For Positive Parenting, Dr. Shema Tariq returns to the podcast joined by Bakita Kasadha to debunk the myths and misinformation surrounding a joyous but potentially challenging period of life: becoming a parent. People with HIV routinely give birth to HIV-negative babies. However, they do not always have access to accurate advice or much needed post-natal support. Shema gives listeners a rundown of the latest infant feeding guidelines from the British HIV Association (BHIVA) and how clinicians can support parents living with HIV to feed their babies. Bakita talks through the Nourish-UK study findings, which looks at the experiences of birthing parents living with HIV and how they make decisions around feeding their babies. Post-natal support, particularly from peers, is crucial for birthing parents with HIV – a good place to start is reaching out to the 4M Mentor Mothers network for more information.

 

" If a woman is on treatment, or if a birthing parent is on treatment, the risk of passing HIV onto a baby, something that we call vertical transmission, is between 1 in 500 and 1 in a 1000. […] That's the same as getting nine heads in a row if you toss a coin – so it's really, really unlikely."

 

" It's important to work together rather than seeing it as a clinician is advocating for the safest option for the child. The parent probably wants what's best for their child, too. So it's important to approach the conversation in that way. "

 

Resources:

BHIVA Pregnancy Guidelines

Preventing Vertical Transmission, Terrence Higgins Trust

NOURISH-UK Patient Information Leaflet

4M Mentor Mothers 

 

Bakita Kasadha is an award-winning health researcher, health writer and poet who sits at the intersection of social science and HIV advocacy. Bakita is currently pursuing a DPhil at the University of Oxford interrogating the experiences of peer lived-experience researchers in academic health studies, and is a Co-Investigator on the Partnership for Black People’s Health study. She also chairs the board of Glitch and is a board member of the Fast-Track Cities Leadership Group. Follow Bakita on Twitter/X @BakitaKK or at her website: www.bakitakk.com

 

Dr Shema Tariq is a Consultant HIV and Sexual Health Physician at Mortimer Market Centre, and Clinical Academic at University College London's Institute for Global Health. Her main clinical and research interest is the health and wellbeing of women living with HIV. She leads the PRIME Study - one of the largest studies internationally on HIV and menopause. Shema is also part of the GROWS team, developing information and peer support for older women living with HIV, and is a Trustee of Positively UK and Tommy's. She is also Chair of the Steering Group of 4M Network, a UK-wide Mentor Mother programme. Follow her work on Twitter/X @savoy__truffle and @prime_ucl

UK-UNB-4747

Jan 2024

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