Question for a friend~ Hep B carrier & BF?

[CaliMommie]

I know a young woman through Bible Study who is due in March. We were talking & BF came up. She said that she would like to BF but was told she couldn't b/c she is a Hep B carrier (no symptoms though). She also said that her OB's office wasn't sure if she should BF or not. I told her I would look into it for her (she had no internet access or transportation). Does anyone know anything about Hep B & BF? Thanks in advance!

AmiBeth

[Mrs Dimples]

yes, she ABSOLUTELY can! Her baby should get the Hep B vaccine soon after birth, but that's it. Then she should be good to go! I'll see if I can find some links for you, but I am currently taking my CBC (Certified BF Counsellor) class and we just went over this on Friday.

[Mrs Dimples]

Here ya go:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/b/faqb.htm

And that's from the CDC, so no special considerations to BF there!

And to correct my earlier post, it does not appear that the Hep B shot would be necessray at birth even for a mother who has HBV. It is transmitted by blood and sexual activity. There is a SLIGHT possibility, I guess, that if the baby started off with a bad latch and her nips were bleeding, it could be transmitted that way. It just depends on what her comfort level is, but since either of those transmission methods is unlikely in a newborn (duh!) I would think she could proceed with the Hep B vaccine as she was going to anyway, without special regard to her Status as HBV carrier. I did find in my research here that the baby has about a 5% chance of contracting it through birth, and there is nothing she can do to decrease those odds.

[MommytoTwo]

There is a SLIGHT possibility, I guess, that if the baby started off with a bad latch and her nips were bleeding, it could be transmitted that way

When my DD was about a week old I pumped off some milk and there was blood in it. Enough to turn it pink. I called the LC who said its a common occurence and they call it "rusty pipes" and that it would go away. So you can have blood in your milk and never know it. So I would get the baby the vaccine if it were me.

[CaliMommie]

Thank you for your replies! She is having to have a scheduled C-Section (even though she really doesn't want one) b/c ther hospital here will not allow her to do a VBAC (something to do w/MediCal insurance) & homebirth is not an option for her. So the chances of her transmitting it to the babe during delivery are low. She does not have an active case of Hep B, (don't think she ever has) she just knows she is a carrier. I KNEW when she told me that she was told not to BF that something wasn't right about that. I am going to take her to the next local LLL meeting too. Keep the info coming~ I am going to print some info off for her to show her OB.

AmiBeth