Free Formula Samples In Hospitals?
Sunday, November 1st, 2009 at
10:59 am
Is that an American thing?
We don’t get that in the UK – breastfeeding is heavily advocated in most hospitals.
Not that I wanted or needed any – I breastfeed but it seems a little odd
Tagged with: Formula • Free • Hospitals • Samples
Filed under: Free Baby Stuff
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Any country that signed the innocenti declaration is supposed to have made this practice illegal.
I’m not sure that the US signed it. I know Canada and the UK did.
Any hospital that displays the “Baby Friendly Initiative” certification can not give away formula as part of that certification (though its not terribly well enforced)
I guess so, its not allowed in the UK, part of the breastfeeding best practice law.
Its also against the law to advertise formula on UK tv, but the companies get around this by advertising “follow on milks ” for 6 months and up.
Also, after giving birth, I was opposite a woman who wanted formula for her baby from the nurses and had to sign a consent form.
Actually, unless I’m much mistaken, breastfeeding rates are higher in the U.S. than in the U.K. (More women may start out nursing in the U.K, but more of them wean within a few weeks.)
Most hopspitals now have LCs, or at least nurses who claim to know something about breastfeeding. And all hospitals at least give lip-service to supporting breastfeeding.
American hospitals do provide everything baby needs while he’s there — diapers and clothes and, if desired/needed by the mother, formula.
And yes, freebies are commonly given to women when they check out. Most formula companies provide the hospital with free formula for in-house use, on the grounds that they hand out goodie-bags with the company logo and various free samples to each mother when she leaves. The bags usually contain formula, or at least coupons. Sometimes there is a separate bag for nursing moms, which will include a breastpump (usually a bad one…. so mom will think she has no milk), and a brochure about how wonderful breastfeeding is … but *when* you need to supplement, Brand X is the closest thing to breastmilk.”)
Finally, formula companies commonly send free samples to women at their homes. If you sign up for the various ‘baby clubs’ on line, you will be bombarded with coupons and cans of formula. (If you write on the sign-up that you plan to breastfeed, you will find whole cases of the stuff sent to your doorstep … in hopes of getting you to give that ‘just one bottle’ that so often leads to weaning.
i guess so but we are much more consumered focus even in health care.
Breast feeding is heavily encouraged and lactation specialist come in and help you with your latch but if you don’t want to or the baby is not latching well they will provide all the formula while your baby is in the hospital. They also provide all the diapers blankets and clothes while you are there not for you to keep but they do send you home with a hand full of diapers. I think mainly because we are still on an single payer system and not national health care. People want to get their money worth out of it. depending on your insurance you can end up paying lots of money to deilver a baby.
Breastfeeding is not as popular in America. They advocate breastfeeding, but they also support you if you don’t want to. Breatfeeding is making a comeback though. It’s hard because our parents generation didn’t breastfeed, so they can’t give us advice or help us out. I really wish I had someone with experience who could’ve helped me latch the baby on properly. I’ve wondered does it hurt all women in the world as bad as it hurt me when I first started (nipples cracked and bleeding) or did my nurses and friends just not have enough experience to show me the proper way.
It’s not always possible to breastfeed and the hospitals know this. I was pretty sick after having my first and it was a blessing to be sent home with some formula and know it was available in hospital for me. A friend of mine has a son who is tounge tied and it made breastfeeding very difficult, instead of starving the poor boy she gave him formula. It’s good that it is available.
The hospital staff knew that I was breastfeeding, but they still sent home some similac!
She got off the breast at 5 1/2 months (wanted to go a whole 6 months to a year, but had personal issues) and she was fine going from one to another!
Anyways, yeah, I’m in the US and they gave us free samples of formula.
I live in the US-I got a sample kit at my first OB visit while pregnant and after delivery in the hospital. Even though I told the hospital staff I was breastfeeding, they still gave me the formula sample kit (Why not take it-It’s free). They gave me a choice of the big 3 brands and I chose Good Start. I didn’t use the formula, but I used the backpack, blanket, books, and coupons that came with it! It was a nice little gift, so who wouldn’t take it? I dropped the can of formula off at a food shelf on my way home from the hospital.
It actually came with a cold storage bag and some ice packs meant to store bottles of formula on the go. I still use it to store my pumped breast milk while at work!
It is highly advocated here in the US too. They even offer borrowed breast pumps. You can have for free for 3 months and then you pay around $50 a month if you need it longer.
They may offer samples too. That is a great option especially for those parents who have babies that don’t latch on. Some forget to have formula as back-up when they get home from the hospital too.
well when babies are first born most mothers dont have their full milk supply yet and the colostrum usually isnt enought to fill them up so hospitals give a bit of formula to last a few days until your breastmilk comes in. and the reality is, no matter what there are still going to be some mothers that wont breastfeed so i dont see the problem in it. free samples are just a way of advertising anyways. it doesnt hurt anybody. if you dont want them, dont take them.
If you choose to formula feed they’ll give you some samples, especially while in the hospital. Then they send some home with you as well. Some parents plan to breast feed and realize that it’s not something they want to do after all. The hospital will give them enough to tide them over till they can pick up their own.
Breastfeeding is advocated here, but the formula companies give them so many samples that the hospitals hand them out. It’s really more of a company thing, than a hospital thing. They are the sample sized formulas…..
No dude, companies everywhere seem to want to give free samples to expecting mothers… after all kids are expensive and you can make a lot of money getting mothers hooked on the product. Have you checked out http://www.uksamples.com to see if there was any there?
I didn’t get any, instead they gave me some breastmilk storage bottles. IF you choose to formula feed they give you some, if you choose to breastfeed they do not (atleast they didn’t give me in with either of my boys)
you gte tons of formula in the hispital, those little 2 oz bottles. oes your hospitsl expect you to bring your own formula to the hospital with you if your not breastfeeding?
Doctors and hospitals sometimes get incentives on giving new moms formula. It is odd for health care workers to be run by companies making money but that’s how it works.
I got 2 cans of formula… at the hospital I went to they give you a whole diaper bag full of things, including a can of formula, nipples etc… but somehow when I got home I ended up with 2 diaper bags?
The hospitals where I live make you take your own formula in with you if you are not breast feeding,This is to make you breastfeed whether you like it or not
I was offered free formula for all 4 of my children in UK hospitals.
I was given two whole cans of powdered baby milk to take home with me, and had it provided when I was there last year.
They asked me before I had her on whether I chose to formula or breastfeed. They don’t just hand it to you.
sorry move to the us lol
Yes we do get bounty packs in the u.k but they don’t contain milk samples….