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 am HIV positive an i gave my baby small amount of water just one day now am worried my baby would text positive,my nipples too has started to crack
Hi Penelope,
This is something that you’ll need to discuss with your childs doctor as bactrim isn’t an ARV.
Hi my baby is hiv neg she complited Azt now m going back to work is there any wrong if she dsnt get bactrim ?
Hi Asah,
No it doesn’t mean that your son is positive. Doctrim is an antibiotic and is given as a precaution. Has your son had a test yet? Was your viral load undetectable when you gave birth?
Im hiv positive on treatment. I gave birth to a baby boy an he was given neverepine and when he is 6 weeks old they gave him doctrim suspension…does this mean my son is hiv positive
Hi Gugulethu,
Zidovudine is an ARV, so its the same as niverapine. How old is your baby? Are you breastfeeding?
I was only given zidovudine to give my baby twice a day, will it work effectively without the niverapine syrup?
Hi Serah.
Giving a child gripe water won’t have any impact on their possible status. However, you may want to consider talking to your husband about your status as their is a possibility that he may also be positive.
What about giving baby gripe water,am HIV positive but my husband is not awear of my status so he decided that we give baby gripe water to stops stomach ache
Hi Sthokozile,
It’s important to talk to the clinic about your baby’s treatment. However, all babies need to take a short course of HIV drugs for the first four weeks of life, if their mother is HIV positive.
But your baby’s treatment can depend on whether your viral load is undetectable. That means if it’s under 50 copies m/L.
So all your treatment and your baby’s treatment should be discussed with the doctor. Do you have access to this advice? You could also ask them for advice about how to feed your baby.