'Just in case' formula for BF mothers?

I had just in case formula, I just had all the samples the freakin formula companies gave me. I had bottles too, since I would be going back to work. My MIL liked to tell me about how she had to run out and find bottles and formula for my SIL when she "couldn't" breastfeed (no wonder, with support like that). My DH hid the formula for me and was instructed not to give it to me. THere were a few times I asked, and he said no, and then when things got really bad (tongue tie caused horrible damage for a while, then we got it fixed at one month, it took another month to work itself out) and I was screaming in pain at latchon he did get the formula out. We did supplement for a while too at the advice of a ped until I got the tongue tie fixed. I am happy to say that DD is now almost six months old and only uses her bottles to drink BM out of! So,it worked for us to have the emergency stuff on hand.

Here's one of my biggest pet peeves about the formula companies: At my OB's office, when you're very newly pregnant, they have you sign your name on these forms from the two main formula companies. (Obvioulsy this is optional, but didn't "get it" with my first.) Anyway - if you check the "I'm going to breastfeed" box, for the next 7 months you get formula samples in the mail. Lots of them. Cases and cases, actually. On the other hand, though, if you check the "I'm going to bottle-feed" box, you get NOTHING, because they don't need to try to entice you---you're already "hooked."

Isn't that sad, and totally unethical??!?!? : : :

So that's why I recommend refusing the sample stuff from the OB's and hospitals. Enfamil and Similac are spending tons of $$$ trying to ruin the mom/baby breastfeeding relationship. And I agree that having it in your house on some level decreases your confidence of your ability to BF. It's kinda like dieting, then keeping cake in the cupboard "just in case."

(I posted this before, and keep a copy on my blog.)

That cute little bag, with bottles, ice packs and advice. It seemed so innocuous with the pretty print, and the smiley nurse handing it to me. The ready to serve formula, and even disposable nipples. Just in case you want it later.

When I was tired, confused, and barely a new mom, the hub tried to help. Oh, look, we have those bottles, the nurse must think it's okay, because she gave them to us. Let me just give the baby a bottle and give you a break, hon.

It always made things worse. Just one bottle makes baby fussy. Then comes the new spitup which doesn't wash out, and smells gross. The screaming, because she still wanted me. It always meant at least an hour of H... everytime he tried to give me a break with one of the GD bottles. Finally, he'd give up, and bring the baby back, I'd nurse and she'd calm down once that crap wore off. Without the bottles, he may have thought about other real alternatives, like giving the baby a bath, or just walking around the house showing her her new world.

I am angry that it could even happen. Oh, and the breastfeeding instructions from the formula company are downright fraud. Even worse that the What to expect hooha.

We have to stop this blatant comercialism. How can we even allow gifts intended for breastfeeding moms from such a questionable source? The free bottles leaked, the free cold pack wasn't good enough to cool down the milk, the a$$vice was intended to get you on formula. Very effective marketing, but not good for babies.

The 'gradual' advice which just arrived with more free formula took 8 days to replace all daytime feeds with formula. I wonder what's in their DHA supplement for nursing moms?

I had several full cannisters of Enfamil when DS was born, but it wasn't "just in case" formula, it was free samples which I later donated to a food bank. I never even considered giving them to DS, even when he wouldn't latch for two weeks and I was pumping every three hours and cup feeding him. To be honest, I'd totally forgotten they were there. The big argument for the gift bags is that if a mom is committed to BFing, formula samples won't make a difference. I agree. It certainly made no difference to me. However, if a mom has serious BFing problems, or just isn't that sure of herself to begin with, a couple of samples can make the difference between continuing and giving up. A mom who is teetering on the edge needs support, not formula.

For working moms who don't have backup stashes of BM (like me), a couple of formula samples can be useful in case something happens and she gets stuck at the office or caught in a traffic jam and misses a feeding. I only worked a mile away from the house, so I never bothered to have just-in-case formula, but had I had a commute to worry about, I probably would have. However, the vast majority of nursing moms don't need formula around to tempt them in the middle of the night.

I am so glad my hospital had a bfing mom gift bag in addition to a ff mom gift bag. I received no formula from my hospital and am grateful.

I had received samples in the mail (I think because I bought one tank top at Motherhood), and I am so thankful that I gave them away to people already ffing, before ds was born.

We had no formula or bottles in the house, and I think it made a HUGE difference. I was totally committed to bfing. I went to LLL meetings in advance. I had no bottles, no pacis, no formula written on my birth plan. When they thought that ds might need some formula to bring up his blood sugars (slightly hypoglycemic after birth), I insisted that they come test him again after an hour. And, only then, if still necessary would I do it, and only with a SNS at the breast.

Yet, after my milk taking 6 days to come in, and ds losing quite a bit of weight. After developing such an extreme case of thrush that it took me 6 months to eradicate it, and had to take narcotic painkillers intermittently just to be able to bf. In addition to having the common bfing stumbles in the early days. I am so GLAD there was no formula in my house!!!!

I think it would have been so easy to just give up. Of course, I am so glad I didn't. I think that if someone who is totally committed to bfing can be brought to such a point, that it is unwise for anyone to have formula and bottle on hand 'just in case.' I think that sets you up for failure.