Free NHS formula milk stopped!

[Ashley8806]

and we have programs such as WIC (womens infants and children) who if you meet income guidelines, you get free formula every month.... in my case with my daughter, I was breastfeeding but still got 9 free cans a month because I was wanting to supplement. So programs like those are amazing for people who can't afford it on their own, but the hospitals always have the pre-made bottles you just put the nipple on available for us - and when we are done whatever is left in our drawer is ours to take home

 

[fantastica]

Just out of curiosity...where does this 'only 2% of mothers can't breastfeed' come from? As I don't see how they could possibly work this out...unless they assess everyone?! When I had LO...we tried for days to bf...I produce nothing, not even colostrum, the mws thought it was strange and were laughing when I used the hospital pump for over an hour with not a drop. Despite this, in my notes they wrote that my milk had come in etc. I did manage to pump yellow stuff (i'm presuming this is colostrum) from around 10 days after giving birth to 2 months after...but never any milk.

I'm pretty sure these...what would appear to be inaccurate...statistics just belittle some mothers' 'excuse' for not bfing, i'm made to feel like i'm lying when I say I didn't have any milk, because it's so 'rare' according to these stats.

But yes, if you plan on ff then you should bring your own...just like nappies (our hospital actually provides cloth nappies...or it did when Jacob was born as a trial run)!

 

[Pixie2320]

Just out of curiosity...where does this 'only 2% of mothers can't breastfeed' come from? As I don't see how they could possibly work this out...unless they assess everyone?! When I had LO...we tried for days to bf...I produce nothing, not even colostrum, the mws thought it was strange and were laughing when I used the hospital pump for over an hour with not a drop. Despite this, in my notes they wrote that my milk had come in etc. I did manage to pump yellow stuff (i'm presuming this is colostrum) from around 10 days after giving birth to 2 months after...but never any milk.

I'm pretty sure these...what would appear to be inaccurate...statistics just belittle some mothers' 'excuse' for not bfing, i'm made to feel like i'm lying when I say I didn't have any milk, because it's so 'rare' according to these stats.

But yes, if you plan on ff then you should bring your own...just like nappies (our hospital actually provides cloth nappies...or it did when Jacob was born as a trial run)!

I think it's been pretty widely accepted that you could fully pull statistics out of your a$$ and they would be about as valid as some you can find sited

It's just too easy to throw numbers up on a website and call them fact, Hell I could make a website saying that 52% of pregnant mothers have two uteruses and I would be willing to bet within a matter of weeks it would be cited as fact by someone somewhere on the internet LOL

 

[aliss]

The 2% means who physically cannot... meaning no colostrum, no nothing, no breasts. It doesn't include those who take several days to a week for their milk to come in, or who struggle with very low supply. So yes, I think the statistics are quite accurate (the BF statistics in many countries are extremely high, it's only in places like Canada, US, UK etc. places where formula is affordable and available, where the amount of women who "can't" is sizeable, quite simply women in other places ie. rural Africa are simply forced to BF, it doesn't mean they don't have severe struggles/latch problems/supply problems, infants with poor to low weight gain, etc).

It would be nice to think that all women can just breastfeed their babies and have them grow fat and healthy, but nature in reality is quite cruel... 98% of women "can" breastfeed but that doesn't mean 98% produce enough either

 

[Pixie2320]

I just had a look..

first one says 5% are physically unable to
The 5% came out of a small study in Colorado - the study followed 319 women who were highly motivated to breastfeed. They were mainly white, mostly married, mainly college grads, and mainly earned >$35,000/yr in the late 1980s. While the study was interesting (10 % of the women needed help to increase their milk supply, and 5% never could produce enough milk), the numbers were small, and the population studied was not similar to that of the rest of the USA. Because of this the results can't be applied to the rest of the country or a different population.

Another one with a different number
This study measured 319 healthy, motivated, first-birth women who were breastfeeding full term, healthy, appropriate for gestational age or large for gestational age infants, and where only 7% had undergone previous breast surgery. It found that
15 percent had persistent milk insufficiency despite intensive intervention.

Yet another one here says that only 1% of women are physically unable to BF..

And these were only the first few I could lay eyes on, the supposed statistics go on and on and on...

My entire point is, none of these studies are conclusive and none of them are a true random sample either. It's impossible to monitor every single mother once she goes home from the hospital so it's just not a realistic statistic we can expect to really see

 

[fantastica]

Yea I knew what it was supposed to include...I just don't know how they get their results, I mean the hospital lied on my notes, so surely that must be happening for other women too.

Obviously women in countries where they cannot afford formula will be forced to continue anyway, but i'm sure they also have other women who will breastfeed for them? I saw something on tv a while back where many women in Africa were feeding their babies sugar water because they couldn't produce any milk. Also...me and LO would have most likely died if we'd been in a poorer country...so I don't know whether this could have been an affecting factor also?!

Sorry to go off topic, just feel like our reasons are often belittled or made to feel like they aren't valid. No-one would believe someone if they said they were part of this 2% anyway!

