that your baby was given a bottle because u took too long in recovery after a c-section?
Sorry this is kinda why I posted the thread to find out if you can breast feed in theatre rather than the baby having to wait till u get back to the room. This happen to my sister-in-law and she had all sorts of problems getting my nephew to latch on.
It is well within your rights to tell them not to give your child Formula under any circumstances while you are in recovery. Many women have even arranged to BF their baby in recovery too. I think sometimes they just don't want to tide over a hungry newborn with cuddles until you can get back...
No, but your SIL should make a complaint to the hospital about it. I didn't see my bub until nearly 2 hours after a c/section. She wasn't given a bottle but DH says the midwives were getting worried.
I had the problem of being forced to put DD on formula on day 3 because of slight jaundice and dehydration and the midwives decided that I was not going to produce enough milk because of the traumatic birth we had. This resulted in all sorts of b/feeding issues!!!!!!
I would be raining bricks on that hospital for assaulting my baby in that way. It is utterly unethical not to mention dangerous and unnecessary. But the hard part with hospitals is you have little or no control a lot of the time and it's almost solely dependant on what staff you get. Great staff, no worries. It's one of the many many many reasons I'm a homebirther :) No nursery, no one I don't know in my birth space!
Yep i would make a formal complaint against the hospital if I was your SIL.
I had it in my birthplan that under no circumstances was my baby to be given formula unless it was at my request and by me.
My little girl was born jaundice and with a low body temp after a traumatic birth, but the nurses first tried to help me breast feed and when she wouldn't attach (we didn't have much time as she had to go back in the humidity crib) they ASKED me if it was alright to give her a bottle.
chon, thats different and thats exactly what they should do, ask you.
I'm glad that you were treated that way. :)
After an emergency c-section and small complications with Emily, she was rushed to the special care nursery and i didnt get to see her (i got a quick kiss in just after she came out) until the next day, the nurse would come and express my colostrum and fed it to her via a medicine cup.
Not in recovery when my son was in SCN he was given a bottle of formula but only after I was asked..
I guess if u are asked and u relise for some reason there isnt nothing u can do (latching problems and milk coming in problems) formula is the only option, with me it was medication that stood in the way of breast feeding. My SIL wasnt even told that the bottle was given to her son. My MIL read it on the feeding chart and told her. She wasnt too concerned at the time though cos she had a very very traumatic induced labour that ended in 3 blood transfusion. Im amazed she kept the breast feeding up actually with the amount of problems she had with it. She is very strong willed. I dont know if I would have kept up with it under that much stress and preasure. Its probably going to be harder this time around cos I know the formula is just there if I need it. I will just have to try my hardest and persist with it. U never know. We might actually be fine.
My boy had swolled a lot of blood at delievery, and twice nurses tried to help me feed him but he wouldn't latch on (had a very bad stomach ache and puked blood for 3 days - never going to be a swimmer.. couldn't keep his mouth closed :) )
So the first night, (i delivered 10.40, and this had to be around 3 or 4 am), they were getting a bit worried about him and asked me if they could try him on formula (which he spat out anyway).. I agreed, but was upset as they told me it was kosher and it wasn't (which is my fault really, i can't expect them to know, and it used to be, so they probably thought it still was, but i was to out of it to check it out at 4am)...
Next time (not that i want to formula feed, and after my son got over the tummy ache, we fed for 15 months), we are going to bring a few of our own sachets of kosher formula, so if it is needed, at least i know that that part is sorted out.
But we are also going to write explicity on our birth plan what we want in terms of this, as sometimes you say thing but then shifts change etc and unless its documented (not that i'm saying it alright, but just that it might not have malicious intent) your wishes might not be known.
One of the mums from mothers group had this experience. She had a traumatic birth and finally delivered via CS. When her son was born he did not have regular breathing so they rushed him into ICU and had him under observation. As he was settling, mum was being stitched up DH went up to see his son. The nurses were about to give him formula until he protested. He was very very insistent that his wife had enough milk and someone could get the colostrum from her for their son's first feed.
Thank goodness he was there to protest for her otherwise they would have made their own decisions without asking either parent. The support person is great - they can fight for you when you're too exhausted/dazed to understand what's going on until its too late.
Ann
Yes - I was recovering from the birth, repair and spinal block when they gave my baby formula.
Never again....
