Royce,

This is a tricky one. Certainly babies in foster care are breastfed in different situations. Sometimes this is with official sanction but often without. I do not know of any women who have ben arrested for breastfeeding a foster child but I have heard of women who have been threatened with removal of the child or who have had the child removed. I also know of a few women who have been able to gain permission to breastfeed a foster child and many who have been denied permission. 

So no easy answers. Certainly it is my opinion that these vulnerable children should not be provided with deficient care and nutrition if the foster mother is willing to breastfeed but I am afraid that most see breastfeeding as "special" rather than as "normal". I wrote a paper that was in JHL a couple of years ago that presented a case history of a mum who breastfed her foster child. If you don't have access to it I can send it to you privately.

Best wishes to your friend.

Karleen Gribble
Australia







She is now "fostering" a two week old baby, and hopes to adopt this child.
Bio mom exposed him to Hepatitis plus Lord knows what else.  My client feels
very strongly that baby needs mother's milk.  Her Pediatrician supports her
in this effort.  She has been pumping with a Lactina to no avail, she is
taking Fenugreek only.  She wants to take Dom, but is concerned about the
cardiac issues.  She is SCARED TO DEATH to put babe to breast b/c she has
been told or has read that a foster/adoptive mother was arrested and jailed
for doing so.  



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