Amina
Amina was diagnosed with HIV in 2021, the same day she found out she was pregnant. She is undecided about whether to breastfeed or formula feed her baby.
Amina was diagnosed with HIV in 2021 and found out she was pregnant on the same day. When her husband was diagnosed with HIV, he told her she would need an HIV test. During her clinic appointment, after she received her HIV diagnosis, she asked for a pregnancy test. Amina believed it was a positive thin to find she was pregnant at the same time and it helped her cope with her diagnosis better.
Amina began HIV medication straight away to prevent HIV transmission to her baby. Her HIV doctor referred her to peer support to meet other women living with HIV. Her medical team has informed her about the options for infant feeding.
At the time of interview, Amina was undecided about whether to breastfeed or formula feed. She is focused on reducing HIV transmission but is also aware that her mother (who she lives with) and mother-law (who is likely to visit when the baby is born) would question her if she did not breastfeed. Amina and her husband have not shared their HIV status with others. They both live with Amina’s parents and siblings and have to hide their HIV medication tablets in their bedroom and use secret codes when they want to communicate with each other about HIV. Regarding infant feeding, she believes that it is a decision for her to make, and that it did not really involve her husband, but he would support her decision.
Amina has done a lot of her own research; she has looked at the BHIVA guidelines and other online sources about infant feeding while living with HIV, and the risk of HIV transmission via breastmilk.