Question
My baby is on nevirapine and I’m breastfeeding, is my baby positive?
19 August 2016. Related: All topics, Pregnancy.
Answer
Firstly, congratulations on having your baby.
It is normal for your baby to be given a short course (4 weeks) of HIV treatment (such as nevirapine) when born. This doesn’t mean your baby is HIV positive. This will be checked later through testing. A different type of testing is also used on babies as the normal antibody test used in adults will show the baby as positive.
Our guide on pregnancy has lots more information
https://i-base.info/guides/pregnancy
In the UK, the BHIVA (British HIV Association) guidelines recommend bottle feeding.
This is because in countries where mothers can have access to to formula milk AND clean water ANDÂ bottle sterilising equipment, the risk of transmitting HIV to the baby through bottle feeding is zero. There are different recommendations for other countries though and many women breastfeed. I am not sure about the recommendations in Zambia.
This means that you are doing the best that you can to protect your baby.
However, being positive and looking after a new born baby can be hard and many people need help. Do you have much support around you to help or are you touch with good care from your doctor?
Hi Judith,
First many congratulations on the birth of your new baby girl.
But please talk to your doctor or nurse about your baby’s treatment. They can give you the best advice on this. Babies born to HIV positive mothers often need different courses of ARVs. So it’s important to check with them.
If you live in South Africa you can contact the Treatment Action Campaign at this contact link. They can help with local support for access to HIV treatment.
Hi my name is judith on treatment(ARV)just had a baby girl on march,at the hospital they gave nevirapine for my baby to give to her everyday for 6months but now I’m running out of the syrup so where can I get or buy it?sothat my baby can be safe
Hi Nompumelelo
Switching to formula was the right thing to do, especially as you were having issues with breastfeeding. With formula there also isn’t any risk. The issue however is the porridge. Your child shouldn’t be being given porridge, as she’s simply too young. Babies don’t need to be given solids until they’re 6 months old. Also if you mix feed the chances of your baby being positive may increase. This is why it’s important that you only give your child formula. The medication that you’ve now been given isn’t an ARV, it’s an antibiotic.
I’m a hiv positive mother and i started my treatment in 2015 may, i have a baby girl who is 6 weeks old now, after birth i was breastfeeding her because at clinic and hospital they told me it is safe for me to breastfeed.after being discharged they gave me cipla nevirapine to give my baby girl daily at the same time, but before she’s six weeks i had a problem with my breast they were not producing enough milk and my nipples were giving hard time when she had to suck, i felt she’s not getting full and went ti to one of the clinics to asked for advice, they referred me to a male sister whose working specifically with children, i explained to him my story, he said i can change my baby girl to formula milk as long as they gave me nevirapine to give her. After ten days of breastfeeding her i then changed her to formula milk, before she go back to the clinic for six weeks my parents told me to buy her crean of maize soft porridge and give her not too much in the morning and at night before we sleep because they felt she’s not getting full, on monday she was turning 6 weeks when i get to the clinic they asked what is the baby eating i told them thst formula milk didnt mention the soft porridge, they said since i changed from breastfeeding to formula milk they changing her to alvitrim suspension so my concern is am i not putting my child at risk of being infected by giving her formula milk and soft porridge please im really worried and if i should stop please tell me for the sake of my child safety
Hi Jane,
Giving your child paracetamol and amoxicillin won’t have increased the risk of your child being positive, however were these prescribed by a doctor? Is your child also using ARVs?
Hi my name is jane…my baby is 3months..and breastfeeding..she is sick and i gave her paracetamol and amoxicillin…but i dont mix feed…im afraid i might have infected her?
Hi Buli,
First I’d like to congratulate you on the news that you’re going to have another baby.
However, taking HIV treatment (ART) and having an undetectable viral load when you give birth can reduce the risk to your baby to close to zero.
But whether you breastfeed or not depends on where you live. In some countries HIV positive mothers are recommended to breastfeed only and exclusively for just 6 months. After 6 months you can wean your baby onto soft food.
But please speak to your doctor or nurse about the best way to feed your baby. They can give you the best advice depending on what country you live in.
Please see the guide to HIV pregnancy and women’s health. There’s a lot of info in this for you and your baby.
Hi iam 7 weeks pregnant i would like to know if its ok for me to breastfeed for months and stop when i go back to work or should i not start breastfeeding at all?
It saddens me because i like breastfed my 14 yrs old son for 2 yrs i was negative back then knowing the feeling of breasfeeding tears me apart that theres a chance that i cant this time around
Hi Zinhle,
If your child is unwell, they should see a doctor. When you say you mix feed, are you referring to the first two weeks?
Hi im hiv positive with 3months baby on a formula but mix feed and now she’s vomiting is she positive but i gave birth with c section and breastfed for 2 weeks.