Ros Escott is an ABA counsellor & Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) in private practice Hobart. She sends this information. I understand that having a caesarean is safer because possible infection may occur during delivery. There are medications they sometimes give around the time of delivery, and to the baby after delivery, that can minimise the risk of infection to the baby. In some parts of Africa, that's all the medication they can afford to give. I read the other day of a trial with multivitamins that decreased infection rates - seems like nutrition and infection may be part of the equation.
Yes, HIV can be passed on through breastmilk in some circumstances. It is a matter of weighing up the risks and benefits. In Australia, where artificial feeding is considered relatively "safe", mothers are encouraged to bottle feed. However, I think there have been cases where women have insisted on breastfeeding. In Africa, where a huge percentage of the population is HIV positive, bottle feeding can be more of a risk. In trying to save a baby from HIV you can kill it with diarrhoea. The evidence coming through now is that mixed feeding may be the greatest risk, and that exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months appears to be no more of a risk than formula feeding. Mixed feeding may be a risk because the microscopic bowel bleeding that occurs in all formula fed babies may be a portal of entry for the virus in the human milk. The trouble with telling an African woman to bottle feed is the social stigma - it is a sign she is HIV positive. So she keeps her milk supply going so she can breastfeed when anyone else is around, and at other times she uses the formula that has been supplied to her. Mixed feeding! Ros Helen Grainger -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
