Can I Bring My Own Formula to the Hospital? Tips Expecting Parents Need to Know 

Getting pregnant changes everything. The second that test produces two little lines, life changes in every possible way. It’s exciting, intimidating, nerve-wracking, and heart-warming all wrapped into one gigantic emotion that’s virtually impossible to describe.  

From the moment you announce you’re expecting, you’ll find everyone has a wealth of information and opinions to impart to you regarding pregnancy, birth, and child-rearing. You’ll start hearing a lot about the best diapers, the best baby monitor, and the best baby bottles. Likely, you’ll be hearing a lot about feeding your baby, too, as the conversation around breastfeeding and formula feeding begins even before your little one is even born.

If all the opinions surrounding how to feed your new baby has you questioning your sanity, you aren’t alone. You may have a very specific plan when it comes to feeding your baby, or you may be holding off on that decision until your baby comes along to see how it goes.If you intend to pursue formula feeding (or simply want to be prepared after birth), this article will help ensure you get the support you need.

Preparing for Your Hospital Stay

We spoke with Jadah Parks Chatterjee, RN, Lactation Consultant and Bobbie Medical Expert. She recommends that if you have the option of taking a hospital tour or orientation during pregnancy, do it. Many hospitals offer these programs so you can fill out necessary paperwork ahead of time, meet with nursing staff, view the facility, and get a better idea of how your birth and delivery may go. 

This is a great time to ask your hospital or birthing center what their policies are regarding formula. Some provide formula freely when asked, some only provide formula if it’s deemed “medically necessary” by the care team, while others have policies that prohibit parents from using their own formula or using certain types of formula. Asking before birth will help you prepare for all possible scenarios.

Also important is ensuring that your baby’s primary care provider and their staff knows of your feeding plan, too. Most pediatric offices operate on hospital rotations, so the provider that sees you and your baby in the hospital may not be the one you met with prior to your baby’s arrival. 

Taking these extra steps can help eliminate any confusion about your intentions when you arrive to deliver your baby. When it’s delivery time, here’s what you can do to ensure a pleasant feeding experience. 

What You Can Expect at the Hospital Regarding Baby Formula

Make sure your birthing and feeding plans are with your care team and up to date ahead of your arrival to the hospital. If not, communicate with your intake or triage nurse about your plans to bottle feed when you arrive. Ask them to make a note in your chart about your decision to formula feed so you don’t have to repeat this conversation at every shift change! If desired, you can also have them note whether or not you want to receive a visit from the hospital’s lactation consultant during your postpartum stay.

Chatterjee suggests bringing a written or printed plan if you have strong preferences or desires: “I love to see a birth and postpartum plan for the families I care for. There is no mistaking the clear written plan the family has decided upon. This is a great way to ensure your choices are heard, documented, and respected,” she says.

If you feel uncomfortable at any time during the intake, labor, or delivery process, make your concerns known. This experience is yours, and it’s important you’re comfortable and feel in charge of decisions about your baby’s birth and subsequent feeding.

What to Expect After Delivery if You Want to Formula Feed

Feeding

“Hospitals practice safe infant feeding, and implement best feeding practices,” Chatterjee states. In many cases, hospital staff will encourage you to breastfeed, particularly if the hospital has a Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative designation. If you want to breastfeed, your nurses and hospital IBCLC can provide support. If formula feeding is your preference, make your nurse aware early and often.

It’s crucial that your entire team is on board with your feeding plan. You’ve just gone through countless hours of labor and delivered a new life into the world— chances are, you’re going to be tired. 

If your family members and care team know your plans, they can step in and advocate for you and your baby when you’re tired or distracted.

Lactation Consultants

If it is suggested that you speak with a lactation consultant, then decide for yourself if that’s something you’d find beneficial. A lactation consultant can offer advice about breastfeeding, establishing a good latch, lactogenesis (the process of your milk coming in), and bottle feeding. If you plan to formula feed, make your lactation consultant aware of this choice, and your request that these wishes be respected.

Asking for Baby Formula

In the hospital setting, formula is often treated as a medication, so you likely won’t have access to it unless you ask. “If you’d like to feed your baby formula, ask your nurse for formula,” Chatterjee says. You may have the choice between two or three products, typically from the same brand—whichever brand the hospital has a contract with. Hospitals typically stock liquid ready-to-feed formula in 2oz “nurser” bottles with disposable nipples, as these both are convenient and sterile, making them a safe choice for brand new babies. Keep in mind, however, that most newborns will not consume 2oz each feeding during the first few days of life, and it’s okay if there is extra left over after a feeding. Any formula from an opened bottle that’s been offered to the baby should be used or tossed within an hour of the feeding starting.

If given a choice between formula products, consider asking for whichever product contains the most whey protein, as colostrum and early breastmilk are both whey-predominant at 80% whey to 20% casein in order to support comfort for a baby’s brand new digestive system.

It is not uncommon for the nursing staff to only bring formula for two to three feedings at a time. “Don’t be alarmed, just inquire about getting more when you have one to two bottles remaining,” nurse Chatterjee says. Be aware that some hospitals may ask you to sign a waiver before they provide formula acknowledging that the AAP and CDC recommend breast feeding exclusively for the first 6 months of life. While this can feel frustrating and demoralizing for new parents who know they are making an informed feeding decision, Chatterjee encourages families to “understand that this is not the nursing staff’s choice, but rather their hospital policy.”

