fasting when nursing

amother

Mon, Aug 04 2014, 11:07 am

I have a very demanding (18lb) 7mo who refuses solids/bottles. she basicly starves herself when im @ work & then nurses non stop t/o day/night.
on a reg day im always thirsty & I drink ALOT!!!
I increased my fluid intake past few days but still so nervous that baby will scream all day/night & won't have what to give her...
any ideas how to get her to eat????
(I am not looking for a heter not to fast....)

amother

Mon, Aug 04 2014, 11:45 am

I dont have any advice for you, but I remember when I was nursing my son, he was 3 months old, on tisha b'av. during the last 2-3 hours I had no milk, he did take a bottle so that helped.

I do remember that he was at least happy to suck, nothing came out and he would unlatch every so often to cry but at least the "nursing" soothed him a bit, caused him to sleep, etc.

ora_43

Mon, Aug 04 2014, 11:47 am

amother wrote:

(I am not looking for a heter not to fast....)

Why not?

I think it's not quite right to say "heter not to fast" in a case like this. It's not about you getting a leniency for yourself, to make your life easier - it's about making sure your baby has enough to eat!

amother

Mon, Aug 04 2014, 12:02 pm

amother wrote:

I do remember that he was at least happy to suck, nothing came out and he would unlatch every so often to cry but at least the "nursing" soothed him a bit, caused him to sleep, etc.

thank you! hope this will be the case...

Raisin

Mon, Aug 04 2014, 12:03 pm

Personally I've noticed no difference in my babies when I fast or not.

If your baby is very miserable or you are not feeling good you can always call a Rav to see if it is ok to break your fast. luckily you can use phones on tisha b'av.

mandr

Mon, Aug 04 2014, 2:38 pm

Actually I got a heter this year to fast at least a little bit (he didn't elaborate on that). My baby won't take a bottle from me (even though he takes one from the babysitter) and I feel extremely ill if I so much as eat breakfast/lunch/supper late. I also need to drink like a gallon and a half a day. And otherwise I feel lightheaded and like I'm going to pass out. I think my blood sugar isn't well-regulated while I am nursing because I never felt this way - I always fasted more or less ok. My baby does eat solids but just a few bites here and there - certainly not meal replacements. He still nurses 8 times a day. I also have a very fickle milk supply and the slightest thing out of order can cause it to drop like crazy. So I told all this to the Rav and he said it's fine for me to fast for a short while. I am aiming for till chatzos. I was so shocked I'd get such an answer, I thought for sure they'd tell me that I have to fast the whole time. So ask, you might be surprised.