Should formula milk be supplied in hospitals?

[babyhopes2010]

I was having a conversation with a friends about her hospital not supplying formula on the labour/post natal wards. mine did.so i guess its different policies at different hospitals.

I would love to know what peoples thoughts are on formula milk being available in hospitals.Should or shouldnt it be?

we all know the benefits of breastfeeding but it isn't always easy/possible and ultimately not every womans choice.

Should formula milk be supplied in hospitals?

 

[teal]

I'm all for women having the right to choose so if you choose to formula feed then why not supply your own milk and bottles. I think the NHS is stretched as it is and from what I've seen formula milk is expensive.

But then if a woman or baby struggles with feeding then it would be easier if the hospital had some for those circumstances.

Personally if I'd chosen to formula feed then I would have felt it was my responsibility to supply formula and bottles. Same way it was my responsibility to bring my own nappies.

 

[AP]

Only in extreme cirmcumstances like medical reasons (I cant think off top of my head) or giving birth unexpectedly.

Formula kits are widely available, theres no reason why people cant buy them. They are, after all, going to have to buy their own formula at home.

Its a huge waste of money IMO

 

[buzzy]

In France, formula is provided. Women who choose not to BF can therefore have it right away for their babies and those who have trouble BF, like I did, also have it as a back-up.

 

[Banshee]

I struggled to establish bf with ds2 and my hospital actually did supply formula as an emergency situation coz ds2's blood sugar levels were dropping very low. I had no intention of formula feeding so didn't have any provisions with me. Also, it seems strange that hospitals will provide meals for adult patients but not babies??
However, I know that some people prefer different formulas so it might be tricky for them to accommodate all the individual requests.
Just a few thoughts...

 

[lhancock90]

Only when it is an unexpected. Such as breastfeeding problems.
I am completely pro-choice about feeding children, i bottle fed but not once did i expect my hospital to supply it.
The money could be used elsewhere, such as cancer wards, childrens wards, etc, the list is endless.

xo

 

[special_kala]

Only in emergencys or if mum is really struggling to BF, after being offered 1 to 1 advice on BF.

Formula is for many a life style choice which i think people going into it from the get go should pay for

 

[staralfur]

Pretty much what the other girls have said already!

If it's a choice to formula feed then you should have to bring your own. But it should be on-hand for circumstances where it's needed.

 

[Boomerslady]

I think it should be there as a back up for ladies who struggle to establish BF, if you're planning on FF then yes you should provide it yourself.

Personally I wanted to BF but I received zero support in hospital, Ben wouldn't latch on and I was told over and over it was because he was drowsy from Pethadine, and that they couldn't help, he had no milk for the first 14 hours so I felt I had no other choice but to FF however they didn't provide any, I just took him home and OH went to the shops.

 

[bathbabe]

I can see both sides.....
I FF from birth and the hospital DID provide the milk, i had a very easy birth and was up and about right away but what about mums who had maybe had a c/s or tearing n it was painful to move about - they dont wanna be up n down halls making bottles all day n night, sterilizing bottles, washing them blah blah blah. When i Had Harrison the 'kits' you know.. the completely premade bottles wernt available (or at least i had never seen them) unlike now, where you can get them quite easily.
So maybe they (now) should offer the milk if needed until your partner or whoever can bring some of the premade ones in.

ETA: Or maybe have the choice of being able to buy the premade bottles at hospital on the wards - at cost price/little bit over.

 

[tina3747]

I think there's a huge amount of money that could be saved from them not supplying it that could go towards better education of breast feeding on the wards. The cost is minimal to each individual mother against how much it costs the NHS yearly in supplying it.
Maybe just having a room within a hospital where you can go with any queries rather than taking up a bed would be a good idea, breast feeding support always there. You get discharged very quickly these days, I feel they sometimes want to just get rid of you when hearing different people's stories... I don't think its enough time to establish the first few feeds to make sure the mum is doing it correctly.
I wouldn't have been bothered about paying for milk had I chose to FF.

 

[sue_88]

I think either way FF or BF you should supply your own formula.

If you've chosen to feed that way, you should be prepared.

If you've chosen to BF you should have a back up.

Id rather my taxes to the NHS went on a new incubator / resus kit than powdered milk.

