I you have seen already how HIV is transmitted through sex, blood and needles. HIV is also spread from mother to child, during pregnancy, child birth or breast-feeding. There is generally a 40% chance of an HIV positive woman giving the virus to her child during any of these three stages. Specifically; there is a 25% chance of an HIV positive woman giving the virus to her unborn child during pregnancy or birth and a 15% chance of HIV transmission through breast-feeding.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON TRANSMISSION DURING PREGNANCY & CHILDBIRTH.
Q1. If i have HIV and i get pregnant, can i pass it to my baby?
Ans. Yes. Overall, there is up to a 40% chance of a woman passing HIV to her child. About 25% of infants with HIV are infected during or before their birth; about 15% of infants with HIV are infected through breast-feeding.

Q2. How can a mother avoid HIV to her unborn baby?
Ans. There are medicines that an HIV positive woman can take †☺ reduce the chances of giving HIV to her baby through the birthing process. It is important to note, however, that these medicines are not available in all parts of Nigeria. These drugs are called ANTI-RETROVIRALS (ARV). There are different kinds of ARVs, some of which are available in Nigeria.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON TRANSMISSION DURING BREAST-FEEDING.
Q1. Can an infected mother give HIV to her baby through breast-feeding?
Ans. Yes. There is a small risk of about 15% that breast-feeding mother will pass the HIV virus to her child through her breast milk. This means that one out of every seven HIV positive mothers may pass the virus to her child through breast milk.
However, there is a larger risk that a baby will get other sickness or not grow well if a mother doesn't exclusivelu breast-feed her infant for the first 6months of its life, starting from birth. For this reason, HIV positive mothers should be encouraged to breast-feed exclusively for the first 6months of their children's lives.

Q2. What are the alternatives for HIV positive mothers who want to avoid giving HIV to their babies through breast-feeding?
Ans. For most women and their babies, breast-feeding for the first 6months is still the Best option regardless of their HIV status, but for those women who are certain they don't want to breast feed, they can also reduce the risk of passing HIV to their babies by choosing one of the following options;
->boiling the pumped breast milk.
->using a wet nurse.
->giving the baby formula food for the first 6months.


Finally a woman should seek early and regular prenatal care from her doctor.

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