Formula advertising

In the hospital, I was given a million little sterile bottles with white caps to pump into, while my babies were in the preemie nursery. I could then wash and re-use the bottles at home, but they wanted me to open a sterile package every time I provided milk to the nursery....

Anyway. Since then, I've been using the white lids at home, for all bottles that go in the fridge -- they're a standard size. And just *today* (9 months later) I noticed that all the lids say Similac Isomil on them.

Seriously -- these bottles were made specifically for expressing breast milk. WHY is there a formula ad on them? I usually don't worry too much about formula manufacturers and their practices -- I mean, we're lucky to have such good formulas available to us if we need them -- but sheesh, even I was a little put out by this!

 

While I was in the hospital, they gave me some tote bags upon leaving. They knew I was BF. Well, I got home and their is samples of formula. And, a book with the title, Breastfeeding, The First Two Months.. Not too much encouragement. Another way for them to influence all the mommies in those difficult weeks.

 

I got $75 worth of free formula upon leaving the hospital. My LC didnt want me to take it, but I did and gave it away to a friend I knew was FF! It is ridiculous what they do to "advertise" sometimes!!

 

I recall that a couple years ago in Massachusetts they made it ILLEGAL for the hospital to give out those little bags from the formula companies that had samples and coupons . . . they wanted to encourage breastfeeding.

On the other hand, my twins were actually born in NY, and we got many of those bags. I was planning to breastfeed, and did, but they are great little bags. They're insulated, so we use them as little cooler bags, and keep one as an extra little diaper bag that stays in the car at all times as a backup.

Some of the bottles I got in the hospital for pumping milk into were the same bottles they used for bottle feeding babies in the nursery (there was a little cap with a nipple that fit on) - if those are the same ones you have, perhaps that's why they are from the formula company?

-Rachel

 

Not only are the formula companies providing freebie supplies to you, they provide them to the hospital (as well as incentives to offer their samples). Gee, do you think formula is a bit overpriced if they can afford to do all of this?

I also got the free tote bag "designed for the breastfeeding mother". It contained formula samples and a breastfeeding guide written by the formula company. This guide contains some VERY inaccurate information such as a section on how to know if you need to supplement. It details a timed pumping session and then that is supposed to tell you how much milk you're making. You then use this information to determine how much supplement they need. It's all made to sound very scientific but it's total BS. It made me angry that not only are they spreading this kind of misinformation, they are distributing it through medical professionals.

After I was home from the hospital, formula checks and free samples flooded my mailbox for months. I gave them away to women who were formula feeding.

 

Duh, I never thought that formula companies are probably provided the milk bottles free to the hospital, in exchange for advertising -- of course, that makes sense.

It's still aggravating, though -- I went through **** pumping in those early days, and I'm glad I never noticed the ad for formula on the lids!

 

Here is the food for thought. When you buy something at say Motherhood Maternity, they ask if you will Breast or Bottle right? They sell that info. Now if you are bottle, you are already in their market, no work to do. But if you say Breast then they are hot on you with samples and coupons and crap out the wazzzooo.
Hospitals get so much money in education grants and supplies and formula from the companies when they agree to carry it in the hospital. When hospitals choose to Certified Baby Friendly Hospitals, they can not accept this money, materials or free formula. They have to pay for every thing. This is major bottom line issue for many hospitals and the reason why there are so few with Certification as Baby Friendly.

If you can get to it the book Milk Money Madness it will blow your mind!

 

Here's a question: Of all the freebies and samples they give out at the hospital, why don't they offer cases to MOM who were UNABLE to BF their babies?? (I tried RELENTLESSLY but just didn't have the support I needed) Sheesh as expensive as the stuff is, they should!

