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.
Hi I am HIV positive n i breastfeeded my baby for 2 weeks n I changed him to a formula. Should I continue give him a nevirapine?
Hi Annoy,
Congratulations on having a new baby.
What does the clinic say about your plan to breastfeed now? As Lisa says it’s not recommended to mixfeed with both formula and breastmilk.
So it’s a good idea to ask the doctor about changing back to breastfeeding only. They should be able to give you good advice.
Am hiv positive ,but the baby is negative,Gave birth on the 30th January and same day was breastfeeding but baby was crying of Hunger I changed to formula , however on the day 5 now my breast are producing more milk can I change back to breastfeeding?
Hi Rose,
Babies this young don’t really need anything other than milk. However, if you were to give your child water it won’t have any impact on their possible status.
I’m hiv positive and my one month old baby is negative. Please can I start giving my one month old baby water.
Hi Annony
Congratulations on your new baby. It’s recommended not to mix feed with both formula and breastmilk.
But it’s a good idea to talk to the clinic about it. What does the nurse say about this?
I am a hiv positive mother,I breastfed for 5 days then substituted with formula..
Can I stop using formula and breast feed again?
What are the chances of infecting the baby?
My VL is undetectable and I have birth to a HIV negative baby
Hi Babalwa,
It’s a good idea to talk to the clinic about feeding your baby. But, if you are breastfeeding, it’s recommended to begin to wean your baby onto soft food at 6 months. So it sounds like you’re doing the best you can.
But talking to the clinic can help with your worries.
Hi,
I was diagnosed with HIV in 2015 and have managed to keep my VL undetectable ever since I started treatment my question is can i continue to breastfeed after 6 months and once my baby has began eating stable soft food.
Thanks
Babs
Hi Prudy,
Congratulations on your new baby.
It sounds like you’re doing all you can. It’s great that your viral load is undetectable because that can help protect him from HIV. And he is taking his dose of nevirapine everyday.
It’s recommended that HIV positive mothers who breastfeed do that exclusively. It’s not recommended to mix feed with both breastmilk and formula.
But talking to the clinic can help. Let them know you’re doing what you can but that you are worried about his health.