 

[hopingforit]

I think it should be provided. There is nothing wrong with formula feeding and people shouldn't be made to feel that way. Hospitals pay for pumps and lactation consultants so why wouldn't they provide formula for mothers who have to our want to use that. I pump so I used the provided hospital pump plus I used the consultants but because my babies went to the NICU, they were given formula while I was waiting for my milk to come in. I can't imagine a hospital not having formula. Breast is definitely best in my opinion and I have gone through a lot to be able to give my babies breast milk but I understand that what I do is not easy and not for everyone. I didn't have to bring my own pump or hire my own consultant so why should ff mothers have to bring their own formula? They shouldn't.

 

[zanDark]

I might feel differently if I lived in the UK, but here the majority of women give birth in private hospitals because our government funded hospitals aren't exactly amazing. If I were to give birth in a government funded hospital, I'd want to have the option to give formula to my baby if that is what I choose to do after birth. I give enough to the government to at least have that option in the hospital!

I don't think it should be up to the mothers to buy formula beforehand and be denied help feeding their babies if they decide they don't want to BF once the baby is here. Yes breastfeeding is the best possible thing for the baby, but it might not be for the mother. No one should be forced to BF or made to feel bad for not wanting to! They should be provided with formula if they need it during their hospital stay whether it's an emergency situation or simply because that's what they want to do.

 

[SarahP13]

I think it should be there for emergencies but not given to everyone.

If you choose to formula feed - by this I mean you make your choice before baby arrives - then you should bring your own formula. It is an expense that I don't believe the NHS should bear. Not when it's a choice and there is a 'free' alternative.

Obviously there are emergency situations. DD1 was successfully breastfed for 48 hours until my milk didn't come in, then she lost a lot of weight. By the time she was weighed and they decided she needed 'topping up' it was 8pm and DH had gone home. I had no choice but to use the hospital provided formula. There was nothing I could do and, given that I had fed her for two days it was unexpected.

I think for situations like that (and yes I accept that my argument is a little biased!) and for others such as unexpected labour or babies in special care it should be available as a temporary provision until such time a mother can get some.

As others have said, the money could be spent on other important hospital equipment. It's nothing to do with berating a woman for choosing to formula feed.

 

[AP]

Thing is, a healthy newborn will have a couple of feeds in a hospital before going home. In the grand scale of things why can't mothers just pop a kit in their hospital bag and save the hospital that cost? It's not much to a parent?

 

[fides]

I think it should be provided. There is nothing wrong with formula feeding and people shouldn't be made to feel that way. Hospitals pay for pumps and lactation consultants so why wouldn't they provide formula for mothers who have to our want to use that. I pump so I used the provided hospital pump plus I used the consultants but because my babies went to the NICU, they were given formula while I was waiting for my milk to come in. I can't imagine a hospital not having formula. Breast is definitely best in my opinion and I have gone through a lot to be able to give my babies breast milk but I understand that what I do is not easy and not for everyone. I didn't have to bring my own pump or hire my own consultant so why should ff mothers have to bring their own formula? They shouldn't.

^agree with this.

Plus, I think if the hospital is providing the mother's meals while the mom is still admitted and hasn't been released to go home, then if things don't work out for BF then babies should be fed too while they are in the hospital. I don't understand why babies would be denied food if their mothers aren't.

 

[Button#]

In my hospital there was a vending machine with cartons of formula. I think that was a good way to go about it.

 

[Foogirl]

I don't think it should be supplied. We have to take our own nappies, wipes etc etc, so why not formula? As for emergencies. Our LO was born in an emergency, Mr Foo had to go emergency shopping for stuff so I can't see that as a problem. Establishing breastfeeding can be hard and I don't think midwives
always give it a chance to happen. Mothers can be pressured into turning to a bottle too quickly. I'd rather the money was spent on proper breastfeeding support, Maybe in the days when new mums were in for a week it would be necessary for those times when it isn't happening but I saw women being told they had to give formula within hours of the birth because the baby wasn't feeding.

It would be interesting to see the difference in BFing rates in those hospitals who provide it versus those who don't.

 

[Pearls18]

No I don't think it should be provided, I think if the mum "chooses" to FF she should bring her own formula, if feeding doesn't go to plan there should be an option to buy it or the partner could go get some. I understand the argument that if the women are being fed then why shouldn't hospitals provide for babies, but I just think the NHS is strapped enough it's not a lot to ask the woman to provide for her own baby, especially if she has chosen to FF. a lot of the time it's an issue of advertising as well I believe, hospitals shouldn't be seen to endorse a particular brand.

With the savings they make in not providing formula there should be more support in getting women to BF successfully.