A couple has been charged with the murder of their 10-week old daughter, after she died of starvation. Courtesy: Fox 5 News

THIS mum couldn’t afford baby formula, so she made a fatal feeding decision that killed her 10-week-old daughter.

Lauren Fristed wasn’t producing enough breast milk to feed her newborn daughter so she made a terrible decision to dilute it with water.

Last week the 25 year old was charged with murder, after her 10-week-old baby died of water intoxication.

Little Nevaeh weighed less when she died than she did at birth.

Detective Charles Hamrick, from Duluth in the US, gave evidence in court that the family told him they didn’t have money for formula, so they started adding water to the breast milk.

According to a 2011 study by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, more than a quarter of families in poverty water down formula or reduce feeds. Known as ‘formula stretching’, the practice risks babies’ brain development, leading to problems with behaviour, memory and judgment.

The medical examiner says Neveah was drinking twice as much water as breast milk, which caused her sodium levels and electrolytes to drop dramatically and her brain to swell.

Detective Hamrick described Nevaeh’s physical condition in court as “just really skinny, didn’t look healthy. I rolled the baby over on her back, there was no baby fat, the back bone was protruding out.”

He added that while Lauren shared her concerns about her daughter with their ‘spiritual adviser’, her husband, George Landell, 26 — who has also been charged with murder — refused to let his wife seek medical assistance and chose to pray for his child instead.

Detective Hamrick also said the couple, who are ‘highly religious’ decided against pre- or post-natal care. Lauren even refused to take the pre-natal vitamins a friend purchased for her. They were reluctant to go to the hospital for their daughter’s birth until Lauren needed an emergency caesarean.

On the day Nevaeh died, George told Detective Hamrick he repeatedly prayed and tried to force feed his daughter. Police believe she may have already passed away at that point.

This story originally appeared on kidspot.com.au