Is It Safe to Breastfeed If I Am Hepatitis C Positive?

Hello N., I have friend, Rebeca, her daughter had hep.C after tatoo. She had a baby girl. Rebeca told me they don't test babies for hep.C till they are 1 year old, after she was a year the test was positive. Both Rebeca's daughter and granddauter free from Hep.C. they have used some herbal formula. If you are not afraid of sales pitch,call me,I will connect you with her. Sorry for being so short. It's 1:45 a.m. My name is A.. Please call me ###-###-####.

Hi N.,

Bottles are okay! My two kids were bottle fed only, both with soy forumula. They are healthy, intelligent kids. I was surprised at how aggressive friends and strangers were about voicing their opinions about this. It's nobody's elses business... be prepared for questions/opinions.

Good luck!

Dear N.!

congratulations and wonderful you are doing the research.
your pediatrician is right i believe.
please check this website by the CDC (center of disease control)
http://www.cdc.gov/BREASTFEEDING/disease/hepatitis.htm

- they state there is no documented evidence of transmission via breastmilk - as you are aware, it only transmits via BLOOD not saliva or breastmilk.
Most mothers i know have never had cracked or bleeding nipples, much the contrary with Lanolin ointment that can
usually be avoided.

That said you will BOND either way of course!!!! Take it from there and inform yourself even more, speak to your hospital's infectious disease specialist, your OB GYN etc. and then make an informed decision.
I can only imagine how tough this is.

GOOD luck, C.

first off congrats on your little one! and second to give you some info i found in the Breastfeeding Answer Book. The info given pretty much said that breastfeeding causes very minimal risk of tranfering hep c to baby (about the same risk as formula feeding). please contact me and i can get you all of the info. or contact your local La Leche League and they can get you the same info.

N., I am so sorry to hear you have the Hep C antibody. That is really too bad. However, we are not the people you should be asking if it is safe to breastfeed. I would get a second opinion, just to be safe. Also, you can prepare your breasts for breastfeeding and toughen your nipples so they do not bleed or crack. I took a class in this and learned how to express colostrum and toughen my nipples, and I never had any problem. Take very good care of yourself (and get lots of sleep now!).

I think it's better to be safe than sorry. No one can guarantee you that your nipples won't crack & bleed, because it's very likely they will, especially for 1st time breastfeeding. I bleed a lot and I know plenty of others did as well. formulas are really great these days and you won't be depriving your baby. good luck & congrats

I honestly don't know much about hep c but I reada study on mothers in africa who were HIV positive and those born HIV positive who breastfed for a year or more were not HIV positive at the end. For just about everything the answers i see from breastfeeding advocates is its always better to nurse, so my best advice would be to check with la leche league or a lactation consultant vs listening to a general dr. who might not be an advocate or would stop you at the slightest fear of malpractice

Hi N.,
If you pump, your nipples won't crack and you can make sure your baby gets at least those first several days of milk where the majority of health benefits are derived. For bonding, kangaroo care (email if need info) works very well. By the way, there are not conclusive studies showing that breastfeeding makes the kind of difference for baby that many claim. The studies are not truly able to control for other factors (such as parental education levels, prenatal care, etc.) because it would not be ethical to take a group of mothers and tell them whether or not they can breastfeed. Therefore, the studies have selection bias and several other issues that I will not bore you with. I breastfed my son. I have nothing against it. What I am against is moms being made to feel that they are harming their children if they do not breastfeed. You can look at the National Institutes of Health website, the Mayo Clinic website, Lucile Packard at Stanford's website, and similar to learn more about what studies on breastfeeding really do or do not tell us. Other sources of info often give the study findings without mention of flaws in study design or other limitations in the research. Most of all, enjoy your baby!

N.,

Congratulations on your pregnancy! I think it's great that you are doing research so that you can make an informed decission on what you should do when it comes to feeding your baby. I don't have any experience with hep C, but I can say that when I had my first baby... my nipples got SOOO sore and cracked and would bleed... If your doctor said it would be okay if you don't bleed, then I would think that there would be a risk with breast feeding. It's hard to say if your nipples will or will not crack and bleed. Now, having said that.... there's no reason why you can't still give your baby breast milk. Have you thought about buying a really good pump so you could pump your milk for your baby? I would highly recommend the brand Medela. If you pump, you can monitor your nipples and if you find they've cracked then you can supplement with formula while they heal. Also, if they crack in the middle of pumping you can toss that milk. You wouldn't be able to do that if your baby was on your breast.. it would be too late. I'm really sorry you have to deal with this, but please know that your baby will bond with you no matter how you feed him/her. You are already looking out for your baby's best interest and that makes you a great mom! Good Luck in your decision.

mm...*lots* of first time (and second, and third) mom have cracking and bleeding when they start breast feeding. your nipples just aren't accustomed to all that activity, sucking, saliva, etc. also, the whole "toughening the nipples" is outdated and doesn't really work, from what my OB said. my son has a funny suck and it just tore my nipples apart. i spent many hours and a lot of money with lactation consultants that kept telling me everything looked *fine*, but i have scars to prove it was *not* fine.

you should talk to a lactation consultant (usually one available for phone consults at a hospital or clinic, just ask your ped) and see what alternatives there are. pumping and bottle feeding comes to mind, but it is a ton of work. you could try a combination of breastfeeding and pumping in the first month or so to prevent the soreness, cracking, and bleeding. i think it really depends on how determined you are and how careful you will be.

