Shalom!
My son is 3 month old. he don’t take a breast and I breastpumping every 2 hours to feed him. I must to use a pump on shabbat & yom tov, because in my case I don’t have enough milk to reserve in advance. I will not feed a formula to my son because it doesn’t have advantages of breast milk. How can I feed my baby on shabbat, yom tov and yom kippur if I want to avoid performing of prohibited melachot?
Answer:
Pumping into a bottle involves a Torah prohibition (mefarek).
Therefore, you have to try to feed him formula on Shabbos — though I understand you prefer not to — so as to avoid pumping into a bottle.
To alleviate your own pain, you can pump the milk directly into the sink etc. — where the milk is not being stored, the prohibition is only rabbinic, and it is permitted to alleviate the pain.
However, if your baby won’t agree to take formula, it is permitted to pump into a bottle in order for him to eat, because the matter will be considered piku’ach nefesh (the baby needs to eat). You don’t have to stop nursing altogether in order to avoid this (see Shemiras Shabbos [new edition] Chap. 32 no. 34; Mishnah Berurah 330:1).
Best wishes and hope the issue works out for the best.
If I may make a few he’aros b’chavod gadol.
1) The option of pumping into the sink is very difficult for many women as it entails bending over for long periods of time. Placing some soap in the bottle first to accomplish the “holeich l’ibud”, pumping to waste, and thus lowering it to a Rabbinic prohibition permissible in case of great pain, is much less difficult. This option is mentioned by SS”K in the new edition 36:21. There he also mentions the option of using an electric pump set up with a Shabbos clock using the same method of placing soap in the receiving bottle first. [See there for another option.]
2) Although I am aware that many poskim take the stance mentioned by the Rav who responded that formula must be given unless there is specific medical indication otherwise, to my surprise, SS”K in 36:32 and footonote 66 from Rav S”Z Auerbach zt”l and in 37:1 seems to be lenient for an exclusively mother’s-milk-fed baby to express milk for the baby on Shabbos to avoid risking stomach ailments by switching the food. I would appreciate if the responding Rav can either verify or dispute my reading of this source and indicate his source for his ruling.
1) The options you mention are certainly acceptable.
2) You are reading correctly, and that is certainly a valid opinion, perhaps it would depend on the age and thus fragility of the child.
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