Breastfeeding Advice Please!

[buttercupSE11]

Hello,

I'm due to give birth in 3 weeks. My hospital bag is packed (almost!) and I am planning on breastfeeding during my time in hospital and for the first hours once we arrive home.

Now, I'm debating whether or not to bring in my hospital bag one of those newborn milk starter packs incase I can't get baby latched on correctly or I don't like the feel of it etc. I know there will be support at hand and I do want to try breastfeeding just to give baby the colostrum as a good start.

I do plan to bottle feed in the long run and have all the equipment and formula milk, but to start with I feel that I want to give breastfeeding a go. So, I'm really not sure if I should bring some milk with me to hospital incase my breastfeed intentions do not go to plan.

Any advice and opinions are greatly needed!!

Thank you

[shen]

Hi, I would say don't take it. If you are struggling or feel it's not for you the midwives will help and will be able to

Provide milk to top up with if really needed. At Kings they have Aptamil. However if you want a different brand maybe take that. I gave birth there last week and for various reasons (the baby needed x rayed before feeding) was not able to feed my daughter for 4 hours. As a result her glucose levels dropped and they encouraged me to top up with formula for a few days. They provided the small amount of formula I needed. I'm happy to say we are now at home, my milk came in within 48 hours (despite topping up) and I am fully breast feeding my daughter. The help and support of the midwives was great.

[cactus]

If you have a straightforward delivery, then the chances are you will be home very quickly, either on the day or the day

after birth. So generally, the colostrum you produce in the first couple of days will be enough for your baby, so it's unlikely that you would need formula in hospital, unless there are other health issues, such as those shen has described above.

[minder]

There's no harm in taking some formula feed into hospital if that's what you want to do.

I'm not sure if hospitals still provide cartons of formula milk as back-up like they did when I had my children so it's worth checking first.

It all depends on the help and advice you get after the birth and I think a lot has changed since I had my kids (first one 20 years ago) so I wouldn't worry.

[buttercupSE11]

Thank you, I'm a first time mum and I'm finding now that as my due date approaches I'm worrying about those little things as I'm a very organised person!

[buttercupSE11]

Just to say the hospital that I'm booked into does not provide milk, so I'm thinking of it as a back-up also

[AandM]

I agree with Shen. BF will be more successful if you just go for it and don't allow yourself an easy out. It's worth it because of the health benefits for baby and also much easier than faffing with bottles.

I'm sure the hospital will have formula, they need it for emergencies, but you're unlikely to need it anyway.

For millions of years evolution has depended on BF! You don't need to doubt your own ability to feed your baby! You'll be fine, and the MWs will help!

I had a nightmare BF-ing for 5/6 weeks but now it's going really well and I'm so glad I stuck it out.

I'm not one of the breastapo though I'd like to add, if you choose to bottle feed that's cool, but if you want to give bf a go then you have to throw yourself into it as it can be hard at first.

Good luck!

[blackkat]

My LO ended up in ICU for a week and for various reasons they topped her up with formula (they provided it but said I could bring a different brand if I wanted, this was at Kings). As soon as we got out of hospital I managed to exclusively breastfeed. So even if you take it with you for any unforeseen circumstances it doesn't necessarily mean it will affect anything in the future. Good luck!

[Monkey]

I would take it with you with disposable bottles. No harm in being prepared. I would have found it very useful when exhausted and confronted with a bunch of unhelpful midwives.

[shaunag]

I had to use top up bottles in hospital-Lo is nearly 2 and can't get her off bf at night-so don't worry too much about it affecting your bf'ing if you need to use some formula (my lo was dehydrated in the hospital). My top advice is do what works for you and your baby,and disregard any advice to the contrary! Good luck and congratulations!Ps even if bf'ing doesn't work out it really doesnt matter as long as baby and you are healthy-I think there is far too much pressure and unwarranted guilt on those for whom bf'ing doesn't work out.xx

[Mrs TP]

Perhaps have it ready in a sep bag and if necessary your other half could pop home to get it if needed. Good luck.

[sillywoman]

Mrs TP's suggestion is a good one IMO. The policy in the NHS now is that the NHS (hospital) will provide milk for your baby if there is a medical need i.e. baby won't/can't feed or Mum is incapacitated. If you are choosing to artificially feed your baby for non-medical reasons then you will need to provide the bottles and the milk.

However, I seem to recall reading somewhere, a couple of years ago that a study found women who take bottles into hospital with them 'just in case' are much less likely to be successful at breastfeeding for as long as they would wish to. Self-fulfilling prophecy? I dunno? I can't recall where I read it - maybe a forumite better at research (Fuschia? Saffron) will be along to help me out with that?

As someone else said, you're usually only in hospital a day or so, it hardly seems worth the extra packing space for that short period. You can always send someone home to get it if you really do need it.

