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.
It is too late to stop mix feeding him and wait for 6 months
Hi Fortunate,
Congratulations on the birth of your baby boy.
It’s great that your viral load is low. So it sounds like your taking HIV treatment. It looks like you’re doing all you can to protect your baby from HIV.
However, it’s not recommended to feed soft food to babies who are only 6 weeks old because they are too young. Please talk to your doctor about the best way to feed your baby. They can give you the best advice.
But feeding babies born to HIV positive mothers is different in different countries. Some countries recommend breastfeeding exclusively for 6 months. And then your baby can be weaned onto soft food. Other countries recommend feeding only using formula.
Mixed feeding with both formula milk and breastfeeding is not recommended.
Good evening
I want to ask am HIV positive and my baby is 6weeks now my family doesn’t know about my status so they gave him soft food and water
What worries me I found out that am HIV positive while I was pregnant and I started to take my med so early. The doctor told me that my vir load is very low which means my baby is protected.
There is any chance that my baby can get effected because I already gave her food and water
Hi Sammy,
I’m sorry to hear your baby has a rash that’s irritating him. However, please see your doctor so that they can look at your baby’s rash. This is important because we can sometimes have a serious reaction to any of the meds we take. A rash can sometimes be a sign of this.
Can I ask why you haven’t been given your viral load result? You can ask your doctor about this too. Please let us know how you get on, and also tell us what ARVs you’re taking.
When the baby is given ILVITRIM SUSPENSION 500ml from 250ml he was taking should i be worried ? and his getting rash on in his face which is irritating him .i on arv i don’t know my viral load
Hi Sammy,
First, congratulations that you have a new baby boy.
It’s good that you’re feeding him only formula. It sounds like you are doing all you can. But it’s important to talk to your doctor about his treatment. Especially as he has two records for treatment at the clinic.
Some babies need longer treatment than others. That’s why you need to talk to your doctor about it. But there is no increased risk to him if you’re feeding only with formula milk.
How is your treatment going? Please let us know your viral load and CD4 count results. Please tell us what HIV meds you’re taking too.
Hello
My baby is on formula so how long does he have to take med his 11 weeks and i stopped breastfeeding him when he was 2 weeks,but because at the clinic i have two files with information that does not aline his still on the med but different to the one i got when I left the hospital,So my question is how long should the baby be on his med when his on formula?
Hi Kutlwano,
Please see below for the answer to your first question.
However, if you want to switch to formula only feeding that should be fine. But please talk to your doctor about this.
It’s important to talk to your doctor and discuss your baby’s HIV treatment too. Your doctor can also help with all the advice you need about feeding.
Please let us know about your HIV meds, and your blood test results.
Hey can an infant with an HIV mother drink both formula and breastmilk? The child is two weeks old and they just wrote exposed on his clinic card and he was given some medications by my family and i want to change him to formula milk is it possible without increasing the risk of him being infected?
Hi Kutlwano,
The best way to feed your baby can depend on what country you live in. Here in the UK it’s not recommended to breastfeed.
Other countries recommend breastfeeding only for six months only. But it’s not recommended to mix both breastfeeding and formula feeding. That’s because mixed feeding with both can increase the risk of HIV to your baby.
Are you taking HIV treatment (ART)? And do you have support for you and your baby where you live? If you live in South Africa you can contact the Treatment Action Campaign at this contact link. They can help with local support.
Please let us know what meds you’re taking, and your CD4 count and viral load results.