 

[Lightworker]

Aliss whatya doing in here? Lol - I agree with your comment about Africa- women either plough through their issues or supplement with substances I'm too afriad to think about

 

[Mama627]

i dont think its a massive deal that we are asked to take our own milk i mean one of them cartons is only about 70p and the amount that a new born drinks is tiny so i doubt it would cost hardly anything! If the hospitals are providing it then unfortunately it is open to abuse and people do steal and stock up on it to take home just because it is free.

Its not like we are being asked to spend hundreds, we are lucky that we still have the nhs and we get our midwife care and scans etc free, America have to pay for everything! I think we are still pretty lucky to be honest, we have probably been spoilt over the last few years and now they are having to take things away because we actually cant afford them people think they are being hard done by

The babies that desperatly need the milk will still get it from what i read, (like prems or poorly babies) its just the mothers and babies that are healthy and can provide their own.

I'd just like to point out that here in the US the hospital provides formula if you're formula feeding, diapers, clothes, blankets, hats, and even a pacifier if you want them to give one to your baby. You usually get a pack of diapers to go, a few additional shirts, and some sample size cans of powder formula. Yes, we pay a lot for health insurance here and you still may have a sizeable insurance co-pay for the birth, but we pick our own doctors, we pick our own hospital, we get free ultrasound photos, and we are able to demand a certain level of "quality" to our care. Yes, some hospitals stink here, but the good part is that you have the option to spend your health care dollars somewhere else.

And hey, as more and more people turn to social services (even when they don't need them), they get signed up for state-run health insurance that doesn't cost them a penny and they don't pay any copays at the hospital, yet they still get the same services that people who pay get. Go figure.

 

[Lightworker]

I said this in another similar thread. If the DHs agenda is to push BFing it only makes sense to bring all their policies in line, including the provision of formula in wards. Also, regardless of mother's intention, there seem to be some midwives who will bully moms into FFing and making them distrust their own milk-making capacity and I think this will stop once the policy is in place.

 

[hulahoop09]

I'm amazed at the number of women who want to BF but say they will turn to formula if they "can't" for whatever reason - ladies, if you want to provide breast milk, don't forget that you have an option of exclusively expressing! If your baby struggles to latch, has a birth injury (like mine did), or for whatever reason, you can rent a simple (or hospital grade) pump straight from the hospital or local pharmacy and go from there - and either continue pumping, attempt the baby back to the breast, or go to formula if you choose ... but don't go straight to formula if the baby can't go right on the breast (if that's what you desire).

The BF section here has some great info on exclusive expressing if you are interested. I suggest having a list of pharmacies or numbers for hospital pumps available at the hospital "just in case" rather than expecting the hospital to provide formula (IF bf is what you desire).

I am going to try bfing and if cant because of baby then i have a breast pump but if cant for my reason then obviously i cant. I cant afford to.'rent' a pump as will just manage in general. i think.a little unfair to assume everyone will go straight to formula. I will be having a section and have heard how difficult it can.be to bf after this so am a little concerned.

Sorry about punctuation on mobile! Lol.

Xx

 

[aliss]

Aliss whatya doing in here? Lol - I agree with your comment about Africa- women either plough through their issues or supplement with substances I'm too afriad to think about

Babies sleeping and I'm bored... But I think goat's milk is a common substitute unfortunately (fine after a certain age but not before), as well as cornstarch to thicken other liquids.

 

[aliss]

I'm amazed at the number of women who want to BF but say they will turn to formula if they "can't" for whatever reason - ladies, if you want to provide breast milk, don't forget that you have an option of exclusively expressing! If your baby struggles to latch, has a birth injury (like mine did), or for whatever reason, you can rent a simple (or hospital grade) pump straight from the hospital or local pharmacy and go from there - and either continue pumping, attempt the baby back to the breast, or go to formula if you choose ... but don't go straight to formula if the baby can't go right on the breast (if that's what you desire).

The BF section here has some great info on exclusive expressing if you are interested. I suggest having a list of pharmacies or numbers for hospital pumps available at the hospital "just in case" rather than expecting the hospital to provide formula (IF bf is what you desire).

I am going to try bfing and if cant because of baby then i have a breast pump but if cant for my reason then obviously i cant. I cant afford to.'rent' a pump as will just manage in general. i think.a little unfair to assume everyone will go straight to formula. I will be having a section and have heard how difficult it can.be to bf after this so am a little concerned.

Sorry about punctuation on mobile! Lol.

Xx

I don't assume that most will go onto formula (although I'm sure they would), I'm just surprised at how many women, who WANT to breastfeed, would go to formula and not consider exclusive pumping (a hospital grade pump is about $3/day), just a thought for those who hadn't considered it. Sometimes people don't realize they can rent pumps and go straight to formula so I thought I'd mention it....

 

[MamaBearX4]

I'm just going to say again that I'm sure the government is NOT paying full price for formula and that's why they only provide certain brands...contracts.

And you can't compare Africa to a country like the UK or the USA. Africa is a country that is mainly a bf'g country and that's the norm. Here and in the USA, scientists decided to push ff'g on us and they pushed and pushed and pushed until ff was the norm. The plain truth is, some women just dont like it and there is no harm in choosing to ff. their babies are still thriving and growing strong.

