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.
I am hiv positive with undetectable viral load my baby is 5 months..i started feeding her solid food yesterday and today i read it’s not safe to feed babies before 6 months..can this change my baby status ..she was tested negative at 14 weeks..i am worried
Hi Sylivia,
Yes you can change your child to formula, in fact formula is the preferred method of infant feeding as it carries no risk. With regards to the nevirapine, there shouldn’t be a need for your child to be on this past 4-6 weeks, that is if you switch to formula. However, please discuss this with your childs doctor.
Hi I’m HIV pos.. And gave birth to a baby boy he’s only 19 days old.. I’m breastfeeding him and VL was 109 the last time I checked @clinic.. But they gave him nevirapine.. So is it possible if I switch to formula before 6months?? Will he continue taking nevirapine or is no longer necessary if he has changed to formula?
Hi Momo,
Breastfeeding guidelines vary depending on where it is that someone lives, if you were in the UK you would be advised against breastfeeding. This is even if your HIV is undetectable. If you live in Sub Saharan Africa, you’d be encouraged to breastfeed.
I’m 3 months pregnant and my cd4 count is very high and undetectable viral load. I intend to breastfeed my child after giving birth. Is it safe?
Hi Anna,
If you’re positive, your child needs to be taking ARVs. Please go back to the clinic/hospital where your child was born and explain the situation to them. Unless your viral load is undetectable, you’re going to need to give your baby formula.
I give birth yesterday, and when I arrived at home I realized that dey write nonreactive on my discharge form which means dey didn’t go throw my maternity records and DAT means my baby didn’t get nvp and zidovudine my heart heart is painful when dey say I mst breastfeed my bbe I tot dey did everything
Hi Eba,
If you have changed to formula, it’s important that your don’t also breastfeed. There is no risk of HIV if only feeding with formula milk. Mix feeding with formula and breastmilk can increase risk though.
But please talk to the doctor about your son’s constipation.
Hey.
My son is 3weeks old on nevirapine and zidovudine I recently started giving formula since my breast are not making enough milk.. he now has constipation, is it okay to give him a little water to ease his constipation?
Hi Zara,
Please can you see the doctor about this? It’s important that she has a check up to make sure she’s well.