"My brother has had HIV for the past 5 years. He recently had a baby with his girlfriend, however she's not been detected with the virus. She is breastfeeding. Is this okay?"
Your HIV Guide responds:
That is a good question. Breast feeding carries a very significant transmission risk to the baby if the mother is HIV positive. If mom was HIV negative during pregnancy and HIV negative after the birth of her baby, then breastfeeding is no risk. That being said, she should have a series of HIV tests to make sure. Experts recommend having a test now, in 6 weeks and then 3 months after that test. If all of the tests are negative she has nothing to worry about. If there is some question whether she is negative or not, bottle feeding may be a good idea until mom's HIV negative status is confirmed. One other thing. Please keep in mind that given her boyfriend's HIV positive status, condoms are an absolute must with each and every sexual contact.
