November 2011 Moms

Was there a formula sample in your hospital room?

The hospital that I delivered at doesn't have any crazy formula samples laying around anyways, so the NY thing really seems like NBD.  But, it sounds like that's not the case everywhere. [Poll]
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Re: Was there a formula sample in your hospital room?

  • I birthed at a birth center.I got a BF swag bag.
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  • imagesccalla:
    I birthed at a birth center.I got a BF swag bag.

    The first time I delivered I got a set of Medela pump parts but that's because they wanted me pumping right away and brought in a Symphony for me to use. 

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    ~Working Mom~Breastfeeding Mom~Cloth Diapering Mom~BLW Mom~

    Blog - No Longer on the DL ~ The Man Cave
    Shawn and Larissa
    LO #1 - Took 2 years and 2 IVFs ~ DX - severe MFI mild PCOS homozygous MTHFR (a1298c)
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  • I got a bunch of those instant bottles, and another one that had powder formula in individual packets. One of them was called a "Breastfeeding kit". I ended up supplementing in the beginning so we did have to use those, but I wish they hadn't supplemented in the first place. 
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  • I did get a box of Huggies diapers and a bunch of pampers swaddlers diapers. We had to ask for formula if we wanted it. I also got a few sets of pump parts but I think that was because I was an employee of the health system. I had a ton of perks!!
  • There was no mention of formula until I requested/mentioned it. I was also provided with a LC, breast pump, BFing supplies and resources. 

    I consider my hospital very BFing friendly. I was sent home with free formula, which was greatly appreciated. (I was using formula at that point)I wouldn't have been if I was bFing though. 

     

  • No mention of formula here, but I did get some sample sized tubes of lanolin, which was awesome. 
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  • Nope, I didn't see formula until the last day there. I had a massive attack of some sort, anxiety/panic idk but it was bad and they had to knock me out, so Maya had formula while I was out. 3 bottles... I was devastated but my baby had to eat. She ended up going back to the breast like a champ though, so we got lucky with that. But it was good that she could do both because I had to supplement with formula the entire first month because I was having such an excruciatingly painful BFing experience.

    We did get sent home with a whole kit, those little bottles and some mix in packets and a bunch of coupons. They also had all of those freebie formula sets at our OB... and because FI is such a klepto/freebie freak we ended up bringing one home almost every appointment Confused it turned out being good though, because we needed them.

    I did get BFing stuff to, my hospital was VERY pro BF. Those snappies BM storage things and lanolin and pads and shells to protect my nips from rubbing on clothes, and let them air dry to heal.

    Proud babywearing, breastfeeding, vaccinating SAHM of 2U2!
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  • No mention of formula, sent home with pump parts and a rental pump. I asked for formula while in the hospital because DD wouldn't BF, she didn't eat a single drop the entire time we there (almost 4 days due to issues), and was attacked and bullied into continuing to try BFing and they gave her sugar water from a syringe to keep her blood sugar from dropping instead.
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  • There were little 2 oz bottles included in the cart every time they brought baby back to us from the nursery.
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  • Didn't see any until the day I left the hospital in the swag bag.... At one point since I had no help at night I had LO go in the nursery for about 3 hours, so they probably gave formula there. Other than that none was mentioned and I never saw any
  • I agree with PP who said that the little sample bag of formula isn't going to sway someone the other way if they are serious about BFing. It was really helpful to me to have that bag of formula in case I needed it; it was like a safety net. If for some reason my supply plummeted at around 3 AM and was producing nothing, I would know that at least there was something LO could eat until it came back (not saying this happened, but this was a fear as a new mom). I didn't use it until the one month mark where I was having some supply issues (which was my fault.... going out of town away from LO which I didn't want to do), but it was nice having it there
  • If I asked for it, it was available. But it came from the nursery. It wasn't on display in the room or anything.

