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’m lower than detectable and I was breastfeeding but I didn’t have enough milk supply so I started mix feeding. I only found out that it’s wrong to mix feed on our 6 weeks check up. How much is the risk?
Hi Promise,
First, many congratulations on news of your baby.
It’s a good idea to talk to your doctor or nurse about this. It must be common for babies to be asleep when it’s time for their meds. So you can ask them for advice.
If you live in South Africa you can contact the Treatment Action Campaign at this contact link. They can help with local support.
I’m HIV positive and my baby is 4 weeks,his on medication, i can’t give him on time because sometimes he’s sleeping. But i give him everyday. Will my baby get infected with HIV…?
Hi Shantel.
I don’t know what the things are that you’re wanting to give your baby, (though I think they may be traditional medicines) if they are advised by a doctor, then yes. However, if what you’re proposing to give to your baby isn’t a medication that is intended for babies and one that your doctor has said that your doctor needs, then no you shouldn’t give them to your child, this is because there could be an interaction with the NVP. Please also see Q13 here: http://i-base.info/qa/what-are-the-most-asked-questions
My daughter is on NVP can I give her muthiwenyoni and goer amara?
Hi Beanca,
It’s great that your baby is negative. However, feeding your baby formula if your viral load is high, sounds like a good idea.
But did the nurse say why your viral load is high? It could be because your HIV meds are not working as well as they should.
Please talk to the nurse about your HIV treatment. You can ask if there are meds that would be better for you to take.
Did the nurse tell you how high your viral load was? Please let us know.
Hey I’m hiv and my baby is negative he is 2 months old the sister suggest I gave him formula cos my viral load is high I did breastfeed him is it possible that hisstatus can change
Hi Shantel,
I’m sorry to hear that they didn’t give you nevirapine for your daughter when she was born.
But please talk to the hospital about your daughter’s treatment. Most babies are given a short course of HIV meds if they are born to mothers who are HIV positive.
Please let us know if you are taking HIV treatment (ART). Please tell us what meds you are taking. And if you have access to your viral load results please tell us those too.
Here’s the guide to HIV pregnancy and women’s health. There a lot of info in this, including for after your baby is born.
Im HIV+ and I was breastfeeding my baby for 8 days now without giving her NVP because they didn’t give me at the hospital after birth,Im going to start to give her NVP today,does that mean she’s already affected ?
Hi Kolosa,
It’s good that you are bottle feeding your daughter. There is no risk of HIV if you feed her only with formula milk and not mix feed her with bottle and breastmilk.
But why do you think she needs Panado? It’s a good idea to take her to the doctor and explain what’s wrong.