Question
Can I stop breastfeeding at 3 months?
2 May 2017. Related: All topics, Children.
Can I stop breastfeeding at 3 months instead of 6 cause my family doesn’t know and I have to go back to work.
Answer
Thanks for getting in touch.
How long you breastfeed for is up to you. If you want to stop at 3 months then you can. If you’d like to continue to give your baby your milk, you could express it and give it to them in a bottle. Is this something that you’ve thought about?
If you do stop giving them your milk, its better that you don’t mix feed.
Hi Lorn,
Even though your viral load is nearly 50, to ensure that there is no risk at all you should be using formula. However, it’s important to know that breastfeeding guidelines vary depending on where it is that someone lives. In the UK women aren’t advised to breastfeed, we use formula.
Hi there
I’m currently on arvs and I’m not on un detectable VL is 209 yet so far my child is 2 weeks old and I’m breast feeding the baby is also taken doses of nevarepine , is it safe to continue to breast feed of should I switch which would be best , at the clinic they advise u to breastfeed I’m uncertain as I don’t want to put my child at risk ,
Hi Alice,
As Lisa says on this Q&A, If you want to stop at 3 months then you can. And it’s not a danger to switch to formula milk. So this is fine.
But if you do stop giving them your milk, its better that you don’t mix feed with both formula and breast milk.
It is danger to stop breastfeeding in 3month to formula milk
Hi Lungi,
Yes it’s possible to stop with the breast milk and give your child formula.
Hi I’m lungi I’m HIV positive my child is two days old and I gave him breast milk for one day so is it safe to stop and and start giving him formula milk
Hi Gift,
As Lisa says above, If you want to stop at breastfeeding 2 or 3 months then you can. But it’s better that you don’t mix feed with both breastmilk and formula. Mix feeding can increase the risk to your baby. But feeding formula only will be fine.
Please discuss this with your doctor. Your doctor or nurse can give the best advice on how you feed your baby.
I discovered am not lactating enough to feed my baby can u stop the breast feeding at 2months? HIV patient
Hi Thuli,
First, many congratulations on the birth of your baby.
But please talk to your doctor or nurse about the best way to feed your baby. They can give you the best advice.
However, it’s not recommended to mix both breastfeeding and formula feeding. And the clinic can give you details about this.
Hi,im hiv positive and my baby is 7 days n in formula but i would really like to breastfeed