Thank you, Lactnetters, for your thoughtful responses about foster breastfeeding.

There is a difference between private adoption and adoption through the foster care system (in the US - I don't know about other countries).  

In a private adoption, the birth mother or birth parents have signed a release of their parental rights.  Even though the adoption is not finalized for several months, it is the intention that the adoption will be finalized and that the adoptive parents will be the permanent parents.  In the case of private adoption, the birth mother or birth parents do not have any decision-making power regarding the parenting of that child other than their choice of adoptive parents.  (This is not to say that the adoptive parents should not be respectful of the birth parents wishes, but when it comes to breastfeeding being respectful of their wishes might be that the adoptive mother not nurse in front of the birth mother, rather than the adoptive mother not nurse at all.)

In a adoption through foster care, the government has made a decision that the biological parents are not fit to parent at that time. The baby is placed with foster parents with the first priority of eventually re-uniting the baby with the biological parents or another family member.  If this doesn't work out, then the foster parents may adopt.  During the time of foster care, there seems to be some gray area regarding the rights the biological parents have regarding the parenting of their child.  Can they make a decision whether their baby may be breastfed by the foster mother?  This seems to be one issue at hand.  The other issue is whether the state health department may dictate whether the foster mother may breastfeed.  

My client is hopeful that the normalcy policy in her state of Minnesota will not allow the biological parents to forbid breastfeeding by the foster mother, because breastfeeding is normal.  Now, there would still be the issue of the support of the state health agency but if the permission of the biological parents was not required then there would be one less obstacle.

Thank you again for all your help and support!  This is a very exciting adventure - continuing to break down barriers to breastfeeding!

Sincerely,
Alyssa

Alyssa Schnell, MS, IBCLC
Sweet Pea Breastfeeding Support
St. Louis, MO
SweetPeaBreastfeeding.com

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