HIV and Pregnancy

You are HIV positive; can you conceive and have a baby? Yes absolutely! You can have a healthy baby. Earlier HIV positive women were asked not to bear children because it is a disease that can get transmitted to the child during pregnancy or during labor. But thankfully with the invention of miracle treatments medications and proper diagnosis today you can have children without the risk of transmitting your illness to your baby.

Though becoming a mother for you is not going to be easy it is an uphill task you need to take care of various aspects lets go through them one by one to get a basic idea of what is best for you.

First are the things you should consider before getting pregnant-

1.How healthy are you? How is your overall health? Is your viral load high or low and how are your CD4s placed? 

The best thing for you is to have a low viral load and a high CD4s, that if ideal you will have no issues in getting pregnant.

2. Are you ready to go through all kinds of precaution in form of treatments and medications to safe guard your child from being infected?

3. Medications, treatments are great but still there is a possibility your child may get infected though the possibility is minimum but there is a chance. How will you deal with it?

4. In case you fall sick or are unwell do you have help who can handle your child when you are not up to it. For an HIV positive mom it is vital to have someone assist you with your baby.

Most of the times women realize they are HIV positive only during their pregnancy check ups but trust me with medications and care today you can have a healthy pregnancy and deliver a healthy baby. Getting good quality prenatal care is what is fundamental.

 

First get in touch with the nearest HIV specialist your gynecologist can also recommend one. HIV transmission from the mother to child can happen during pregnancy or even during labor. So it is important for you to ensure you are taking treatment during pregnancy, this treatment consists of certain medications that will ensure your child is safe from transmission of HIV. If you take this treatment during pregnancy trust us the chances are very squat, as in a hundred cases only one child will get infected, without treatment the chances can go up to 25 cases in hundred.

Usually your treatment will start as soon as you are pregnant most likely in the first trimester; you need to keep a strong check on your viral load. Please keep a full time nanny or a help to take care of your during your 9 months. Please do not stop any of your medications without asking your doctor.  Regular check ups and blood test will be done in your case to see how the medications are working on you. Towards the last semester the doctor will also advice to take go in for routine ultrasound to check the growth of the baby.

In most cases depending on your viral load the doctor will decide whether you should go in for a c-section or have a normal delivery, till date this is a debate as most doctors prefer to do a c-section in this case. As soon as your baby is born the pediatrics will stat administering preventive medications to him, these medications are given till the child is about 18 months in age. During the 18 months the baby will have various tests done to confirm if he is positive or negative. The doctors never rely on one report, repeated test will be done till he s 18 months only and if all the test are negative your child will be declared clear from HIV.

For HIV positive mothers breastfeeding is not allowed if your are HIV positive, I know it hurts that you cannot feed your baby but look at the positive side you have a baby who has not been infected with your illness and because you are not breastfeeding you also do not lose out on your sleep and rest. And making a bond with a baby is important for that breastfeeding is not the only option, you can bottle feed your child with the same love and warmth and still make that bond. And please do not feel your baby is not getting enough nutrition your baby will grow up just as healthy and strong as other children who have been breast feed, formulae milk has all the vital nutrients. So for your babies security do not breast feed and do not hassle over what people say after all it is you and your baby and no one else’s business.