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  • Breastfeeding With Supplementation

    Posted by Saba Bilal on June 27, 2025 at 9:46 am

    Am I doing wrong by my child if i occasionally give my child formula milk when we are outside and I fear feeding in public would be difficult or if my husband looks after the baby while I get 3-4 hours of continuous sleep after I’ve had to wake during the night. I know Breastmilk is the best nutrition of my baby and it can get very exhausting and difficult to manage to exclusively breastfeed when my child demands milk every hour or so and u have to cook and clean and somehow also get some sleep aswell. Will I be accountable for not giving my child the best possible nutrition all the time if my reasons are such as lack of sleep and public feeding anxiety ?

    Saba Bilal replied 11 hours, 49 minutes ago 3 Members · 7 Replies
  • 7 Replies
  • Breastfeeding With Supplementation

    Saba Bilal updated 11 hours, 49 minutes ago 3 Members · 7 Replies
  • Dr. Irfan Shahzad

    Scholar June 29, 2025 at 1:00 am

    Breastfeeding is not made a religious obligation. If you can take care of the child with alternatives you can adopt them.

  • Saba Bilal

    Member June 29, 2025 at 7:53 am

    Oh! I thought it was a religious obligation as Ghamidi sahab has said it is the right of a infant on their mother.

  • Umer

    Moderator July 2, 2025 at 10:23 pm

    Please also refer to the video below from 30:46 to 32:23

    https://youtu.be/orqQNlpECbA?t=1846

  • Saba Bilal

    Member July 3, 2025 at 12:26 am

    Interesting… but I feel like the above two posts are a tad bit contradictory. This is what I understand from the two, breastfeeding isn’t a religious obligation in the traditional sense of the word but obviously providing the best nutrition for your child is a parents responsibility so I would be responsible form providing it whenever I can. However occasional supplementation should not be considered sinful especially because formula milk is designed to be good and safe for a child as well ( though not as much as breastmilk). The marhoomi ( deprivation) Ghamidi sahab seems to be talking about seems to be deliberately and consistently withholding nutrition from the child. Correct me if I have understood incorrectly.

    • Umer

      Moderator July 3, 2025 at 8:28 pm

      May be Dr. Irfan Shahzad Sahab holds a different view in this regard which I am sure he can better explain whenever he gets a chance.

      According to Ghamidi Sahab in the video above, an infant should be given Breast Milk, preferably her mother’s but other breast feeding arrangements can also be made if the situation demands. In case of a genuine excuse, where such feeding is not possible, opting for the alternatives like formula etc. do not make a person sinful. Otherwise depriving the kid of a Woman’s Milk in particular is equivalent to violating the rights of an infant.

  • Dr. Irfan Shahzad

    Scholar July 4, 2025 at 12:34 am

    Breastfeeding is a fundamental right of the child; however, a mother is not strictly obligated to breastfeed. For instance, if she arranges for another woman to nurse the child, she is not required to do it herself and may opt out without needing a specific excuse. Nevertheless, if no alternative is available and the mother neglects to provide this essential nourishment, she is blameworthy for denying the child’s basic right. The same principle applies to formula milk—if it serves as a viable substitute or supplement to breast milk, the child’s nutritional needs are considered fulfilled.

  • Saba Bilal

    Member July 4, 2025 at 12:47 am

    Thankyou for both your responses! Both are valuable to me as it helps me take my duty seriously while also not feeling sinful when I occasionally fail to provide the very best. As far as human rights are concerned, I often wonder where a child lives falls as we actively choose to bring in the most helpless beings into the world ( with the will of God) and are responsible for so much of their lives. As a mother I am probably accountable for my every action towards for my child and it is a deeply sobering and distressing thought.

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