In today's world, about 3% of the world's population is infected with the hepatitis C virus. This form of hepatitis is transmitted from person to person through blood, sexually and from an infected pregnant fetus. The fact that they are infected, many women find out already during planning (or pregnancy). Naturally, a newly mum has a question: "Can you combine hepatitis C and breastfeeding?"
Child and breastfeeding
Usually, babies are born healthy. However, after birth, for 1.5 years, the baby can circulate antibodies to hepatitis C virus in the blood. But this does not mean that the newborn has contracted from the mother. Yes, and for the health of a little man closely watched by doctors. How to be with feeding? With Hypatitis C, breastfeeding is not prohibited.
Studies of German and Japanese scientists have shown that hereditary information of hepatitis C in breast milk has not been found. In another study, breast milk was tested in 34 infected women and it was joyful that the result was similar. As a result of the research, the possible transmission of viral hepatitis C when breastfeeding the baby is not confirmed. In addition, the concentration of hereditary information of this form of hepatitis in the serum is much higher than in breast milk. So there is no evidence that breastfeeding poses an additional risk to the newborn. Therefore, to refuse from breast-feeding is not recommended. It is believed that the benefits to the child's body are much more from breastfeeding than the risk of contracting the hepatitis C virus.
What is important to pay attention to during breastfeeding
Mummies should be careful to ensure that your baby's mouth does not form aphthae and sores. After all, this can be dangerous for the child, since during the feeding of the baby the breast may well become infected.
An infected woman should pay special attention to the condition of her nipples. Various microtraumas of the nipples of the nursing mother and contact of the baby with her blood many times increase the risk of infection with hepatitis C. This is especially true in cases when a viral load is determined in the nursing mother. In this case, breastfeeding should be temporarily stopped. In women with the presence of antibodies of this virus, in whom the child is breastfed, the frequency of infection of the newborn is much higher than if the child is on artificial feeding. For such mothers, there are special recommendations that prohibit breastfeeding of a child.
An infected or sick woman with hepatitis C should follow all the precautions (listed above) to prevent the transmission of this virus to the newborn.