First bottle feed. For mothers who choose to bottle feed, you will need to find out if the delivery suite or birth centre will provide your bottles, teats and formula. The hospital policies in recent years tend to encourage the mother to supply her own. This is aimed at not promoting a particular brand and facilitating the mother to learn how to prepare the formula correctly and sterilise her equipment before she goes home (as well as promoting breastfeeding). If you are unsure about how you would prefer to feed your baby you can read more in
Class C.
Many birthplaces will provide the very first bottle of formula after the birth and then the mother can prepare her own for subsequent feeds on the postnatal ward. Ask your caregiver what you will need to provide. Don't worry if the brand your baby is first given is not the one you have chosen. Most hospitals are supplied with a different brand each month (reflecting that one brand is not better than another). Changing brands is not an issue for your baby.
If you do need to provide your own formula make sure that you purchase a formula designed specifically for newborn babies. These are normally labelled as 'suitable from birth'. Be aware that normal milk that adults drink (no matter what type - cows, goat or soy substitutes) and regular powdered milk are not suitable for babies as their main milk drink until they are 12 months old. You can read more in
bottle feeding.
If going home on the early discharge program you will need to have formula, bottles and newborn baby teats as well as some form of
sterilising equipment ready before the birth.
Soon after the birth, ask the staff to organise a bottle so it will be ready when your baby is interested. Be aware that your colostrum can be expressed into the bottle if you want your baby to receive some of this first milk.