Bringing personal choice formula to hospital?

Question

Please read everything before answering. Please reframe from rude answers. And please know that I'm a huge advocate for breast milk so no one yell at me. Thank you.

So in the future I want to express my breast milk other then breast feed directly, my chest is rather large and I've tried the positions for women with larger breast's as a test and I don't like them. That can change of course.

But anyway I know that it can take a good time for breast milk to come in so to be safe I have an organic brand of formula that's stated to be the closet thing to the real thing already in liquid form to give to the baby until the milk comes in.

Now I haven't asked any question to the hospital yet at all but I'd like to run it by other first. Just in case they don't have the organic formula I'd feel happy to bring it in myself. Of course the moment my milk starts coming in the moment the pumps start going it's boob juice all the way.

I really feel this is a good precaution. I also have a powder of Organic Soy and just in case an Organic lactose intolerance version also. These two are from the same company but the normal organic liquid form is from another one.

If there isn't any need for any of the formula at all I hope to donate the unopened or unused containers.

Suzy Q · Accepted Answer

Just a tip, if you really want to go this route (I know from experience how big breasts can be awkward when breastfeeding, but I would REALLY recommend giving it a good try, if only because pumping is an INSANE amount of work even if all goes well): try hand expressing those first days instead of only using a pump.

Even the best hospital grade pump has a fatal flaw when it comes to colostrum: it's not really designed for the tiny amounts of colostrum you produce. Most of it gets lost in the pump parts. You can produce a completely normal and adequate amount of colostrum, but end up only wetting the pump's shields and being unable to transfer the produced colostrum to the baby. If you hand express, you can express directly onto a spoon you can then use to feed your baby, or to suck up the colostrum in a syringe.

Having said that: as long as you don't bring anything dangerous (for instant homemade formula or whole milk) the hospital has no right to decide what you can and cannot feed your baby. So as long as you bring a proper FDA approved infant formula you have the right to use it for your baby.

To give your pumping efforts the best chance though, REALLY try not to use any formula. If you REALLY have to, you have to, baby's gotta eat at some point, and in that case I understand you would want the formula to be one that you selected instead of whatever the hospital happens to provide. But it really is extremely unlikely it actually WILL be necessary to supplement before your milk comes in.

PS While the choice of formula to bring IS of course personal, I do feel the need to point out the fact that ALL formula companies make that 'closest to the real thing' claim in one form or another. Personally I am never very impressed by that claim. I wish it were true, having had to formula feed from very early on myself, but "unfortunately we can't get any closer than this" would be more accurate.

Asher · Answer

How come you don't just pump your colostrum? That's what the baby would be eating for the first two days until your milk comes in ( it only takes two day usually I think it took me 3 or 4)  but anyways it's still better then formula, you can pump when your in the hospital before you deliver & that also helps induce labor because its nipple stimulation, and pump when the baby is asleep you don't want your breast to think you Arnt going to use them for 2-4 days

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Bringing personal choice formula to hospital?

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