Breasfeeding Success Kits?

[Samanthavv]

So a lot of women get these so called "breastfeeding success kits" and "breastfeeding starter kits" and all I have to say is...

WTF?

Seriously... If it was meant to help with breastfeeding, it would NEVER contain any formula, because that HURTS a milk supply when a baby is given a bottle!

Crazy deceptive names.

I never got one from anybody... Although i would have liked the free diaper bag!

[Youngfrankenstein]

The whole thing is a joke. I still get annoyed that anything from a big formula company is handed out to pregnant women and new moms. This pregnancy I got a day planner from Similac. I threw it out. Way to undermine me at my 12 week first OB appt.

I also get irritated that the CMSs and hospitals give the stuff out.

[Lil'Momma]

Maybe I'm just weird, but I have truly cherished the stuff Similac gave me when my last two spent weeks in the NICU. Seriously, the book Similac put out about "Breastfeeding Your Preemie/Special Needs Infant" was my lifeline. I still have both copies of my book (they are rather tattered from many times reading them, both me and my DH).

Also, the bag I was given was the "Breastfeeding Bag" as opposed to the "Formula Bag". both were by Similac, only mine had no formula, just the nifty Diaper bag, an awesome cooler and cold paks for transporting milk to and from the hospital, and multiple books and fliers on pumping, storing milk, the benefits of breastfeeding... ect.

Honestly, the only mention of Formula was one small pamplet that had a list of the Similac brands, but it said in bold letters, BREAST MILK IS FAR SUPERIOR TO ANY FORMULA. I was rather surprised and pleased by Similac.

[annettemarie]

I wonder if the nurses at your hospital removed the formula, because every "Breastfeeding Success Bag" distributed by formula companies that I have ever seen or heard of contained formula. Why on earth would they do it otherwise? They have zero interest in promoting breastfeeding.

[beckyand3littlemonsters]

yeah formula is a real breastfeeding success pack
here there not aloud to advertise infant formula, although they get around this by giveing new mums vouchers for money off follow on milk.

[confustication]

I was given a breastfeeding success pack when i delivered a couple weeks ago. It was a neat little black diaper bag with cold packs and a couple breastmilk storage containers. I was happy to see that it did not contain any formula.

[mamazee]

Originally Posted by confustication

I was given a breastfeeding success pack when i delivered a couple weeks ago. It was a neat little black diaper bag with cold packs and a couple breastmilk storage containers. I was happy to see that it did not contain any formula.

Mine looked just like that but had formula. Either they're distributing them differently based on different hospital's rules, or someone is taking the formula out in some hospitals.

[Altair]

Mine was a similac black diaper bag (threw away, it was ugly), bottle cooler (kept for daddy because I pump at work during the day while he's with the baby), freezer packs (kept), and a thing of formula. Put it way far back on a shelf and told daddy "This is to be used if I am dead or incapacitated and it's the middle of the night and the freezer went dead and all my milk is rotten and you can't get milk from any of my friends or organic formula." I'd like to think in that circumstance, baby would still have a full belly!

[kayleesmom]

I never recieved one but totally agree that it is not to help mamas successfully breastfeed in my mind.

[phoenix78]

According to this article, some hospitals are ditching the formula-based nursery bags and replacing them with bags that are actually pro-breastfeeding!

http://http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/08/16/forget-formula-samples-hospitals-give-out-breastfeeding-support-bags/

[*MamaJen*]

Yeah, Similac's breastfeeding success kit is like Camel's smoking cessation kit.

[ErikaS57]

I dumped the formula out and then cut off the 'Similac' tag so that they aren't getting any free advertising out of me. I do use the bag on occasion - usually to hold a spare change of clothes for the kids (not enough room in the main diaper bag for everything lol).

[Pookietooth]

Wow, they need to remove those formula cans in all of them!

[2lilsweetfoxes]

Originally Posted by mamazee

Mine looked just like that but had formula. Either they're distributing them differently based on different hospital's rules, or someone is taking the formula out in some hospitals.

I think they are taking the formula out. Maybe they are taking it out and giving it to the moms that are formula feeding from the get-go (for whatever reason).

I didn't get anything like that with my last baby, just a blanket and cap for her. Neutral WRT feeding.

My first baby, I got the "breastfeeding success" bag--and she very nearly ended up on formula. I did not know, really, what was "normal" and my husband and mom "helped" me a lot by giving her a bottle of formula from all the free samples we had to let me rest, or because she was fussy and cluster-feeding.

