Breast Feeding an Adopted Child

Question

Q. Asalaam-alaikum,

I have a question regarding breast feeding a child for adoption. I’m aware that a child under the age of 2 should be breast-fed by the adoptive mother in order to establish familial ties between her, her family and the baby.

My questions are as follows:

1. Does the child literally need to be breast fed, or is it sufficient that the breast milk of the adoptive mother be fed to the child through a bottle? Many times children do not latch on to breast if they are not used to it.

Mufti Suhail Tarmahomed · Accepted Answer

If the milk is extracted from the mother’s breast and fed to the child via the bottle, familial ties will be established. Feeding the child directly from the breast is not necessary to establish familial ties of breastfeeding. (al-Fatawa al-Hindiyyah, Vol: 1, Pg: 344, DIT)

And Allah Knows Best

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