Breastfeeding The baby sucks milk (milk) from his mother’s breast. God Almighty has commanded mothers to breastfeed their children fully for a period of two years in the Almighty’s saying: (And mothers breastfeed their children for two full years) [Al-Baqarah: 233]. Breastfeeding should not be less than two years except for legitimate reasons that will be mentioned in this article, and there is no objection to the breastfeeding period exceeding two years, if the child needs that, and this is part of Islam’s kindness to childhood and care for it. He said: (Nothing is forbidden from breastfeeding except what was herniated in the intestine in the breast and it was before weaning). Al-Tirmidhi narrated it with an authentic chain of narrators.
There are rulings on breastfeeding, including that it is forbidden to a person by breastfeeding what is forbidden to him by childbirth. The Messenger, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, said: (What is forbidden from breastfeeding is forbidden from lineage) Narrated by Muslim.
Types of breastfeeding:
Breastfeeding is divided into three sections: breastfeeding, formula feeding, and mixed feeding.
Breastfeeding:
It is to breastfeed a child from the breast of his mother, or from a non-mahram woman. And from God’s wisdom is that mother’s milk contains different substances and elements in known proportions, in accordance with the needs of the child, which made it the best food for the child to eat during his breastfeeding. And for the mother to carry out her great mission in the most perfect manner; She must breastfeed her child naturally, as long as she is able to do so. But if she gives up this task for the sake of comfort and luxury, or something else, then she has lost her child and herself; Because she violated God’s command and deprived her child of the most useful food that God Almighty had designated for him. But if the mother has legitimate excuses, she does not have to breastfeed her child, and among those excuses:
- She had a genetic disease such as tuberculosis of all kinds, for fear of transmitting the infection to her child.
- She had uterine bleeding, kidney infections, or puerperal fever.
- She suffers from chronic diseases such as heart and chest disease.
- She suffers from anemia.
- Milk does not go away.
The breast-feeding woman should take care of her food in order to make her flow more, by consuming a lot of fruits, vegetables and fluids such as dairy, and reducing stimulants such as tea and coffee, and she should also get some rest.
Feeding:
If mother’s milk is the best food for the child, then what should she do if the mother is unable to breastfeed her child for reasons beyond her control, and her circumstances do not allow her to seek the assistance of a foreign nurse?! In such a case: The mother provides her child with formula milk that is similar in composition and characteristics to breast milk. Including cow’s and goat’s milk, and cow’s milk is preferred over other milk because it is easy to obtain. And since the chemical analyzes have proven that the components of cow’s milk are different from what is found in mother’s milk, cow’s milk must be diluted, so that the albumin and fatty substances it contains decrease. The milk of the animal should be boiled and sterilized in order to preserve the health of the child, and the mother should take care of the cleanliness of the breast-feeding, which is also called the breast-feeding woman, and the jumpsuit (the nipple) in which it is installed, which is similar to the nipple of the breast.
Mixed feeding:
In this type of breastfeeding, the two previous types of breastfeeding are combined: breastfeeding and formula feeding. The mother resorts to mixed feeding when her milk is little, or when she feels weak and emaciated.