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  • No.  If I wanted it I could have asked for it.  All the mat ward nurses are trained in basic BF skills, so they ask you if you want to BF and then make sure you get a proper latch etc.  They also won't give your LO formula without checking with you, and will give the LO two days before they will suggest it (if everything else is all good and normal, there are always exceptions).  They also provide a nursing pillow for the hospital stay.
    "Read the books, don
  • I got diapers and 4 of the little ready made similac bottles. Maybe coupons.. Also an insulated bag and freezer pack. I got pump parts/a hand pump too since I requested a pump while there. 
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  • Formula was nowhere to be seen at my hospital, in any form. But the swag bags were at my OB/GYNs every appointment.
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  • My hospital asked your preference (BF or formula) and after I selected BF I didn't see any formula stuff. I also got a big bag of pump parts and used the hospital pump after meeting with the hospital LCs. There was a ton of formula advertising in the hospital materials (coupons, etc). I also got a ton of formula from my OBs office - they were probably the worst offenders.
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  • I was asked if I intended to BF or FF.  I replied BF, and that was that.  No mention of formula after that, just a lot of support from the LC.

    DS 11.24.11
    MMC 3.30.16
  • J234J234 member

    I got a freebie bag with two 4-packs of premade formula, a cannister of powder, and a bottle/cooler gift pack from a formula company, among other things.  

    The maternity ward was very supportive of BFing... the NICU was pushing formula on us.  To this day, I still think they gave her formula behind my back.  Now I don't really care and we are transitioning to exclusive formula, but then with my hormones raging and my baby in an incubator thingy... oh it was horrible.   

  • I was asked and said BF and was given the little ready made bottles anyways. I wish they would've provided pump parts and/or a pump. That would've been awesome. When I went home I had all the little bottles I didn't use AND a big tub of powder Similac (which I am just now using). Lanolin would also helped. LC was ok but not always available.  

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  • My hospital was very BF-friendly, and not one nurse ever mentioned formula to me.  However, they do give all new moms a Similac gift bag that had some formula in it.  So, I answered yes.
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  • The hospital brought in a lactation consultant every single day for the 5 days I was there and made me feed my baby formula after he lost 20 percent of his birth weight. I spent $400 on lactation consultants, hospital grade pump rentals and supplements. I would pump for 45 minutes and only get .5 oz out of each breast and cry in pain. My body could not produce milk after a horrific month of trying. I still feel guilty and hate this new initiative as my baby would have died without formula. Sorry for the long response this whole thing brings back so much pain and guilt. 
  • I understand the argument for why there shouldn't be formula samples in hospitals as it's not supportive of exclusive breastfeeding, but I'm curious as to why you refer to them as "crazy formula samples."

    With both of my boys I was given formula samples at my ob/gyn appts, our pediatrician orientation appointment & received samples by mail.

    With DS1, I refused to use any of them until my son, at 4 months was underweight & we were concerned. Then, I supplemented while continuing to nurse and pump.

    With DS2, I decided not to put the pressure on myself to EFB. (I have anxiety & depression issues & this was made worse by the pressure I put on myself to EBF, especially when it didn't go well. I always made plenty of milk-- I often pumped 8oz-- it just didn't seem to be enough to help my son gain weight.) We BF & FF from the very beginning DS2. He had some breathing trouble for the first 8 hours or so after he was born & his blood sugar was low. He received formula for his first meal then I was allowed to nurse a few hours later.

    Some babies need formula, for whatever reason. It's not crazy to provide it for them.

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  • JKTTC1JKTTC1 member

    It was not sitting in my room. However, LO went through a rough delivering and was receiving oxygen and special care in the nursery after his delivery. The nurses were very aware I wanted to BF and I believe were very supportive.

    However, LO had a lot of head trauma from birth and his heart rate was dropping. He wasn't able to come nurse and I was in such bad shape I couldn't go to him. They asked if they could feed him formula. I was upset but knew it needed to be done.

    He refused it anyway. He latched perfectly a few hours later. He's been on the boob since! He just knew how good the boob was and was holding out for it! :)

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  • For me they gave away a diaper organizer with a small can of powdered formula. Prior to birth I received a box of formula in the mail unsolicited. 

