to have a baby? You can't just add up your tax money and say I'm entitled to X amount so I'll have some formula too please. The NHS is amazing cos it means everyone is entitled to care if they need it. However, it isn't a bottomless pit of money. It runs out and whats a couple of bottles to you, all adds up when 80,000 babies are born per year in the UK.

I'm sorry but everyone - whether they are newborn or 100yrs old - should be treated the same. If my meals are free then so should those of my baby. As I put in a later post there are areas that the government could save a hell of a lot more money than denying my baby a couple of bottles of formula.

Like what? Sorry I missed the post you are referring too. Unless you mean methadone? i don't think thats very practical. you can't pick and chose who is more entitled to MEDICAL treatment (which methadone is). I don't think providing formula to mothers who can afford milk for their babies is a medical issue.

I actually put mp's expenses.