Jeanette commented: << hey want to get to the "baby friendly" status, so the administration is asking her how they can replace the free formula they are now getting (the value is around $60,000 if purchased). >> WOW! how big is this hospital? how many births/year? Do you realize HOW MUCH formula that represents? First of all, if bought at retail, RTF in those cute little bottles runs less than $3.00/6 pack -- so, say each bottle of RTF cost 50 cents. Lets say the hospital has 3000 births/year, in which 50% of the mothers breastfeed. So, 1500/yr formula feed. 75% go home in 48 hours, so those babies need a total of about 15 bottles each. (6 feeds/day, plus a bit extra). 25% were C/Sections or other complications and need to stay an average of 72 hours -- but we'll up it to 96 hours. Those babies need 30 bottles of formula each. 1125 babies need 15 bottles at 50 cents each = $8,437.50. 375 babies need 30 bottles of formula each = $5625 for a total for normal newborn nursery fee of $14,000 per year. Now, I'm being totally and completely overly generous here, because they can buy it from the formula company directly -- don't have to go to the grocery store or Target to get the formula, so it will be cheaper than the 50 cents I've quoted. (That's the supermarket price for RTF in cute bottles). It's a bit more to purchase nipples. The truth of the matter is, it doesn't cost the hospital $60,000/year to buy formula. Even if they had a 0% bf rate, it would only be $28,000/year. Unless of course, they have a 50% rate, and they do 12,000 births per year, then it will cost $56,000/year; according to my figures. Most hospitals spend more than $14,000 on the employees Christmas dinner. What they WILL not get are all the endowments and freebies from the formula companies -- free architectural plans and so on -- all of which could easily add up to the purported $60,000. But it isn't formula in the vast majority of hospitals, UNLESS you are doing 12000 births/year and have a 50% bottle feeding rate. Jan Barger, RN, MA, IBCLC Handy with a calculator in Wheaton, IL