Please, no formula samples. I'm breastfeeding.

This link floated across my twitter stream just now. Aside from the unfortunate headline that mentions "breastfeeding discharge bags," which conjures up a very strange visceral image, it makes an interesting point. When I first went in to my doctor's office for my prenatal interview, I was offered a bag of goodies that included coupons for free formula. I took those out and handed them back. "Someone else may need these more than I will," I said.

Apparently Lansinoh has taken note of this and partnered with Cottonwood Kids to create a different goodie bag for new moms leaving the hospital with their babies--which is what they mean by "discharge bag." The Healthy Baby Bounty Bag, as it's called, is:

... an insulated bag you can use to store pumped breast milk. Inside it has samples of products, coupons, and resources - all that can help breastfeeding mamas succeed plus a few other goodies.

In my bag was Lansinoh milk storage bags and disposable nursing pads, Boogie Wipes samples, SaniHands for Kids hand wipe samples, an Aquaphor sample, even some Traditional Medicinals Organic Mother's Milk tea bags (my fav part!) and a card with a code to redeem a free gift from Cottonwood Kids.

According to the article, these bags will "soon" be available at more than 200 hospitals across the country.

Of course, there is not even one Virginia hospital on the list at Lansinoh's blog, but I am going to call and ask the question, because perhaps by making the hospital aware that it exists, I'll be more likely to receive one.

Here's the press release on the Healthy Baby Bounty Bag. Which leads me to my newest tag: Want!

So now for my next question: If my hospital doesn't participate, or if I'm birthing at home, will you still find a way to get me a bag? :D

(Side note: I'm terribly amused to see that they are using Gregory FCA Communications for their PR campaigns, because... honestly, those folks are my favorite PR company, as a former journalist who benefited from the attention they paid to what my beats were, and who at one point lived literally around the corner from their office.)