Question
My family are giving my baby water, is this OK?
4 April 2017. Related: All topics, Children.
I’m HIV+ mother and my baby is 3wèeks old . My CD4 count was 311 and undetectable viral load. I’m breastfeeding her and my family don;t know about my status. She tested HIV – n. Shes taking her meds as well (nvp). My worry is that now my mom believe the baby needs water so we giving her water almost every day and my breast milk is not enough for her as shes always sucking me. They say she doesn’t get full so we must feed her. I would to know what are the chances of my baby being HIV +
Answer
Thanks for getting in touch.
And congratulations on the birth of your daughter. Its also great to hear that she’s already tested negative.
Your family giving your daughter won’t influence her possible status. However, babies who are this young don’t need water. What they need is milk, and milk alone. If you feel like you aren’t producing enough milk, you may need to change to formula. However, if you do this, you must not mix feed.
The best thing to do would be to speak to your babies doctor. They will be able to tell you if she’s growing or not. If its any help some babies suckle more than others.
am a HIV positive breastfeeding mum..when my was 1 month old I saw a slight bleeding gum in his mouth ,when I was breastfeeding him..pls is he at risk? he tested negative at six weeks.
Hi Ab,
It’s great that your baby tested HIV negative.
Some babies are ready to start eating soft food like semi-liquid cereals at 5 months. And it sounds like your baby is ready for this. But you could still give her breast milk while she is weaned onto to soft food.
It is not recommended to switch between breast milk and formula milk but starting to feed your baby a small bit of soft food shouldn’t affect this.
My baby is 5months8days old and she is strictly on exclusive breast feeding but yesterday peak baby infant formula was given to hearing small Quantity ,she doesn’t want to take it but took cereals without anything please I’m confused, should I go ahead breastfeeding her. With cereals and withhold the infant formula since she tested Negative to HIV?
Hi Lady,
Unfortunately, very young babies should not be given water because it could make them unwell. But there should be enough water in her formula. If she is constipated please can you talk to your doctor about it? It’s a good idea to have the doctor examine her too.
Hy…my bby is one week old and on formula n nevirapine….can I give her low water as she experience constipation?
Hi Thank,
Babies don’t need solid food until about 4 to 6 months. Breastmilk is the thing for babies this young.
Breastfeeding exclusively until 6 months is recommended for HIV positive mothers. Then you can wean onto solid food. Don’t stop brestfeeding. Breastmilk is really good for your baby.
Hy I’m HIV positive and I have a babe so he is 2 months and my mother started to introduce her on solid food should I stop breastfeeding??
Hi Ds,
All babies need to take a short course of HIV drugs for the first few weeks of life, if their mother is HIV positive. Usually zidovudine is stopped about 4 weeks of age.
Septrin is an antibiotic and it’s used to prevent other infections such as pneumonia. Breastfeeding exclusively for 6 months is recommended by the World Health Organisation if you choose to breastfeed.
But please talk to your clinic about your baby’s treatment so that you know what the treatment is for.
I took my dd to the hospital when she was 6 weeks and they asked me to stop the zidovudine and gave me septrin to give it to my daughter…Pls i want to know if it’s ok my daughter stop zidovudine after 6 weeks and taking septrin now because i am breastfeeding exclusively
Hi Celiwe,
It’s OK just to switch to formula only to avoid mixed feeding. Mixed feeding is when the baby is given both formula and breast milk.
So feeding with formula only sounds like a good idea. Especially as your sister is not producing enough breast milk.
As Lisa says, the baby doesn’t really need the water.