<<  Mom is tired of pumping, breastfeeding, and
 giving formula.  And I can't say that I blame her.  That is A LOT to do just
 to feed one baby.  She feels like that's all she does

It's really hard for me to say, "it's not a
good idea to supplement with formula.  Just keep pumping and nursing and
sooner or later your milk production will increase", simply because I know
and mom knows the baby is hungry NOW.  I'm not to the point where I can
justify starving (starve may be too harsh of a word) a baby for the sake of
continuing to breastfeed.>>

bethany, i have great sympathy for your difficulty in dealing with this
mother. however, perhaps it is time for her to get the guidance of a
lactation consultant. starving a baby is not one of the ways commonly used to
increase milk supply, and starving a baby does not constitute breastfeeding
either. this mother might find all these efforts worthwhile when presented as
part of a treatment plan that is based on reasonable practices. perhaps if
she were fully aware of the risks of formula feeding, she might feel
differently about a treatment plan that required short term "extra effort."

many mothers find that they are capable of making a concentrated effort to
return to complete breastfeeding, and value the support that makes it
possible for them to do so. many mothers choose to discontinue efforts that
they find that too difficult to maintain. however, when our personal feelings
about the difficulty of a situation interfere with giving a mother proper
information about her choices, its time for someone else to handle the
situation. i myself attempt to make sure a mother understand what is at risk
when she quits breastfeeding, offer whatever support i can to make it
possible for her to persevere with a plan, and offer her support if she
chooses to quit.  if she does quit, at least she knows what her choice
involved.

starving a baby for any reason is unethical and immoral. i try to avoid it. i
also avoid using formula for supplementation whenever possible, because i
know it is nutritionally unsound and an unsafe thing to use except in the
most dire circumstances.

carol brussel IBCLC

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