while breastfeeding is very important and helpful, your baby will also be healthy and loved if you choose to use formula. some babies cannot even nurse from their mothers because they have allergies.

this sounds like a tough thing. breastfeeding is best for baby, but not contracting Hep C is better for baby. my concern is your DR saying it's okay to breastfeed as long as your nipples don't bleed. when my son was born, my nipples got so cracked and sore and there was definitely bleeding. i have talked with other women whose nipples did not do this, but i'm not sure how you are to know if your nipples would crack and bleed or not. i'm a big, big advocate of breastfeeding, but i would have to seriously think twice about nursing in this case.

if you do chose to bottle feed, please do some research on your formula choice. there is tons of research about the dangers of soy. please don't use it. go to the Wise Traditions website (the journal for the Westin A Price Foundation) and there's information on there about the dangers of soy and suggestions for what do if you must bottle feed. this website is also super helpful in learning how to feed yourself and family in the most healthful way.

congratulations on your baby. babies are so wonderful!

I was diagnosed with Hep C 30 years after the fact. They said from my wild Hippie days. My kids are in their 20's and they were all breast fed. 1.5 years for my Daughter, 1 year each for my two Sons. They are healthy and happy and none of them have Hep C, and they have been tested. The doctor was right, it can't be passed on by breast milk. PS I never had bleeding nipples either.

My accupucturist said 10% of the people diagnosed are cured and the medical profession says they were mis-diagnosed. So I alligned my self with the fact that I would be 1 of the 10% that are cured and I felt it gone. 1 year of Accupucture, Somatic Energy Massage from my amazing healer friend and I no longer test for it either.
All you need is unconditional love and to remind youself that you are whole and healthy and there are things you can do to stay that way.
GOOD LUCK

Hi N.,

Congratulations on expecting your first baby!!
You are so right that breastmilk is BEST! :) I'm glad you're not just ruling out BF due to your valid concerns re Hep C transmission. Even if you do end up needing to supplement with some kind of formula for a while, please don't give up on your own milk!!

My little girl and I struggled with BF for several weeks after her birth, but I was SO determined because I knew it was the right thing to do and was the most perfect nourishment for my baby (we did supplement for a little while but she did so much better once we eliminated all formula!). In our case, she had infant reflux (which was worsened by the formula) and also my milk was slow to come in due to having an emergency C section, so we had some unusual circumstances to deal with. No one had warned me about the C-section affecting my milk nor had anyone told me I needed to be pumping ASAP afterwards to help get things going.

You may be encouraged to hear that even with all the initial struggling (including much pumping for a while) my nipples never cracked nor bled. Lansinoh is a great nipple ointment that is a barrier protectant as well as a healing and moisturizing balm, so keep some on hand (it's not expensive and lasts a long time); there may be others too but this one is 100% natural and safe for mom and baby while nursing.

There are some things you can do to help ensure your success as a BF mom, and to help you prepare for that wonderful and vital part of your relationship with your baby. I would highly recommend that you be sure and consult a certified lactation consultant (LC) and also get in contact with your local La Leche League (LLL) to find other moms who can encourage and advise you, plus you may make some great new friends. I'd take a breastfeeding class from a LC or a midwife prior to giving birth and also have the LC available to visit with you after you give birth and help you get started with nursing.

If you are planning a home birth, the midwife, doula (if you engage one) or both can help you with initial breastfeeding and will make sure you are comfortable. If you plan a hospital birth, the nurses may offer some help with initial feeding, but having an LC come in would be the best, and/or another experienced mom from LLL. Besides that, having BF mom friends and an LC that is supportive will encourage you in those initial new-mom weeks when you are tired and perhaps struggling with BF as we did - that is NOT abnormal at all! Both you and baby will be learning how to feed, and it takes a bit of practice and repetition to get it "right" for both of you. The LC will help with getting the correct latch - babies (especially newborns) may fumble with this at first, it's not a big deal as long as you continue to gently adjust and correct the latch to be the proper way for mom and baby. Most if not all nipple problems can be the result of improper latching, or baby not having enough of mom's breast in the mouth for good suckling.

One more thing to keep in mind is that even if you find you must switch to bottle feeding, you can pump and give your baby your own human milk, rather than having to switch to formula. There are also milk banks where nursing moms donate mother's milk to make it available for babies who cannot get it from their own mothers for sustenance. No matter how many people try to say formula is equally good - it's not, and there's a higher risk of digestive issues and food allergies that can arise with formula feeding, as well as overfeeding or even at times underfeeding if the formula is mixed improperly (ratio of water to powder). Plus formula fed babies tend to have more constipation problems in general...not fun. Just some things to think about as you plan for your blessed event! :)

Best wishes to you and your baby, whatever you decide!

Blessings,

S. M.

Personally, I wouldn't take the risk. Of course, breast feeding is best, but don't feel guilty if you choose not to breastfeed. There are a lot of people out there whose mission in life is to make moms who don't/can't/choose not to breastfeed feel like they are the worst moms on earth. I was unable to breastfeed my first baby and cried everyday trying until accepting it. My second was a breeze. My third I chose to breastfeed for 6 weeks and then moved to bottles. You have the facts. Make the best choice for you and your baby -- time to start trusting your mother's intuition. Good luck with whatever you choose.

Hi N.. I am Hep C positive as well, and I breastfed my daughter for 15 months. My doctor has assured me that it's perfectly safe, and I wouldn't let the virus that doesn't affect my life otherwise take away my special relationship with my baby. She is now 2.5 years old and perfectly healthy.