I think it was Nestle that went into African hospitals giving away enough free formula for the mom's milk to dry up and then they had no help to relactate and so watered down the formula so much that so many babies have died. A law was passed to stop this but the company reps dressed as nurses to gain access in the hospitals and still get away with what they are doing. They just can't afford formula there because it's not widely available. So no comparison with that country.

 

[moomin_troll]

I said this in another similar thread. If the DHs agenda is to push BFing it only makes sense to bring all their policies in line, including the provision of formula in wards. Also, regardless of mother's intention, there seem to be some midwives who will bully moms into FFing and making them distrust their own milk-making capacity and I think this will stop once the policy is in place.

i agree with this, that some mws do push ff because its easier for them in most cases

even if my local hospital take up this not supplying formula i cant see the mws being any more supportive to terryfied mothers trying to bf. they couldnt give a crap about those who were trying to bf or ff.

some hospitals are just terrible when it comes to both

 

[kanga]

Good. Why were they providing it in the first place?

 

[hulahoop09]

I'm amazed at the number of women who want to BF but say they will turn to formula if they "can't" for whatever reason - ladies, if you want to provide breast milk, don't forget that you have an option of exclusively expressing! If your baby struggles to latch, has a birth injury (like mine did), or for whatever reason, you can rent a simple (or hospital grade) pump straight from the hospital or local pharmacy and go from there - and either continue pumping, attempt the baby back to the breast, or go to formula if you choose ... but don't go straight to formula if the baby can't go right on the breast (if that's what you desire).

The BF section here has some great info on exclusive expressing if you are interested. I suggest having a list of pharmacies or numbers for hospital pumps available at the hospital "just in case" rather than expecting the hospital to provide formula (IF bf is what you desire).

I am going to try bfing and if cant because of baby then i have a breast pump but if cant for my reason then obviously i cant. I cant afford to.'rent' a pump as will just manage in general. i think.a little unfair to assume everyone will go straight to formula. I will be having a section and have heard how difficult it can.be to bf after this so am a little concerned.

Sorry about punctuation on mobile! Lol.

Xx

I don't assume that most will go onto formula (although I'm sure they would), I'm just surprised at how many women, who WANT to breastfeed, would go to formula and not consider exclusive pumping (a hospital grade pump is about $3/day), just a thought for those who hadn't considered it. Sometimes people don't realize they can rent pumps and go straight to formula so I thought I'd mention it....

Thats a good price, i dont even know if you can rent here. I would deffo consider using pump which i may do sometimes anyway so hubby can be involved. Lol. Xx

 

[milf2be]

Yea I knew what it was supposed to include...I just don't know how they get their results, I mean the hospital lied on my notes, so surely that must be happening for other women too.

Obviously women in countries where they cannot afford formula will be forced to continue anyway, but i'm sure they also have other women who will breastfeed for them? I saw something on tv a while back where many women in Africa were feeding their babies sugar water because they couldn't produce any milk. Also...me and LO would have most likely died if we'd been in a poorer country...so I don't know whether this could have been an affecting factor also?!

Sorry to go off topic, just feel like our reasons are often belittled or made to feel like they aren't valid. No-one would believe someone if they said they were part of this 2% anyway!

i pointed out the percentage because i think for new mum to bes on this forum it often looks like 50% of women cant breastfeed, which is obviously not true, its not meant to belittle anyone - just trying to not put people off if that makes sense?

i also wanted to point out that most women dont breastfeed successfully due to being failed by healthcare professionals and not for anatomic reasons x

 

[milf2be]

I'm just going to say again that I'm sure the government is NOT paying full price for formula and that's why they only provide certain brands...contracts.

And you can't compare Africa to a country like the UK or the USA. Africa is a country that is mainly a bf'g country and that's the norm. Here and in the USA, scientists decided to push ff'g on us and they pushed and pushed and pushed until ff was the norm. The plain truth is, some women just dont like it and there is no harm in choosing to ff. their babies are still thriving and growing strong.

I think it was Nestle that went into African hospitals giving away enough free formula for the mom's milk to dry up and then they had no help to relactate and so watered down the formula so much that so many babies have died. A law was passed to stop this but the company reps dressed as nurses to gain access in the hospitals and still get away with what they are doing. They just can't afford formula there because it's not widely available. So no comparison with that country.

in the UK it is against the law. its not the same in the usa x

 

[Blah11]

Tbh i bet the cost of our food is way cheaper than formula for the nhs. I dont care for the arguement of 'hospital should feed baby too'. How about doing something to help improve the services by helping reduce the costs. You're gonna go home and buy it anyways??!!

It's something like £3 per patient a day

 

[moomin_troll]

Tbh i bet the cost of our food is way cheaper than formula for the nhs. I dont care for the arguement of 'hospital should feed baby too'. How about doing something to help improve the services by helping reduce the costs. You're gonna go home and buy it anyways??!!

It's something like £3 per patient a day

it tastes cheaper then that hahaha

after i had zane i was asked do u want fish or pasta, so i said pasta.
i was then given a plate (cold btw) with fish, chips, mushy peas covered in pasta