 

QUOTE(blueclouds @ Mar 6 2008, 01:28 PM) [snapback]655985[/snapback]
Here's a question: Of all the freebies and samples they give out at the hospital, why don't they offer cases to MOM who were UNABLE to BF their babies?? (I tried RELENTLESSLY but just didn't have the support I needed) Sheesh as expensive as the stuff is, they should!


lol. (shaking my head) That is so true. I got so much formula for free b/c I was pumping and breastfeeding the twins. I still get similac and enfamil coupons EVERY month. They should give the formula to formula fed babies not the breastfed ones but they are only out there for the money.

 

I send all the formula coupons I get to a friend who FFs (not by choice, two LCs agreed she is one of those rare women who just cannot produce enough milk) -- it gives me an evil grin each time because I feel like I'm sticking it to the formula companies, just a little bit (since she would have bought the formula anyway).

 

Just think if the formula companies spent the same amount on hiring GOOD lc's at hospitals how much good that would do :banana: ??!!! Why do you even need to advertise formula, everyone knows its there and what its for

Oh, but then more women may successfully bf wouldn't want that would we

 

Ugh. Same here. I think my pumping bottles were Nestle GoodStart or something like that.

At least when DD was briefly hospitalized (nothing serious, they were just playing it safe with a mysterious fever she had when she was very little) the children's hospital provided a pump in the room and 80 cc sterile-wrapped Medela pumping bottles. NOT formula company bottles.

It also drove me nuts that the various pregnancy and parenting magazines I killed many hours in the OB's office with were full of articles about "breast is best," and every other page there was a formula ad. <_<

Somewhere I read that formula companies' excuse is very similar to that of the tobacco companies: "We're not encouraging anyone to [smoke/use formula], but if they do, we want them to choose our brand." Mmmhmm.

 

QUOTE
Somewhere I read that formula companies' excuse is very similar to that of the tobacco companies: "We're not encouraging anyone to [smoke/use formula], but if they do, we want them to choose our brand." Mmmhmm.



lol very cute / true

can other people use checks sentto me if they have my name on (for the enfamil checks?) would be happy to pass em along asi dont use em but didnt know i could cause it has my name

 

QUOTE(bigeyes @ Mar 6 2008, 05:59 PM) [snapback]656447[/snapback]
lol very cute / true

can other people use checks sentto me if they have my name on (for the enfamil checks?) would be happy to pass em along asi dont use em but didnt know i could cause it has my name



Yes they can so pass them on!!

 

I am one of the "rare" women who were unable to breastfeed. I dealt with several LC's, I was on Reglan and pumping around the clock and I still could not get my supply up. I managed to pump enough milk for my girls to get it the entire 10 weeks they were in the NICU. It was really hard to accept the fact that I was not going to be able to breastfeed my babies. I am very thankful for the advances that they have made in formula, and thankfully my girls are doing just fine.

Would you rather have the Free bottles provided by the formula company or would you like the cost of healthcare to go up that much more? I knew the entire time that the bottles that I was using for pumping were provided by the formula company and honestly I could have cared less. They were serving a purpose...end of story. I think its a wonderful thing if you are able to breastfeed your babies, some of us were just not that fortunate.

 

i must of gotten jipped.
when i was in the hospital with the twins i didn't get anything but what they put into those cradle things. sure i took the formula when they bought in a four pack i would take the other 2 and put them away. i never recieved any free formula. i did ask questions about formula because i was going to breastfeed but 2 days before i was scheduled to leave i was supplementing with formula. it was just too hard to breastfeed and do everything all by myself.

 

QUOTE(Kyrstyn @ Mar 6 2008, 04:47 PM) [snapback]656521[/snapback]
Would you rather have the Free bottles provided by the formula company or would you like the cost of healthcare to go up that much more? I knew the entire time that the bottles that I was using for pumping were provided by the formula company and honestly I could have cared less. They were serving a purpose...end of story. I think its a wonderful thing if you are able to breastfeed your babies, some of us were just not that fortunate.


You seem upset, I don't think that was anyones intention, one reason this was probably posted here instead of any of the main boards was not to upset anyone :hug99:
I can remember how hard you tried, and you certainly don't need to justify using formula!!!

