Hospitals pressured to end free baby formula

[laundry_queen]

25. I agree that the 6 wks is ridiculous

and likely is more of a factor on the breastfeeding relationship is than a free can of formula. However.

Those first few weeks of breastfeeding are NOT easy. I was DETERMINED and still often thought about giving up. I managed to breastfeed all of my kids, but I have plenty of friends - more than I can count - that did quit because of the free formula. It's statistically proven women who get free samples are less likely to breastfeed. Period. It's not because they say, "Oh, look, a free sample, well screw breastfeeding!" It's because they get frustrated one night at 3 am, make up a bottle and hand the baby to hubby so they can get some sleep. The next morning, the baby doesn't latch on properly (yes nipple confusion is a big part of the problem) and the mom spends all day trying to get a fussy screaming baby to eat. The next night is worse and the bottle comes out again. Before the mom knows it, she's exhausted to the point of insanity, the baby only sleeps when he/she gets the bottle and she gives up.

Too many people in this thread are really discounting this. I think if a mom wants to bottle feed she should be given free samples to make sure her baby tolerates the formula, but I think if a woman states that she wants to try breastfeeding, or is even on the fence, she should be required to request the formula instead of having it handed out. The formula companies KNOW that handing out free formula means a woman is more likely to formula feed - you think they give that stuff free out of the goodness of their own heart? LOL.

Here in Canada we get a year mat leave. When I had my first it was only 6 months leave and that was tough - as I was preparing to return to work my baby refused to take a bottle. Absolutely refused. I even tried all the tricks, and the only thing I refused to do (which everyone recommended) was starve her continuously until she took a bottle. I ended up refusing to go back to work. At a year, my baby had no issues taking a bottle and/or sippy cup. I'm glad it's a year mat leave now, IME with 4 kids, that's about the earliest you'd want to go back. I dont' know how women in the US do it. 6 wks after my first c-section my incision was still bleeding and I was in a lot of pain. My baby was colicky and had thrush and screamed a lot, and I was severely sleep deprived. If I'd have had to go back to work at that point, I think I'd have gone insane.