ban on formual gift bags

From the sticky at the top of the page:

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I'm sorry you have had such a hard time.... I also rec'd a gift bag at the hospital, and I have since used it...not the formula, because I didn't need to, but the bag and the cooler, storage bottles, etc, for my EBM. I guess I don't understand the problem either, with the bags themselves. I did have a problem with the doctors, nurses, etc at the hospital who didn't know anything about bf, and who encouraged me to supplement until my milk came in...Luckily, I had done my homework and DH and I were secure in our choices. basically, I think that the bags aren't the problem, the lack of knowledge is. Anyways, I'm sorry you had such a hard time..

Please join us in the low-milk supply tribe:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=119922

The ban on formula marketing / gift bag is a completely separate issue from us low supply moms that have to feed formula. It is all about encouraging hospitals to HELP ALL moms, both healthy supply and low supply moms, to exclusively BF the first few months.

I'm sorry you have such a rough time- but I don't see what the formula bags had to do with it. The bags I had received with my first two pregnanies contained either *one* can of formula or four bottles of RTF formula- not enough to make or break the bank in regards to feeding twins, but enough to compromise proper latch or a breastfeeding relationship. No one is stopping you from buying formula for your babies as needed. These are two separate issues I think.

Many and I hope things smooth out for you soon.

I'm sorry you had such a rough go of bfing your twins.

No one here criticizes women, who need to supplement or exclusively formula feed. We are upset with the establishment that presents formula as an equal or better alternative to breastmilk, when breastmilk is readily available and there is no medical reason not to breastfeed.

Banning gift bags with formula also would not prevent a hospital from giving out formula, when truly needed. It would just prevent them from handing formula to every mom, even those who wish to and can successfully breastfeed.

I was pleasantly surprised at the gift bag I received when ds was born. The hospital had 2 different gift bags, one for breastfeeding moms and one for formula feeding moms. The hospital also actively encouraged breastfeeding. I was very happy to not receive any formula from them. I was also glad that I had given away the samples that came in the mail before ds was born. It took 6 days for my milk to come in, he had some growth spurts where he literally would suck for 4 hours straight without stopping, and we battled thrush for months. If I had formula samples sitting in my pantry, I would have been so tempted to just give him a bottle, and I was totally committed to bfing. I can't imagine what it must feel like to a woman, who decided to try breastfeeding and see how it goes.

I do not think banning the gift bags altogether is the greatest idea, but I do like one of the pps about seperate bags. As an adoptive Mom of 1 infant (at 9 days), and our next one due any day now, the bag was a big help for me. Samples included. Actually, when the nurses found out he had found parents, they gave us a ton of stuff, plus any help we needed if we chose to adoptive bf.

Now, I did, and did not produce more than 3 ounces (in drops) the ENTIRE time I pumped with my son. Nor was he ever still swallowing after his little bag was empty with the Lact'Aid. I did all the protocols, pumped every 2 hours, supplemented with a Lact-aid, nursed for 9 mos, and still no milk. We did manage to get 4oz/day through the milk bank, but that was a staggering $500/mo!

So, it was nice for us to have the samples they gave us, and the bag lasted 17 months. Our hospital here does EVERYTHING they can to get Moms to BF. I've seen it with my newest "nephew's" birth. My friend bf 3x, and then switched to formula, due to some lame excuse. I was appalled, and even asked her to pump to help us with our new one on the way, with no success. Soon after our son, we switched him to the organic formula, but with 15 hours notice to be parents, and none of the local HFSs in the area carrying the formula, it was a great help. Just my 2 cents.

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As an adoptive mom I also felt the formula sample bags were a great help. When we brought Olivia home she was on their Guatemala formula and we needed to find the closest thing here in the US. The bag we received contained about 6 smaller cans of different formula, so we were able to try each one out and see how she reacted before having to shell out $$ for stuff we didn't know would work. It was a great help. I am sorry you had a tough time BF and hope you can come to terms with it and move past at some point. Please try not to take all posts on the Lactivism board personally, though they may be upsetting to hear and feel personal the bottom line is you did what was best for YOUR baby and that makes you a great mom.

First of all, Welcome to MDC!!!

I'm so sorry you had a rough start with your little ones. I'm very thankful that safe breastmilk alternatives (infant formula) are readily available for families such as yours where there is truly a need for it.

The problem with infant formula marketing is that it often results in infants who COULD HAVE BEEN breastfeed being fed formula instead. Studies have proven this, with devastating consequences in areas without clean water supplies, and/or where familes can't afford to purchase enough formula.

The Massachusets ban on hospitals giving out free formula wouldn't even have affected you. Hospitals would still have formula readily available for those babies whose parents choose to use it, need to be supplemented, or are unable to receive breastmilk at all. They would even be allowed to give you some samples if you asked for them specifically. The only thing banned is giving out promotional materials to every new mom, and you wouldn't have gotten a little diaper bag with a formula company logo on it.

How much formula was in the hospital gift bag anyway? Maybe enough to last you a few days? I can't see how *not* having one would have made your life too much harder while adjusting to life with twins and mourning for your lost BF relationship.

Welcome to MDC, some of the best gals in the world are here! (and dads!)

I worked in L&D as a RN and let me tell you, those formula bags were NOT to help those that were formula feeding. Their SOLE purpose is to get breastfeeding moms to quit early and formula feed. Those bags contained one maybe 2 cans of formula, which is not helping anyone at all. Maybe one feeding, but it's not the purpose of the ban. This ban is neccessary to help ALL the babies who might be affected if their mother runs into nursing trouble-they will hopefully seek help rather than give in to 'temptation'. I like to think of it as giving cigarettes out on the lung cancer floor-yes there are plenty of patients that continue to smoke, but to 'dangle' a cigg. at a person who has recently quit is just awful. Bad comparison maybe, but it's ALL about the money-they don't really care about someones reasons for feeding formula (even for valid reasons like yours), they ONLY care about getting more and more and more babies on it because once you dry up, there is little chance of going back. It's a billion dollar, traded on the stock market, industry. Sad but very true.

I feel like hospitals all need their own human milk bank, just like a blood bank. We don't give people fake blood if they need it, so why should we give babies fake food? If a hospital was on top of true health, they would have a mothers milk bank ready to help all babies in situations such as yours.

Only in my perfect world. Or maybe not, I am hearing more and more openings of milk banks-hurray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Yup, even little ol' (often backwards) Indiana has a milk bank now!

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This is what bothers me the most as well. If I were a FF mom, it would tick me off to realize that the formula companies spent so much of MY money on trying to get new recruits. I received so much unsolicited formula in the mail when ds was a newborn. I donated it all to a food bank that had need for it, but it is still extremely wasteful.

We found out that the hospital here gives out not 1, but 2! bags to bf'ing moms! It's so silly. If formula companies were truly out to help, they would cut the false prices raised by sending out so many "freebies" and "checks".