I guess my main issue is why they need to put thier label on EVERYTHING. Why not leave the bfing to those that know and support it and leave the formula feeding to the formula companies!!! They don't NEED to put thier label on bottles for pumping, I mean REALLY

 

I worked at a hospital and companies send them "stuff" free all the time to give away. Now we are a very small town hospital but our maternity floor is very busy so to come to their defense the less they pay for products the less you pay for. Those sterile bottles cost around $3.oo a piece so your cost or an insurance company cost would be around 6 ish not only would this be bad for all those peopel who have exended stays but it would drive up insurance rates for others I can not imagine having to pay for every bottle my girls had used, so if it comes with a little ad who cares. On the flip side those bottles are why super stores like walmart and target can sell generic formula for half the price of the name brand.

 

QUOTE(Kyrstyn @ Mar 6 2008, 06:47 PM) [snapback]656521[/snapback]
Would you rather have the Free bottles provided by the formula company or would you like the cost of healthcare to go up that much more? I knew the entire time that the bottles that I was using for pumping were provided by the formula company and honestly I could have cared less. They were serving a purpose...end of story. I think its a wonderful thing if you are able to breastfeed your babies, some of us were just not that fortunate.


Kyrstyn, I didn't mean to upset you. I also wasn't successful at breastfeeding, and my babies have gotten formula from day one, along with EBM. Like I mentioned in my original post, I think we're lucky that we have good formulas available to us -- certainly my kiddos have thrived thus far. And believe me, I know what an emotionally charged issue it is.

That said, there was a study that came out a couple months ago about women who received free formula packages from the hospital -- these women were far less likely to breastfeed exclusively, and for a shorter time, than women who didn't receive the formula. It said that the free formula packs implied an endorsement by the hospital, which led to a perception was that formula was better than breastmilk.

I know I was posting about formula ads on pumping bottles, but to me, it's more of the same -- it feels like a sly way for formula companies to reach even breastfeeding/pumping moms.

I just think it's sad that women who might otherwise breastfeed -- or at least attempt it -- might be swayed to formula-feed instead, because hospitals make it so darn easy to do so, and because names of formulas are plastered on every conceivable surface....

(Here is the study: http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/short/98/2/290)

 

QUOTE(2xthelove @ Mar 6 2008, 04:05 PM) [snapback]656537[/snapback]
i must of gotten jipped.


LOL I feel the same way. I was looking forward to my free diaper bag -- they looked pretty cool -- but no one offered me one.

I didn't mind getting free bottles for pumping and would have liked the free diaper bag... free is free and it wasn't going to change my mind about BFing.

 

I work in a hospital that stopped accepting free formula from the formula companies to give out/diaper bags, etc in order to be "Baby Friendly" . Now, they still get the formula to give to babies but they have to pay top dollar for it which seems counterproductive in a lot of ways to me. I can think of a lot of other things that the hospital could spend money on other than formula that the companies don't mind giving away in the first place.

 

QUOTE(SoBlessed @ Mar 7 2008, 07:26 AM) [snapback]657192[/snapback]
I work in a hospital that stopped accepting free formula from the formula companies to give out/diaper bags, etc in order to be "Baby Friendly" . Now, they still get the formula to give to babies but they have to pay top dollar for it which seems counterproductive in a lot of ways to me. I can think of a lot of other things that the hospital could spend money on other than formula that the companies don't mind giving away in the first place.


I understand where you're coming from here but I tend to think of it as they'll be incented to NOT push formula when it's medically unnecessary to do so (i.e. mild jaundice)

 

QUOTE(SoBlessed @ Mar 7 2008, 01:26 PM) [snapback]657192[/snapback]
I work in a hospital that stopped accepting free formula from the formula companies to give out/diaper bags, etc in order to be "Baby Friendly" . Now, they still get the formula to give to babies but they have to pay top dollar for it which seems counterproductive in a lot of ways to me. I can think of a lot of other things that the hospital could spend money on other than formula that the companies don't mind giving away in the first place.