[Bouncy]

Hello Buttercup - on a more general note, I did what it sounds like you're doing: packed a massive bag (actually, two) with everything I could conceivably need...and used none of it! The food went uneaten, because I was too busy giving birth(!) The special towels I'd bought to wrap the baby in went unused, because the midwife wrapped him up in a big blanket once all the drama and medical bit was over, and that was fine. The books went unread, because I was too tired from labour and distracted by my baby! I think I felt when planning that I wanted to exert control; that if I didn't get everything you could ever possibly need ready, things were more likely to go 'wrong.' In the event things didn't go at all as planned, pretty much nothing from the bags was used, BUT: it was all fine. The hospital have the essentials and their job is to make sure you and the baby do as well as possible - and that's the important bit. So don't worry too much about controlling things and being organised (if you can help it!) - this is a totally abnormal and unique experience and you can't be organised about it to the same extent / in the same way as other aspects of your life. I hope that makes sense!

[buttercupSE11]

Thank you all for the advice-and yes Bouncy, my bag is rather full to bursting! I haven't packed any special towels for baby, or books or food. In actual fact the thing that is limiting space in my bag are the maternity pads! I've just put the whole pack of 24 pads in my bag just so I feel ultra protected knowing I'm prepared with my own supply in that department. I not sure if it's silly of me to bring the whole pack-perhaps it is, but hey!

Also I think there is a pressure to breast feed. My partner wants me to breast feed for the first 6 months but I have told him that I want to do it during our time in hospital and once we arrive home until the bottles are sterilised and made. He's not too happy about this but I've said it's my body and it's what I want to do.

[Smiler]

Buttercup, you sound like you've made your mind up, so may as well take the formula!

[kristymac1]

I'd say take the formula (you can get ready mixed aptamil newborn which is sterile so you only need take a couple of sterile bottles and not worry about faffing with cooled boiled water etc). As an aside, I exclusively breastfed my daughter but for various reasons my son is bottle fed - there are pros and cons to both and whilst initially a bit sad about not breastfeeding my son, I certainly don't lose sleep over it and he is thriving!

Anything.g which reduced any anxiety preparing for labour is a good thing, althowould say the best plan is not to be too fixed to your plan, once those contractions start you're in the hands of your baby;-)

Lots of luck and all the very best for the next few Weeks x

[R&A]

Pls be careful about saying things like 'bf is natural so get on with it'. It may have worked for you, but it doesn't for all. My son didn't feed properly, became seriously dehyadrated and ended up in special care for seven days. I then had to pump and syringe feed for that whole time, as I wasn't with him, which made things much worse in terms of establishing bf.

There was forumla there for my son (thank god) which he desperately needed

Good luck

Edit to say: if you're struggling with feeding in hospital, pls ask for a bf counsellor. They are fantastic. The midwives are not formally trained about bf and I found the advice I received actually did more harm than good... Advice like 'keep trying, it'll work eventually...'

[crystal7]

I gave birth at Kings last October and they provided maternity towels so my huge pack went unused! Not sure if this is standard?

[sillywoman]

R&A Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> The midwives are not formally trained

> about bf and I found the advice I received

> actually did more harm than good... Advice like

> 'keep trying, it'll work eventually...'

Errr, yes we are, just not to the standard of a Breastfeeding Counsellor. It's only a part of our job - it's their WHOLE job.

[R&A]

Good to hear if that's the case

I'm sure things are improved since I was in hospital and I told that, by a midwife -

and when articles like this were written

http://m.guardian.co.uk/society/2002/nov/14/NHS.uknews1?cat=society&type=article

[cactus]

It's important to remember that newborn babies need to feed little and often during their first few days. If you choose

to breastfeed in hospital, then keep offering the breast and make sure you get help if you feel your baby is not latching on correctly. If you're back home the next day, your baby will not be guzzling lots of milk at each feed, but will more likely need to feed every couple of hours, from either bottle or breast. Exclusively breastfed babies are fine on colostrum until the mother's milk comes in on days 3-4, and it is normal for baby to lose a little bit of weight after birth. So if your baby seems healthy, has plenty of wet nappies and isn't sleeping for long periods without feeding, then perhaps mimic the natural process and begin introducing formula on day 3, I hope this makes sense.

[gillandjoe]

I wonder why you are so set against breastfeeding, buttercup? Is there a reason? Just interested!

[sillywoman]

R&A Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Good to hear if that's the case

>

> I'm sure things are improved since I was in

> hospital and I told that, by a midwife -

>

> and when articles like this were written

>

> http://m.guardian.co.uk/society/2002/nov/14/NHS.uk

> news1?cat=society&type=article

Yes, a lot has changed in the last 10 years.

[R&A]

gillandjoe Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I wonder why you are so set against breastfeeding,

> buttercup? Is there a reason? Just interested!

What makes you think the OP is set against bf???

She says she wants to bf in her post and asks a practical question about taking forumla into hospital

Pls don't try and turn this thread into an attack on another mother's choice, whatever that may be

That may not be your intention - but saying 'set against bf' sounds like you're picking a fight

[Jo'sEnglish]

Hmmm... best laid plans and all that! I would keep an open mind to it all. I know a Mum who was determined to bottle feed as was freaked out by the idea of breast feeding but once baby came along and she was put to the breast it just seemed to click for her and she breast fed exclusively for months. And obviously there are many stories of Mum's who really wanted to breast feed but for whatever reason it didn't work out. It sounds like you have a very set idea in your head, and it may work out like this but in many things with babies (everything??!) it might not go how you think.

So with that in mind I say, take the formula but go with an open mind to what might happen!