Postpartum Care—HIV/AIDS and Pregnancy

If you are pregnant and have HIV/AIDS,there is a risk of passing HIV to your baby. It can happen in three ways:

During pregnancy
During childbirth, especially if it is vaginal childbirth. In some cases, your doctor may suggest doing a Cesarean section to lower the risk during childbirth.
During breastfeeding

You can greatly lower that risk by taking HIV/AIDS medicines. These medicines will also help protect your health. Since some medicines are not safe for babies, it is important to talk with your health care provider about which ones you should take. Then you need to make sure you take your medicines regularly.

Your baby will get HIV/AIDS medicines for 4 to 6 weeks after birth. The medicines protect your baby from infection from any HIV that passed from you during childbirth. Your baby will get several tests to check for HIV over the first few months.

Some pregnant women with HIV/AIDS may not know that they have it. So it is important that all women who are pregnant or planning to get pregnant have an HIV test as early as possible. Because most pregnant women with HIV/AIDS and their babies take HIV/AIDS medicines, few babies in the United States get HIV.

HIV/AIDS – pregnancy and infants (Medical Encyclopedia)

Also called: Post-pregnancy health

Taking home a new baby is one of the happiest times in a woman’s life. But it also presents both physical and emotional challenges.

Get as much rest as possible. You may find that all you can do is eat, sleep, and care for your baby. And that is perfectly okay. You will have spotting or bleeding, like a menstrual period, off and on for up to six weeks.
You might also have swelling in your legs and feet, feel constipated, have menstrual-like cramping. Even if you are not breastfeeding, you can have milk leaking from your nipples, and your breasts might feel full, tender, or uncomfortable.
Follow your doctor’s instructions on how much activity, like climbing stairs or walking, you can do for the next few weeks.
Doctors usually recommend that you abstain from sexual intercourse for four to six weeks after birth.

In addition to physical changes, you may feel sad or have the “baby blues.” If you are extremely sad or are unable to care for yourself or your baby, you might have a serious condition called postpartum depression.

Dept. of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health