Bringing Your Own Baby Formula to the Hospital

Check with your hospital before birth to ensure you know what their policies are about bringing your own formula. You may not be allowed to bring your own formula into the hospital, or they may require you to use liquid ready-to-feed formula as these are sterile. Restrictions on using formula not provided by the hospital exist as a means of protecting the hospital from liability—they can’t be sure that the formula you bring has been stored safely or that it’s being mixed correctly in your room, and if your baby gets sick as a result, they don’t want to be liable.

If bringing your own formula is allowed (sometimes with a pediatrician’s note required), then this is the time to do your research on baby formula types and know what you’ll need in order to be prepared: you may need bottled water, for example, an electric kettle to boil water before mixing with powdered formula, and your own bottles and pacis. It’s also smart to bring a travel-size container of dish soap to wash your bottles while you’re admitted! Some parents opt to bring their own formula if they have a strong preference of brand or type, for example, using organic formula.

Can’t Bring Your Own Formula?

Don’t stress! Using formula the hospital provides for two or three days after birth will likely not have any lasting impact on your baby. In this case, compare the ingredients list on your preferred formula with the list(s) on the hospital provided formula and choose whichever one is a close match. 

For example, if you plan to use Bobbie Organic Original long-term, you’ll want to select a formula from the hospital’s collection that has similar features: 100% lactose for the carbohydrate source and added whey protein (often listed as “whey protein concentrate). Using a formula with similar features while in the hospital can help ease the transition to your preferred formula once home.

Feeding Education

Because hospitals practice safe infant feeding, you can expect to be provided with education on using formula vs breastfeeding. You may also be asked to sign a document indicating you have received this education. This is a standard procedure to ensure healthy feeding habits and parent education.

You may also receive educational advice on recognizing feeding cues, demonstrations of paced feeding and burping, and education about recommendations for waking your baby to feed. 

Combination Feeding

While you are getting educated from the hospital staff, this is a great time to ask about combo feeding if you would like to have the option of feeding your baby with both breast milk and formula. Combo feeding is very helpful for parents who want the benefits of breast milk along with the ease of formula feeding.

Breast Engorgement

Your family members and hospital staff may know you’re bottle feeding, but your breasts won’t have a clue! 

Unless you have a medical condition which prevents you from producing milk, your milk will likely come in a day or two after birth regardless of whether you’re breastfeeding. This occurs due to hormonal changes after the placenta has been delivered.

It’s important to make sure you have what you need to keep comfortable with engorged breasts until your milk supply dries up! If you are planning for your baby to exclusively formula feed, nurse Chatterjee recommends limiting breast stimulation by wearing a form-fitted bra, and if needed, icing your breasts to prevent discomfort. You may also need to bring nursing pads with you to the hospital to prevent any leakage into your bra or gown. 

Lactation Suppression if You Want to Formula Feed

As previously mentioned, if you choose to use baby formula exclusively, you’ll want to remain as comfortable as possible until your milk supply dissipates.

It is okay to allow your milk to dry up on its own over the course of a few weeks. This encourages a slower decrease in the hormones present following delivery. There’s not much evidence to support lactation suppression drugs as being superior in ceasing lactation over simply allowing your supply to dry up on its own, and there are currently no FDA-approved medications for this purpose in the U.S.

If you are engorged, Chatterjee says you can suppress lactation with cabbage leaves. Cabbage leaves can absorb some of the fluid from your glands, giving you greater relief. To use cabbage leaves, take the individual leaves apart, and place them in the fridge for twenty minutes after washing. Insert one leaf into each bra cup. Change the leaves when they’ve wilted.

If you’re having trouble, or are feeling more and more uncomfortable, ask your nurse or lactation consultants for support.

Fed Is Best— Pressure to Breastfeed vs Formula Feed

It can be hard for first time moms to stand up for their choices once their baby arrives. No matter how decisive you typically are, you may find decisions concerning your new baby are hard to make or express. It can be easy to feel pressured to do something by someone who you feel is more experienced or knowledgeable than you, but how you feed your baby is your decision.  

Chatterjee says, “Your baby, your choice. It’s very clear when it’s in writing! Your birth and postpartum plan is a documentation of your preferences and becomes a part of your medical chart. It’s a great conversation starter, as you may be inquired about the reason for your preferences. Sharing is a great way to connect with your care provider and gather more information to support your decision!”

Formula Feeding vs Breastfeeding at the Hospital

You should never feel pressured to feed your baby one way or the other. Your needs, your circumstances, and your own research around healthy feeding have helped you make the decision that is best for your baby. 

It’s important that your entire care team, including family members and friends, know of your decision and how best to support you and your baby after birth and going forward.

Remember: formula-fed babies thrive. Breastfed babies thrive. How you feed your baby is simply one variable of many that will impact your baby’s outcomes.uring this time, it’s good to know bringing your own formula to the hospital is an easy addition to your to-do list— and your hospital bag.