Winnie asked
"Do we discuss with her that while it is not the same as direct
breastfeeding, she can still give her baby many/most of the benefits by
giving her milk indirectly?"
No. We do not.  We do not because we know that there are no benefits to
breastfeeding.  We do know that there are risks associated with not
breastfeeding.  In the case Winnie describes, of a mother who declares an
intention to formula feed, offering her the option of feeding her baby
expressed human milk is certainly a good idea.  We can explain to the mother
that feeding her baby formula will increase his/her risks of adverse health
outcomes.  We can also explain that feeding her baby expressed breastmilk
rather than formula is likely to mitigate some of those risks.  This way if
she chooses not to breastfeed, we can also give her the information she
needs to manage the risks ... ensure that bottles are properly cleaned,
(that formula milk is prepared with hot water and cooled), ensure that milk
is stored properly ... ensure that everyone washes their hands before
touching the baby, ensure that anyone coming into the house from public
transport washes their hands and changes their clothes before handling the
baby.
Nina Berry 
Australia
(Where close to 90% of mothers initiate breastfeeding and EPing is generally
only considered by mothers who wanted to breastfeed)

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