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I'm all for formula samples! I got a ton of ready to feed 2 oz bottles from the hospital. Really saved me in the first few days since My son was jaundiced and we needed him to poop and pee a lot.
Also saved me unnecessary stress when my lo was hungry but I wasnt producing enough (I had low supply in the beginning with my daughter and milk didnt come in til later).

We got a ton of samples and couldn't use any of them because our LO was a preemie and he needed the special preemie formula. But I think it's great they provide samples.

I said yes to all the free samples, even if you breastfeed, breastmilk doesnt come in right away. Mine didnt come into til day 3 and it takes a while to get the hang of it so having formula around takes the pressure off

I'm glad we have it just in case, but I'll be happiest if we never have to use it.

I got about 12 free regular size cans of formula samples! I was nervous while pregnant I wouldn't be able to BF so I requested them. I am EBF so I ended up donating them, but in the end someone could use them so I'm glad I got them.

@Bao: Where did you request them from?

I'm for them! Even if you don't use them, a women's shelter or food pantry would dearly love to have them. We ended up donating a bunch because they weren't the right brand. We gave them to a local women's shelter.

Free is awesome. I signed up for samples from Similac, Enfamil and Gerber. What I didn't use, I donated to a women's shelter.

And for those opposed to samples, maybe consider donating them as well - that way "in need" women who can't breast feed and can't afford formula will have better access for their children.

Totally against.

Having formula in the house is many times (thought not all the time) the beginning of the end of breastfeeding for many moms. Especially since the first few weeks are difficult. ie. thinking baby is still hungry b/c the frequency of wanting to nurse so mom supplements OR baby loses 5-7% of it's body weight and milk "hasn't come in yet" so mom supplements (it's normal for a bf baby to lose up to 10% of their weight in the first few days).

We had formula that we were given from the hospital and as against formula as I am I totally went looking for it one night b/c we were having so many feeding issues. DH had put it away though and at 3 am I had no clue where to find it (thankfully).

I know many moms are fine with bf'ing and supplementing though so that's up to you. I am 100% against formula unless medically needed so for us we donated it.

I'm not a fan. In my experience, it's a very effective marketing strategy where mom's confidence in breastfeeding is undermined with threats of failure. So--"just in case"--you have a can of formula sitting around for the inevitable time when breastfeeding gets hard and/or you don't have support.

I was furious with the hospital because the breastfeeding support was so bad/nonexistent. The staff basically pushed formula on us because my milk wasn't coming in fast enough for them. HELLO, my milk would come in a hell of a lot faster if I breastfed my baby instead of being threatened with weight loss/jaundice and told to pump and supplement! That kind of intervention also prevented DD from learning to latch. Stupid stupid stupid.

@Foodnerd81: DH is ultra supportive of me bfing and is so glad that I stuck it out. We had alot of initial feeding issues though so even with my MW, mom, and DH that middle of the night feeding still got to me. There were other times that I wanted to throw in to towel too but by that time feeding formula would've been even harder (P is mspi and was VERY sensitive, she would've needed Rx formula). I know not knowing where the formula was really saved my butt b/c I HAD to work out those latch issues with P.

I'm against them b/c I'm against formula unless medically necessary. (I ff my DS and have ebf'd DD)

I'm really hoping to breastfeed and plan to consult with an LC while in the hospital and if we run into any issues, but I've heard from SO many people that those free formula samples were a lifesaver. It sounds like there can be alot of challenges to breastfeeding (which is crazy to think about something so natural being so hard, but I'm so thankful to have friends who have been open and honest with their experiences) so I fully intend to keep them stashed in the house, in case of an emergency.

And by stashed, I mean, seriously hidden so that no do-gooder makes a bottle of formula so I can catch an extra hour or two of sleep or something. That's not, in my mind, an emergency, and I can totally see that happening with MIL since she formula fed all her kids and all of her other grandkids have been formula fed (which is totally fine, but I just don't want to go down that route unless I need to).

I think they're tricky! I received them from my OB and the hospital and held on to them at first. I went by my pedi's recommendation and offered la boob to my newborn every 2 hours or sooner if he had hunger cues and my milk came in super fast without engorgement. I had a great LC visit in the hospital, took the samples home "just in case" and then paid a private LC to visit at home. I explained I'd kept them "just in case" and she said that it was a little tempting - and that I'd have at least one night where I was panicked and felt like I wasn't making enough milk - and that no baby ever starved in a night. She explained using them would prevent my body from having to make more milk and could start a bad cycle.

I donated all the samples that night and felt super confident. A few days later I had one of those nights, and was glad the formula wasn't here - my supply responded the next day and all was well.

Then I had to have emergency surgery 2 days before we moved - I had no frozen milk since we were moving. It was really, really stressful in that they wouldn't tell me if my 2 week old and husband would be allowed all the way back with me or how long it would all take. We had to get formula on the fly just in case and it added stress to an already stressful situation. (They let them come back with me and I breastfed right before and after my surgery, and all was well).

So.. long story short.. I think they can be good and bad. Having them around will definitely increase the likelihood that you'll use them, of course. But that isn't the end of the world (and sometimes it could be a lifesaver!)

I'm not really a fan. I didn't sign up for anything formula related and still got 3 cans in the mail. I agree that in general, breastfeeding isn't as encouraged as it should be (in the real world) and also, I feel like if for some reason I had to formula feed, I wouldn't want to just use whatever free stuff I was sent.

Not a fan. Even though I've ended up having to feed my babies with alternative methods due to IGT (insufficient glandular tissue), I'm still not a fan of formula, formula companies, or their marketing strategies. If a mom is having supply issues, supplementing with formula can certainly sabotage that supply even more.

Here in the UK, formula samples are illegal. In fact, they aren't allowed to advertise infant formula- only follow on milk. It's very strict, but the breastfeeding rates here are still way low. I think the "just in case" mentality leads to problems.

I think it's a slippery slope. First you use a sample instead of offering the boob, supply drops a tiny bit, you do it again... It's what they call a booby trap. Not saying this is what happens to everyone but most formula companies really disgust me, tbh. This is the strategy they use in places like Africa where people use the samples and then surprise, they don't have enough milk and they're stuck. The people who can least afford it. I think formula is great for those who need it but I don't know what I'd do if I needed it because like I said, most of those companies totally gross me out with their sneaky tactics.

I was really glad that I had them on hand when I needed them when my milk didn't come in and DD was losing way too much weight. I was really hoping not to use the samples, but I was glad that I didn't have to go running out to a store to find formula when I was forced to supplement. The one thing that I don't like is that you only end up with samples from the major brands. DD is now an Enfamil drinker b/c that was what I had on hand when she first needed formula. If I had done some more research, I would have chosen one of the all-natural organic brands, but by the time I thought to do that I didn't really want to switch b/c we were doing well enough with the Enfamil. Oh well.

I got some just in case but I was never tempted to use them. I am also someone who does get tempted easily by sweets, etc. but I think I was just really determined to BF.