[MPJJJ]

I nursed all my children. One of my children was bottlefed for a few months, then switched to breast. Once he got the breast, he wanted nothing else! I had to go to a dentist appt and left my child with my husband, and a couple of bottles of expressed milk. He screamed, and absolutely refused to even take one sip of a bottle. This was after being on the breast only a few weeks.

Some babies just don't like bottles if they are breastfeeding, and it is very difficult for them to transition. However, I do feel that they should be nursed if at all possible, but I dont believe that it should be an 'all or nothing' thing.

[tvs4]

In many places you can't even get your foster child a hair cut without parental permission so I would think that breastfeeding is going to probably not happen unless the mom is willing to let you do it... and I'm going to guess that not many moms are willing to let that happen.

I breastfeed my children. I think it is great. However, there are millions of well adjusted, well bonded, happy healthy kids who are not breastfeed for many reasons and the are ok. So, it is a hard arguement to make that for foster children it is necessary and I have a feeling most agencies, states and parents are going to say "no".

[lovecreatesafamily]

Hi,

I breastfed our foster daughter. However, when she arrived she was a newborn and was on the fast track to adoption. She was a preemie and now is 32 lbs at 2 years old. Breastmilk was great for her. I had to supplement about 25% of her intake. I took herbs and medicine to stimulate my milk supply. I would do it again if the situation was right.

[ranoutofnames]

I noticed in your posting that part of your reason for wanting to consider breast feeding is due to the child using more formula than you get with WIC.

Contact your pediatrician. My pediatrician gets several cans a month donated by the different formula companies. When I have a foster child hit that point where intake is more than WIC I get some cans of formula from our pediatrician.

Also, sign up on-line with the formula companies. Enfamil will send at least one can of formula and lots of coupons if you mark that you aren't taking WIC... same for many of the other copanies.

[rottymom]

Interesting topic...when our foster baby was first placed with us I wanted to breast feed him so badly...he would suck on my arm when craddled. But how do women breast feed when they are dry? Would your body produce enough milk for them anyway? I have so many questions about the whole idea...just seems a little weird to breast feed a baby that isn't really yours and when your body isn't producing milk anyway. From what little I have read you must take hormones months before.

I am sure you would have to get approval anyway before you begin and I doubt any mom will let you breast feed her baby.

[EZ2Luv]

rottymom,
How sad that the baby was rooting for the breast and you were so willing to feed him but were unable to.
As far as producing milk if you are not lactating , yes hormones can be used, but there are also herbs that work too. There are many concerns about taking these homones that they can cause heart problems, but it would be best to check with your doctor. Doperamine was commonly used to produce lactation and many purchased it online, now people are advise not to do this.
There a few protocols that you can follow to acheive this, but again whether herbal or hormones, it is best to check with your doctor before taking anything.

I don't find anything weird about breastfeed a baby that is not biologically mine. People would employ wet nurses to feed their babies and this goes way back in time.
Another thing is the growing need and uses for breastmilk. Many sick babies, Aids patients, certain Cancer patients have benefitted from breastmilk. That is why there are so many milkbanks out there to meet the needs of these babies.
Of course I am one to encourage breastmilk whenever possible, be it is a SNS, EBM or directly from the breast.
Again, I am not going to get into any type of debate about thye bonding issues of breatfeeding. I will just say that babies can bond whether breast fed or not and leave it at that. Foster parents breastfeeding is a great idea and any baby can certainly benefit from breastmilk IMO. I just see it as being highly unlikely because of how certain states handle things. I will also say that the only state I know anything about is MA but in talking to others from other places and from my own experiences MA seems to be the most difficult to work with(and not just foster care)...
I would also think that FM would need to be medically screened and tested before breastfeeding

EZ

[stevenstwin]

I guess my thoughts on getting permission would be that very few women who have lost their children to foster care would ever agree to this. When you consider that the majority of women whose children end up in foster care already may have some "issues", and that they likely already feel very threatened, I don't think they are going to feel comfortable letting another woman nurse their child. Look at all the recent discussions about bio parents being furious about a child calling another woman mom, or even being dressed in something that represents a team they don't like! Heck, I had a bio call me a "weirdo" and a "stalker" for going to parent teacher interviews! It would sure take a huge degree of enlightenment to have your children taken from you forcibly, and then be willing to let them have that degree of personal closeness with any other person. Yes, people in the past often used wet-nurses, and I know lots of moms today that wouldn't have a problem with it if they were ill or out of the picture, but these women are the kind who already routinely put the child's needs ahead of their own. A slightly different sub-set of society, if you know what I mean.

[Gentin]

In my opinion I don't think the CW's or Bio parents would allow a foster child to breastfeed! I understand that breastfeeding is a good bonding mechanism but when a child is in foster care the priority and main goal is reunification. I can see if you were an adoption house - my mother adopted my sister from the hospital and took hormones so she could breastfeed. She had to take hormones and pump before my sister was born to get her milk to come in. I am the one that has posted the my FD's mother had a hard time because of my Fd calling me mommy - I think it would be hard to get a bio mom to let you have the right to breastfeed.

[lookingtofoster]

Thank you all so much for your replys I really appreciate all the opinions and ideas. Also EZ2Luv I really appreciate your response!