    I had a LC visit with me everyday while at the hospital The nurses themselves also gave advice on holds, latch, ect...


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  • My hospital gave me the 2oz bottles of formula, as much as I wanted. BFing was a disaster there, since he was in the NICU, and I could only hold him for 20 minutes every two hours. I was not in a mental state either to force BFing. And no, I was NOT devastated, because my baby needed to eat, and it didn't matter to me where it came from.
    Married 02.06.10
    DS1 born 11.19.11
    DS2 born 07.02.14

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  • I was told they would give me samples if I was planning to FF, but since I told them I was planning to EBF, they sent in a LC instead. I did get samples from my OB, but then the pedi gave me a manual-that-converts-to-electric pump. I also got samples in the mail.

    I agree with mama though, it was nice having the samples around as a safety net while we were still establishing BF'ing. It made me feel a lot better just in case I was like my mother after my birth. She ended up in emergency surgery to remove her gallbladder when I was just a few weeks old.

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  • imageStefB28:

    I understand the argument for why there shouldn't be formula samples in hospitals as it's not supportive of exclusive breastfeeding, but I'm curious as to why you refer to them as "crazy formula samples."

    With both of my boys I was given formula samples at my ob/gyn appts, our pediatrician orientation appointment & received samples by mail.

    With DS1, I refused to use any of them until my son, at 4 months was underweight & we were concerned. Then, I supplemented while continuing to nurse and pump.

    With DS2, I decided not to put the pressure on myself to EFB. (I have anxiety & depression issues & this was made worse by the pressure I put on myself to EBF, especially when it didn't go well. I always made plenty of milk-- I often pumped 8oz-- it just didn't seem to be enough to help my son gain weight.) We BF & FF from the very beginning DS2. He had some breathing trouble for the first 8 hours or so after he was born & his blood sugar was low. He received formula for his first meal then I was allowed to nurse a few hours later.

    Some babies need formula, for whatever reason. It's not crazy to provide it for them.

    I use the word crazy a lot when I speak.  It's not meant to be offensive.  I agree that it's not crazy to provide formula to babies that need it.  It is, however somewhat crazy to provide formula to all babies

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    ~Working Mom~Breastfeeding Mom~Cloth Diapering Mom~BLW Mom~

    Blog - No Longer on the DL ~ The Man Cave
    Shawn and Larissa
    LO #1 - Took 2 years and 2 IVFs ~ DX - severe MFI mild PCOS homozygous MTHFR (a1298c)
    LO #2 - TTC 7 months, surprise spontaneous BFP!
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  • imagesmilelari:
    imageStefB28:

    I understand the argument for why there shouldn't be formula samples in hospitals as it's not supportive of exclusive breastfeeding, but I'm curious as to why you refer to them as "crazy formula samples."

    With both of my boys I was given formula samples at my ob/gyn appts, our pediatrician orientation appointment & received samples by mail.

    With DS1, I refused to use any of them until my son, at 4 months was underweight & we were concerned. Then, I supplemented while continuing to nurse and pump.

    With DS2, I decided not to put the pressure on myself to EFB. (I have anxiety & depression issues & this was made worse by the pressure I put on myself to EBF, especially when it didn't go well. I always made plenty of milk-- I often pumped 8oz-- it just didn't seem to be enough to help my son gain weight.) We BF & FF from the very beginning DS2. He had some breathing trouble for the first 8 hours or so after he was born & his blood sugar was low. He received formula for his first meal then I was allowed to nurse a few hours later.

    Some babies need formula, for whatever reason. It's not crazy to provide it for them.

    I use the word crazy a lot when I speak.  It's not meant to be offensive.  I agree that it's not crazy to provide formula to babies that need it.  It is, however somewhat crazy to provide formula to all babies

    Agreed-- not all babies need it & a new mother's breastfeeding relationship is quite fragile. Sorry, if I overreacted. Wink

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  • I voted ss because I gave birth in Germany, and I don't think they give you any formula samples here.

