April
April (played by an actor) was diagnosed in 2021, during her most recent pregnancy. Her baby is four months old and she decided to formula feed her baby.
April is Black African and has three children, aged 17 and 7 years old, and a 4-month-old baby.
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April was diagnosed in 2020 when pregnant with her third child. She found her diagnosis hard but wanted to “fight” for her children and focus on staying well. April started medication immediately, but she struggled getting used to the medication and the regular tests during pregnancy.
When April learned her diagnosis, she asked if she would be able to breastfeed. Her medical team told her that she could breastfeed if she had an undetectable viral load. April did not discuss her infant feeding decision with her husband. He was out of the country during most of her pregnancy and she has now separated from him. They were having marital problems around the time she got pregnant. Although April’s husband said he tested negative for HIV, she did not believe him as she has only had sexual contact with him in the last 14 years and cannot think of another way she might have acquired HIV.
April knew about the UK infant feeding guidelines and that mothers are advised to breastfeed in other parts of the world, but she decided to formula feed to remove all risk of HIV transmission. She had breastfed her elder children, so it took her some time to adjust to formula feeding. She struggled with her HIV medication and did not want to risk her baby experiencing the same struggles.
Before she gave birth, April asked about formula milk access on the ward. The midwife advised her to bring liquid formula as there were no facilities to mix powdered formula milk. April receives formula milk from her HIV clinic and will continue to do so until her baby is one year old. April finds the free formula milk very helpful, and it eased her financial concerns.
April has not connected with peer support. She received a lot of help from a friend who babysat her children when she attended clinic appointments and helped her move when she separated from her husband.
April discussed her decision to formula feed her youngest baby, even though her sister-in-law in Tanzania is HIV positive and breastfeeding (played by an actor).
April discussed her decision to formula feed her youngest baby, even though her sister-in-law in Tanzania is HIV positive and breastfeeding (played by an actor).
I wanted to protect my baby I felt the stage, once you’re undetectable is a small chance that you can pass it on, but for me I decide I don’t want to, I don’t want to take any risks, that’s why I went for bottle.
I have got my sister-in-law who is positive so when I talk to her she’s the one who told me that over there they can breastfeed [for the first three months] and the people that she knows they are all okay, I mean the children, they’re okay after being breastfed but I said I went to the, I don’t know how it works, I mean it might be working for the people and it might not work for others.
April found making up the bottles difficult at first (played by an actor).
April found making up the bottles difficult at first (played by an actor).
Now it’s okay, I’m used to it, but to start with it was a bit challenging and, you know, when you bottle feed you have to prepare the bottle and clean them, clean them out, making the milk, you have to get up in the middle of the night to go and make milk. But it was really hard to start with but things are getting better.
April is separated from her husband and has not discussed the decision with him (played by an actor).
April is separated from her husband and has not discussed the decision with him (played by an actor).
No, no, no I did not discuss it with him. I made my own decision because I, when I got pregnant he, we, oh let me put it this way, we had our problems like for a very long period of time like for and by the time I got pregnant I was in the process of leaving him so I found out I was pregnant in the, was it December, yeah December I think, or November, November or December and December he travelled, so I was, when I was pregnant I was on my own all this time for the nine months so I did not include him in making decisions, I make my own decisions.