Well this isn't really relevent to me because
A. I didn't really breastfeed; and
B. Didn't have a C-Section;
but my hospital has just started a baby friendly initiative, where they don't even have any formula available so, unless prepared beforehand, you don't have much choice but to breastfeed. If you decide to formula feed, you have to take your formula in with you.
I made very clear at my pre-admission phone consult that under no circumstances should Charlie be given formula without my permission. The midwife told me that as a BFing-friendly hospital, they wouldn't anyway, but I still insisted she make a formal note of it.
I would have kicked up a humungous stink had they offered him a bottle without my permission, and I reckon, if I were your SIL, I'd be writing a massive letter of complaint to the hospital.
Its funny u should say something about the hospital not supplying formula anymore. My cousin has had one breast inplant due to one of her boobies not growing at all and requested first to bottle feed as she had major problems last time boobie feeding. Anyways she had to take in all her own bottles and take in a can of formula and even though she did that the nurses still hassled her about breast feeding. I think this is crossing the line a bit though. If a mother wants to bottle feed and she has done the right thing and bought everything in to do so I think maybe they should have just let her go.
I know when I was on medication and couldnt breast feed I was ready to go on the defensive about with my hospital up here in QLD because of my cousins experience but they were totally fine with it. Maybe cos they new there was nothing else I could do they just didnt push the fact.
My cousin even got a remark from one of the nurses as she went to go and make up the bottles "look this baby over here is going to have a proper feed". She discharged herself straight after that and reported the nurse.
In the information package they sent out from my hospital I did notice too that they have asked if u are going to formula feed, to bring in a can now and I didnt have to do that with my daughter so they all must be going that way now.
This is slightly off topic (sorry) but with regard to hospitals not providing formula - I assume that they still have some in stock somewhere as I can imagine situations where for whatever reason a mother had every intention on breast feeding but then can't.
Is her support person supposed to find a 24Hr chemist around and then make a decision about what sort of formula is best for the bub?
It seems to me that the pendulum has swung too far the other way.
Taffy, hospitals would have it on hand to use if absolutely necessary. The hospital I got to tell you in an info leaflet to bring in your own bottles and formula etc but I do know they have it there JIC - they aren't going to let your baby starve if something happened to need to use it. I think it is more that if you know you are going to FF, then they are on the same formula from day one and not having a few days on one kind and then you swapping to another kind once you're home.
Oh good - thanks Sherie.
I got a little worked up when I read that they don't have it available at all and was hoping that this wasn't the case because I can see that nomatter what peoples intentions were there were situations where it would be needed and I was hoping that the medical system hadn't got to that point.
What you are saying makes absolute sense to me.
When I had Eliza I was in recovery for along time 4 hrs waiting for my blood presure to re establish a "healthy range" due to a haemorrage. She had nothing in that time except cuddles from DH and never did they ask about formula or getting something off me. She was also a GD baby so feeding was important for sugar levels. As for asking for formula we went to day 6 before I requested formula and was told there was none on site, we lived a couple of hrs away from the hospital and DH wasnt with me all the time.
They found the formula its amazing the amounts of jugs filled up in the fridge at the nurses station for no formula, they also pinched it from SCN where she ended up anyway so if the feeding was going to make her better quicker rather than a poor feeded that ended up having to be formula fed I would say ok .
Bec
I don't think it is necessary to have it on hand for that reason because quite often a mothers milk wouldn't have even come in before she left hospital anyway, even one that continues breastfeeding. Obviously they would need something for 'emergencies', such as really prem babies, but then again (in IMO) it would be ideal if hospitals had their own milk banks where donated breast milk could be used in emergencies. If a mother is planning on not bf, then she should be responsible for organising her own bottles and formula(IMO) because I believe that the nurses have a duty of care to that baby which includes supporting and encouraging the mother to breastfeed.:
This is slightly off topic (sorry) but with regard to hospitals not providing formula - I assume that they still have some in stock somewhere as I can imagine situations where for whatever reason a mother had every intention on breast feeding but then can't.
taffylou - my hospital has told me that if i can't bfead someone will have to go to the chemist for me because the government cut funding for formula and they do not have it in the hospital anymore.. so if u need to formula feed u have to supply everything urself except a sterilizer which they will provide u with..
Wow isnt that amazing about the no formula in the hospitals now. My cousin new that she would be bottle feeding so she new to take the tin in. With my daughter they supplied the formula and there was about 10 to choose from (they suggested S26-Gold which I had at home anyway).
