Question
Will my baby be okay now I stopped giving him water?
2 January 2018. Related: All topics, Children, Pregnancy.
My baby is 3 weeks 6 days, he is formula feeding and i just recently found out that i should not be giving him water when he is on nevirapine and i have stopped. What negative effects does this have on my son?
Answer
Hi
You are right that your baby doesn’t need water or any other foods – just the formula milk.
Now you have change to this it will be better.
Your son is likely to be fine now, but it is also good for your doctor and nurse to advise you on this.
Congratulations on your new son too.
Hi Ziya, as you are on treatment the risk of mixed feeding remains minimal. It is really good that baby also took nevriapine. This makes transmission risk even lower.
Hi I’m Ziya and my baby is 11weeks
At 4weeks I started mix feeding because I felt she wasn’t getting enough due to the growth sprut and she was not tested at 6weeks,she tested negative at birth and now I await her results coz she was tested at 10weeks.
I am on treatment my viral load is undetected and she took nevirapine for 6weeks now is taking novatrim.
What are the possibilities that I have infected her?
Hi Keitumetse, congratulations on having a baby. While mixed feeding can increase risk of transmission, the risk is still very low. The risk is lower if you and baby are also on treatment. 2 weeks is young to give baby porridge. More solid food should usually not be given to baby until they are 6 months or older. Is baby doing well with breastfeeding?
Hello my baby is 6 weeks I’m HIV positive and I’m breastfeeding. I started giving my baby porridge at 2 weeks until we went for 6 weeks checkup and he was not tested. What can be the possibility of him being HIV positive too?
Hi Danielle, congratulations on your new baby – and great everything sounds so good. This is your baby though and your mother in law should respect your wishes for how you want to look after your baby.
However, if your viral load is undetectable, letting your breastfeed, then so long as the water is sterile and clean and the powder milk is mixed in a clean environment, using bottle milk for a short time will not harm your baby.
Although for many years women were advised not to mix bottle and breast, this is no longer such an important worry. Even if your clinic says not to mix, they might not be up to date with the latest research.
Knowing that your baby will not be harmed or at risk, might mean you can let your mother in law help with bottle feeding, especially if this is only for a short visit.
This should still be your decision, but please don’t worry about mixed feeding for a short time.
best wishes
Simon
Good day my baby boy today is turning 1 month.and he’s on nevirapine and zidovudine syrup treatment. please help because now my mother in law want to give him formula and I told her must not buy it now but she’s forcing to buy it.today she went to shop and buy formular must I stop breastfeeding because I can’t I mix it.
Hi Tee, this is not going to risk HIV transmission but it is still not a good idea for baby to be swallowing bath water.
Hey I’m Tee,,I just wanna know how bad it is for a baby if she swallows water when you bath her,,I’m hiv positive and exclusively breastfeeding..she is 3 months now taking novatrim and I’m on treatment my vl last time was undetectable…
Thanks!!
Hi Dani, congratulations on having a baby. Giving baby a little water is not going to risk transmission. Though at 13 weeks baby does not need to be given anything extra to breast/formula.
Hi my baby boy is 13 weeks now,first result tested negative.he is taking nevirapine. am worried because I didn’t know I must not give him water.his granny gave him sugar water.please help he won’t be affected with HIV.thanks