Can a mother with hepatitis breastfeed her baby? & bull; hello healthy

Breast milk is the best food for children to consume, during the first 2 years or so. Breast milk contains various types of nutrients needed by children to support growth and development and there are antibodies in breast milk, so that it protects the baby from various foreign substances, viruses, and bacteria. But what if the breast milk that is supposed to protect and protect the baby from various infectious diseases is actually an intermediary for the virus between him and his mother? Is it safe if a mother with hepatitis breastfeeds her baby?

Can hepatitis be transmitted through breast milk?

Hepatitis is a contagious infectious disease. Hepatitis is more famous in Indonesia as jaundice. It is called that because indeed one of the symptoms is yellowing of the skin and body.

This disease has various types, depending on the process of transmission and its severity. Hepatitis is divided into 5 types of hepatitis, namely, A, B, C, D, and E. Each hepatitis has its own mode of transmission. Hepatitis A and E are transmitted by fecal-oral. While hepatitis B and C, transmission is almost the same as HIV / AIDS, namely through the exchange of fluids in the body, such as blood and saliva. The hepatitis that may be transmitted is hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C.

Therefore, mothers who suffer from hepatitis can transmit the hepatitis virus to their children, through various things. One of them is when breastfeeding. So, is it better for a mother who has hepatitis not to breastfeed so that her child is not infected? This depends on the type of hepatitis.

ALSO READ: Mothers with HIV, Can Breastfeeding?

Is it safe if a hepatitis sufferer breastfeeds his child?

Breastfeed while suffering from hepatitis A

Hepatitis A is the most common type of hepatitis and is transmitted through contamination of food and drinking water, and can be transmitted from person to person. This disease is characterized by the appearance of symptoms of loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, yellow skin, and fever. In newborns, hepatitis is actually very rare. In addition, hepatitis A rarely becomes acute and fatal, while hepatitis A cannot become a chronic disease.

In general, you can give breast milk to your baby and don't have to worry about your baby contracting the hepatitis virus. Hepatitis A is not transmitted through breast milk and hepatitis A virus is not found in breast milk.

ALSO READ: 4 Stages of Liver Disease: From Inflammation to Liver Failure

Breastfeed while suffering from hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a type of hepatitis disease that is transmitted through sexual contact, the same as transmission of HIV / AIDS. A newborn baby can be contaminated with the hepatitis B virus as a result of being exposed to contaminated blood from the mother when they were born. Symptoms and signs are almost the same, namely yellowing of the skin and eyes, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, and measles. Hepatitis B can develop into a chronic disease and lead to more fatal liver disorders, such as cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Unlike hepatitis A, hepatitis B is proven to be found in breast milk. Even so, babies can be protected from the hepatitis B virus if the baby is vaccinated against hepatitis B. The vaccine is better given just after the baby is born, and will protect babies who are at risk of contracting hepatitis B or not.

If you are positive for hepatitis B, then you should give your child the hepatitis B vaccine in the first 12 hours after birth, then when the baby is 1 or 2 months old, and when the baby is 6 months old. Then at the age of 9 to 18 months, the baby should be checked by a doctor to find out if he has a positive hepatitis B virus.

ALSO READ: How Hepatitis B Can Develop into Primary Liver Cancer

Breastfeed if you have hepatitis C

Somewhat different from other types of hepatitis, hepatitis C does not appear to cause any symptoms. In some cases, the symptoms just come on and then disappear again. An average of 50% of hepatitis C sufferers are patients who have had or have a history of cirrhosis or other chronic liver disease. The hepatitis C virus is transmitted through contact with body fluids that have hepatitis C. Having sex, taking turns using needles, and using illegal drugs can be a means of transmitting hepatitis C.

In mothers who have hepatitis C, hepatitis C virus is not found in breast milk. But Centers for Disease Control Prevention recommends stopping breastfeeding if the mother's nipples are injured or bleeding. This is a concern because the hepatitis C virus can be transmitted through blood.