It makes u want to go out and buy a tin of formula to take to hospital just in case thus making it more tempting to give up if u are having difficulties breast feeding if u know what I mean.
I think its necessary to have it on hand... If you know is advance you are bottle feeding, its up to the hospital to decide if they will provide it or not, the same as if they provide nappies, but there have been cases of medical emergencies afterwards where women are either in extensive surgery or something a lot worse and aren't around to breastfeed. I would think the hospital has a higher duty of care to provide formula, than to give milk from a milk bank without express permission of the parents, as some people are not comfortable with that, just as some people refuse to have injections that are from blood products etc (either blood transfusions, anti-D).:
I don't think it is necessary to have it on hand for that reason because quite often a mothers milk wouldn't have even come in before she left hospital anyway, even one that continues breastfeeding. Obviously they would need something for 'emergencies', such as really prem babies, but then again (in IMO) it would be ideal if hospitals had their own milk banks where donated breast milk could be used in emergencies. If a mother is planning on not bf, then she should be responsible for organising her own bottles and formula(IMO) because I believe that the nurses have a duty of care to that baby which includes supporting and encouraging the mother to breastfeed.
I support b/f, but i also think its the parents right to choose what they feel is right for their child for whatever reasons, just because the hospital is a pro-b/f hospital does not mean that the have the right to choose for those parents.
My hostpial said they don't provide formula, and that mums wishing to formula feed needed to provide everything themselves.
When I was at the hospital day stay (on day 4 after having DS) the LC was telling me that if my milk had not come in by day 5 or 6 and I felt that I needed to top up DS over the weekend, to use X brand of formula, 'cos thats what they use here at the hospital in the SCN'
So maybe they do not provide it to mums who choose to f/f from the start, but they do in some circumstances?
I did say that they should have something else available for those rare emergencies, and the part about having donated breastmilk is just my opinion only. The hospital should have express permission from the parents no matter how/or what is given.
Hospitals that are 'baby-friendly' state explicity in all their info. when you book in that that is how they work, therefore indicating they will support and encourage bf in most circumstances. If people want to ff of course that is their choice, and their choice only, but my point is that formula should not be available just for anyone that 'chooses' to use it at hospital, imagine the hundreds of thousands of dollars that could be spent on life saving equipment that is possibly being spent on having formula on hand 'just in case'. Definately have it there, or available for emergencies, or for example if it is a country hospital that has no access to pharmacies, supermarkets, or whatever, but it is the parents responsibility to feed the baby, not the hospitals.
And don't most hospitals use cloth nappies? Surely they wouldn't supply disposables as well.
Becmc - when i had my girls, the hospital supplied Huggies disposables for us to use. This time around we have to take our own in with us.
We also got disposables provided when i had my son, and i know from friends at a few others hospitals they did also.
I agree permission should be gained no matter what is given, and i would probably go with a milk bank personally, but i understand why people aren't comfortable with the idea, so i would think the hospital is probably better off legally giving formula then milk bank milk if permission can't be gained for whatever reason
The hospital where I had my daughter in 2005, supplied huggies new born nappies. The nurse actually said to me that they dont use cloth but if I wanted to use cloth I could bring them from home and have someone take them home and wash them. Its the same this time around too. The nurses actually told me to fill my nappy bag up with disposables before I go home (its amazing how many of those u can cram in a bag).
They did have cloth nappies there but they called these "spit rags" and that has now stuck at my house. I had them there for when Leah chucked up a bit cos she used to guts her bottles heaps.
That does suprise me about the nappies. I would have thought that all hospitals would use cloth, even just from the money perspective. Unless they get funding for that maybe. But I just love cloth nappies!!
My niece was born at a very bf- friendly hospital, but was rushed to Special Care because of breathing difficulties. Although the staff came around to collect colostrum from her, she later discovered that her bub was given formula first, without permission, for no apparent reason other than someone couldn't be bothered to walk down the corridor to see if she wanted to express or go to the nursery to feed. :angry::
So, yes, put it on your birthplan that no formula is to be given, but make sure that if you are separated from your baby (another issue in and of itself) your partner follows up with the staff looking after your bub who will probably not have read your birthplan.
C
if this happened to me i would begin legal action, a complaint to the hospital under these circustances is not enough. I would hit them where it hurts and they could also pay punitive damages for assaulting my son's gut.
i feel very strongly about this.
beckles