Fasting on Yom Kippur while Fully Nursing
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Question
Hello, I am 39 years old, nursing an eight-month-old baby who still does not eat solid food and does not use a bottle (I have been trying for two months to give her additional food, and she still does not eat, sometimes swallowing less than a quarter teaspoon; her diet is currently based on breastfeeding). In other fasts where I fasted while nursing, my milk supply decreased significantly, and it took me more than a week to restore its production. Additionally, this is my tenth birth, I am very weak, and my milk supply is precisely measured without surplus. I am concerned that my milk supply will be affected and that my daughter's main source of nutrition will decrease (in the past, it took a week to recover). How should I conduct myself on Yom Kippur?
Answer
Hello,
I am attaching the instructions of our teacher, the Gaon, Rabbi Avraham Fried, shlita, regarding fasting while nursing:
Law for a Nursing Mother on Yom Kippur Fast:
A. A nursing mother fasts on Yom Kippur. She should prepare well for the fast by drinking plenty of grape juice in the two days before the fast. If she can pump milk, she should do so before the fast so that she needs to nurse less and lose less fluid. It is also recommended to drink a large amount of grape juice immediately after the fast to restore the milk.
B. If the baby is fed pumped milk, ensure to prepare a sufficient amount before the fast. If the pumped amount is insufficient or the baby only nurses and does not eat from a bottle, and the mother does not have enough milk for the baby, and if the mother's fasting poses a danger to the baby, the mother should drink grape juice in portions every four minutes. If that is not enough, she should drink normally [and usually, drinking without eating is sufficient].