Hepatitis C- Delivery and breastfeeding?PLEASE HELP!!!?

Yesterday I delivered a beautiful healthy child weighing 3.7 kilos with normal vaginal birth and episiotomy. Labour lasted 11 hours after rapture of membrane. I had been diagnosed anti-HCV positive during routine pregnancy tests,but didnt do the PCR during pregnancy, but I am quite healthy with ALT levels very low. Now I dont know the condition of my baby, what is the chance he might have got the infection, what is the chance i can pass it through breastfeeding?? I am so nervous that cant even enjoy my baby, please help if you have any idea.

babies born to infected mothers will not need a test until 18 months. the reason for this is because they do have antibodies in their system which usually clear. your baby is more than likely not infected with hcv.

i had two children who are now 13 and 16 and they do not have hcv. it is very rare for a baby to acquire hcv infection. if a baby is found to have antibodies at 19 months, chances are they are hcv infected. the birth rates born to mothers who are infected are about .06%. this is extremely low.

hcv is blood to blood only. even if your nipples are bleeding and the baby is breast fed, unless the baby has an open wound, no hcv infection will occur.

(blood to blood, or to better understand, blood to bloodstream).

hcv corpuscles found in semen, vaginal fluid, mucus, tears, saliva and breast milk are non-infectious. the fluid only has parts of the virus or they are dead viron cells.

again, hcv is only infectious through blood to blood cross contamination.

your baby will be just fine!

now, i would seriously re word your statement :
"I am quite healthy with ALT levels very low".

honey, your not healthy. alt levels only indicate whether or not you have a higher chance of liver cell cancerous growth-the virus is still continuing it's never ending damage to not only your liver, but to all other organs and tissues.

hcv is more considered an auto-immune disorder. there are over 150 bi-directional diseases of hcv. many have symptoms but aren't aware of them simply because the doctors diagnose each symptom as a seperate disease (s).

you should really jump on treatment while your enzymes are low. you have a better chance of clearing, or, a sustained viral response/cure.

breast feed for 6 months then ask your doctor about treatment.

dont let hcv ruin your quality of life. i have known those that put off treatment until one day they woke up and ended up with liver failure. i also know many more like myself who had horrible sides to havng hcv which severely altered the quality of life.

hcv is not something to mess around with.

good luck! Source(s): riss-hepatitis c objectives

Breast feeding shouldn't affect your baby as hepatitis is passed on mainly through contact with your blood, so go ahead and enjoy your baby and begin breast feeding. For re insurance on this issue, why don't you ask the nurses as they will answer any questions you may have. Cheers and good luck
It is very unlikely to transmit HepC transplacentally or perinatally, ie via breastfeeding. More often, it is transmitted by percutaneous innoculation of blood. So do not worry. It is Hep B that can be transmitted transplacentally and perinatlly and that is usually problematic.