My second, I left the formula sample on the table when I left.

[Romana]

I got one that was great. I still use the bag. Used it for 2 years to transport cold breastmilk to/from home. It came with an insulated bag, two mini freezer gel packs, some breast pads, and a booklet that was full of excerpts from The Nursing Mother's Companion. I used it as a reference while starting breastfeeding in the hospital and it was really helpful. It didn't come with any formula; the closest it got was the brand name on the bag (which was somewhere in small print and not huge or anything, and which I removed).

I've never bought a drop of formula and I really liked the bag. They knew at the hospital I was planning to breastfeed. Perhaps it was hospital staff who removed the formula? I can't imagine putting formula in a breastfeeding bag; that's crazy.

[2lilsweetfoxes]

Originally Posted by Romana

I got one that was great. I still use the bag. Used it for 2 years to transport cold breastmilk to/from home. It came with an insulated bag, two mini freezer gel packs, some breast pads, and a booklet that was full of excerpts from The Nursing Mother's Companion. I used it as a reference while starting breastfeeding in the hospital and it was really helpful. It didn't come with any formula; the closest it got was the brand name on the bag (which was somewhere in small print and not huge or anything, and which I removed).

I've never bought a drop of formula and I really liked the bag. They knew at the hospital I was planning to breastfeed. Perhaps it was hospital staff who removed the formula? I can't imagine putting formula in a breastfeeding bag; that's crazy.

(bolding mine) Because it isn't a "breastfeeding Success" bag at all . It is a "when you get tired of this nonsense at three a.m. when baby has been cluster-feeding all evening and your nipples are feeling like someone is stabbing hot knives in them every time baby latches on, and you have to return to work in a few weeks and you can't even 'enjoy' your maternity leave and bond with your baby because you dread every feed, our brand will be the one in your cabinet" bag. Studies have shown that whatever brand of formula a baby starts with, that is what the parents tend to stick with and only switch for good reason.

[Belle]

Dd1 was born 5 years ago in a hospital. I got a "breastfeeding success bag" that had formula and a booklet that said "breastfeeding for the first two months" As if no one would breastfeed for longer than that.

I happen to know that all 15 hospitals in our area no longer give out these bags. I'm glad they have stopped. Individual doctor's offices might though. I go to a CNM for well woman care and I noticed a pile of them sitting next to the exam table. I don't think they had formula in them though.

[Authentipalooza]

Originally Posted by Lil'Momma

Maybe I'm just weird, but I have truly cherished the stuff Similac gave me when my last two spent weeks in the NICU. Seriously, the book Similac put out about "Breastfeeding Your Preemie/Special Needs Infant" was my lifeline. I still have both copies of my book (they are rather tattered from many times reading them, both me and my DH).

Also, the bag I was given was the "Breastfeeding Bag" as opposed to the "Formula Bag". both were by Similac, only mine had no formula, just the nifty Diaper bag, an awesome cooler and cold paks for transporting milk to and from the hospital, and multiple books and fliers on pumping, storing milk, the benefits of breastfeeding... ect.

Honestly, the only mention of Formula was one small pamplet that had a list of the Similac brands, but it said in bold letters, BREAST MILK IS FAR SUPERIOR TO ANY FORMULA. I was rather surprised and pleased by Similac.

I've heard this from other friends too... I was given the formula pack and instantly chucked it. Seriously, when its 3 am and youre sore and baby keeps wanting more that stuff looks too good to keep around! But anyway, I think it's more the hospitals fault than anything, cause I think some of them just give out the formula one and that's it.

[mama516/419]

My BF success kit for DD in 06 came with both formula and a pump and pads and a breast flow bottle . With DS in 08 it came with 2 or 3 of the individual feeding packs and the cooler and pads and lots of lanolin and pamphlets

It was the nurse who kept bringing me more formula tubes that peeved me - she was like " trust me you'll need them"

[mamaofthree]

i think they might be taking the formula out of some of those bags. when i worked l&d and we had a bfing mom i would take the formula out of the breastfeeding bags and add in more nipple cream and nursing pads. then i would put the extra formula in the formula bags. i figured if someone was going to use formula they needed it more then the bfing mom. BUT not all nurses did that. we had a few moms get upset (i don't blame them) that their bfing bags had formula so i would just take it back, and give them more of what they needed.

h