    I did get a few small packets of Lanishoh (sp) cream, though.

    b/w=FSH 15.6, AMH 0.4 surprise natural BFP on 3/12/11
    DS born via unplanned C-section at 40w6d

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  • We were given a few ready made bottles of formula as well as some pump parts, nursing pads, and lanolin. I didn't end up using the formula but I took it home just in case.
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  • There was ready-to-feed formula in the room and in DS's cart, and I was given 3 bags with samples on the way out.
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  • I delivered both girls at the same hospital.  Three years ago  I got the Enfamil bag and extra formula samples at discharge since DD wasn't staying awake to nurse well-thankfully only needed 2oz of that.  This time around, hospital gave out their own bag without formula, no mention of it at all.  Thet are working to get the Baby Friendly designation and my guess is that is the difference.
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  • I marked that I was BFing on my forms and I never got any formula samples at the hospital or from my OBGYN. At the hospital I got some Lasinoh lanolin cream and they gave me a free Medela Harmony pump. The only time I got formula was at our first pedi appointment when LO had dropped his birth weight, I cried but we only had to use it once before my milk came in.
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  • Not *in* the room, but multiple times the nurses tried to hoist samples on me to take home (as did my OB, incidentally), even though I was obviously wanting to BF. They kept saying "Well, just in case you need it."

    And they claimed to be a BF-friendly hospital.

    Raising a threenager since 11/11
    Baby boy #2 due 5/6/15
  • I answered "special snowflake."

    I had marked that I wanted to BF.  I saw LCs in the hospital (multiple times!) after the birth.  There was never any formula "just lying around" in the room.  However, baby girl had jaundice and was losing weight and having trouble latching on....she didn't want to really eat a lot....she'd fall asleep on the boob.  Since she wasn't eating, she wasn't pooping, so she was staying jaundiced.  

    Finally the nurses recommended supplementing via SNS with some formula.  So I did that.  It helped with her jaundice enough that she was able to go home on time (they wanted to maybe keep her) and then we just went to the pedi the next day.  So the hospital sent me home with a few bottle of ready mixed formula for supplementation but I didn't get a swag bag and never saw any formula in her cart or just lying around.

    At the pedi, the LC on staff suggested to continue supplementing for a couple days (I can't remember exactly).  She suggested to start pumping but gave me a bunch of ready mixed formula until I could get enough pumped.  (Which I was able to do within a day-ish so I had LOTS of leftover formula from the hospital and LC.)

    So I feel I only got formula for a purpose, not just "here, have some formula."  In hind sight, I wonder why the hospital didn't have me pump to supplement?  (Or give me pump parts!  That would have been nice!)  But whatever.

    I never got formula from the OB.  I did get lots of formula in the mail though.  I kept in in the closet for a long time but never felt really "tempted" by it.  (I was glad to have it more in case I became incapacitated or something.)  I finally donated it to a women's shelter.

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  • Not at the hospital (although they did have it if I asked for it) but I got TONS of it in the mail from free samples. Not that I had requested them but they did end up coming in handy when we were struggling with BF.
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  • I voted for SS b/c my DD was whisked off to the NICU in another hospital right after she was born, and I wasn't even on the normal maternity floor.  Since she was in the NICU, there was a lot of support for her to be bf and I never saw a sample of formula.  There was 1 night when I was still in the hospital and she was finally feeding on-demand that I was concerned I wouldn't have enough milk for her.  I couldn't stay overnight in her room since I hadn't been discharged and I was frantically pumping, but they didn't automatically push formula on us. 
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  • I was given a hand held Medela pump and when Hayden never latched I was given formula samples (2 oz bottles) to mix with my colostrum (just a tiny bit to make it easier to drink from a bottle since it was so thick.  I never made enough BM anyways so we always supplemented until I stopped EP'ing last month.
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