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 AND 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 Zandile,
Congratulations on the news of the birth of your baby. It’s great the HIV test result was negative.
Feeding your baby with only formula is not a risk for HIV. But please speak to your doctor or nurse about the best way to feed your baby. They can also give the best advice for HIV treatment for your baby and yourself.
If you live in South Africa you can contact the Treatment Action Campaign at this contact link. They can give local support.
Hi I want to know if I’m wrong to formular then give medication to my baby I’m HIV by my child result where negative
Hi Joy,
First many congratulations on the birth of your new baby girl.
It’s great that she had some nevirapine after she was born. All babies who have HIV positive mothers are given a short course of meds like this. But it’s usually a bit longer than just a few days.
But please talk to your doctor about any treatment that she needs. Your doctor and clinic know about you and your baby and they can give the best advice on treatment for both of you.
You can ask at the clinic if there are people or organisations who can support you and help with your HIV treatment.
Hi, my baby girl drank nevirapine only 3 days I am not breastfeeding, is it fine if I start giving her again to complete the 6 weeks period? She is almost one month now.
Hi Tasha,
First, many congartulations on the news of your new baby boy.
All babies born to HIV positive mothers are given a short course of HIV treatment, such as nevirapine, after they’re born. But it takes a while to find out if they have HIV.
In the UK, it is good practice to test the baby on the day she or he is born. The test is repeated after six weeks and again at three months.
If all these tests are negative, and you are not breastfeeding your baby, then your baby does not have HIV. Please see more at this page in the guide to HIV pregnancy and women’s health.
You’re only bottle feeding him and there’s no inceased risk from this. So it sounds like you’re doing all you can.
But please speak to the doctor or nurse about your worries. They know about your health and your baby’s health, so they can give you the best advice.
Hello my baby is 2 months old, but started being given milk of magnesia at 2 weeks alongside with nevirapine, my mom furthermore introduced muthi wenyoni to him before he was a month old, he is done with nevirapine but I’m worried if it was effective since he had other medicines as well. I gave birth by cSection and I’m bottle feeding.
I’m worried my baby might be hiv+
Hi Eliza,
First, many congratulations on the news of your new baby.
It’s great that you started HIV treatment when you were pregnant. It’s also great that your baby tested negative and the doctors gave him nevirapine and doctrim.
So it sounds like you are doing all you can.
However, please talk to your doctors about the best way to feed your baby. They can give you the best advice as they know all about your baby’s health care since he was born.
The doctors are the people to listen to about the best things for your health and your baby’s health. This includes the best way to feed him.
Here’s the i-Base guide to HIV pregnancy and women’s health. Please let us know how you get on.
Hie, am positive HIV I started treatment when I was 3 months pregnant , my bady turn 4 months yesterday. They tested him first day he was born the results was negative they given him nevirapine .at 6 week he tested negative they gave him nevirapine , then when I went on 13 last month they gave him doctrim suspension. am breastfeeding, since last months my breastmilk is not enough so I started giving him formula am mixing …..the father refuse to stop him breastfeed until 6 months he said I must give him both . But since second month of his birth he is have ali of rash upto date
Pls help me how bad is it to mix breast and formula
Hi Hlengi,
First, many congratulations on news of the birth of your baby.
But please talk to your doctor about your baby’s treatment. All baby’s need to take a short course of HIV drugs for the first weeks of life, if their mother is HIV positive.
And your doctor or nurse can explain the use of nevirapine for your baby. And they can also give you the best advice on feeding your baby too.
If you live in South Africa you can contact the Treatment Action Campaign for local support.
My baby is 9 weeks and I stop using nevirapine ,is okay because they did not give me any after 6weeks , would my baby be affected HIV