The thing that bothered me most about my hospital stay was the "parents' handout" published by the formula company. The nurse who gave it to me was also pushing a supplement and had some very inaccurate information about whether or not the babies were dehydrated. As long as free formula comes with misinformation and misleading "help", it's not really "free". And I'd much rather save expensive formula for people who really need it, rather than having the nurses push a couple of dozen little bottles into my hands as I walked out the door...something that would be much more likely if the hospital had to pay for it.

Now, free diapers on the other hand...

 

Trust me, I understand that side of it too. I guess I'm just thinking of the babies on Neosure and all of those expensive preemie formulas who I can't load up with a bunch of packs of ready to feed bottles anymore. We give them a pack of 6 and send them on their way. A lot of the moms are on WIC and can't get in to get their formula that same day. . . know what I mean? I am obviously pro-breastfeeding and I wish everyone could and would do it, but I also know that a lot of moms aren't able to or don't want to and I just liked when I was able to get those babies a little bit of a formula supply on their way out the door. Also I remember hearing how much the hospital spends on formula now and thinking how much better than money would look as new isolettes or a parent room for the NICU.

 

QUOTE
A lot of the moms are on WIC and can't get in to get their formula that same day. . . know what I mean?


That's one thing I really don't get - moms who can't afford to FF choosing to FF and letting WIC pick up the tab. (I'm NOT talking about moms who've tried everything under the sun and BFing just hasn't worked out for them.)

 

QUOTE(fuchsiagroan @ Mar 7 2008, 11:53 AM) [snapback]657858[/snapback]
That's one thing I really don't get - moms who can't afford to FF choosing to FF and letting WIC pick up the tab. (I'm NOT talking about moms who've tried everything under the sun and BFing just hasn't worked out for them.)


I don't know who's on WIC or what the "typical" WIC mom is like. So I'm not generalizing but just telling one story. There was a 17-year-old mom in my NICU who had ID twin girls born at 30 weeks. Over the course of the 6 weeks I spent there I learned that the twins' father was not in the picture, her own father was long gone (not dead just gone), her mother was an alcoholic, and she herself was under the care of her 24-year-old sister. The sister had already declared she was not going to help with the babies and it sounded like she was letting the 17 y.o. live with her just so she could receive her government checks (social security? not sure). Anyway... long story short, although this young mom pumped faithfully while the babies were in the NICU, at discharge she had decided to bring them home on formula. I think the poor girl was just really overwhelmed by everything and could not imagine BFing on top of it. I am almost twice her age, in a stable financial situation, with DH and my mom both helping, and BFing was still not easy -- it took a lot of determination on my part to make it work. I can't imagine going it alone at age 17 and I guess I'm just saying, as pro-BFing as I am, I appreciate why she chose to FF.

 

QUOTE(SoBlessed @ Mar 7 2008, 07:19 PM) [snapback]657790[/snapback]
...but I also know that a lot of moms aren't able to or don't want to and I just liked when I was able to get those babies a little bit of a formula supply on their way out the door. Also I remember hearing how much the hospital spends on formula now and thinking how much better than money would look as new isolettes or a parent room for the NICU.


You're really coming from a good place with this point, and I respect your experience and your desire to help women out. But this kind of points to the problem, which is that formula companies are taking advantage of hospitals to get to their captive audience in exactly the same way that Coke and Pepsi are/were exploiting elementary and high schools' need for cash in order to get to their captive audience. Do the schools and hospitals have a lot to show for the relationship? You bet. Are there people making choices that will cost all of us in the long run because of it? (ie. childhood obesity and poor concentration are both linked to overconsumption of soda) You bet.

I don't mean to get on a high horse here. I know that the money saved buying formula would be put to really good use, and I know that breastfeeding is challenging and truly doesn't work for some women. But I'm a public policy type - this is how I think. The world really would be better off if we 1) increase breastfeeding, 2) find a way to capture the WIC and health care savings that result, and 3)spend some of the savings on better support for new moms!