In response to T Nutt and Associates regarding the transmission of HIV: it is
not transmitted via contact with a lesion as Herpes is, when the baby passes
through the birth canal.  To my knowledge, there is no data to suggest that
the rate of maternal-fetal transmission (@30% in the US) would be decreased
if C-Sections were performed on HIV+ mothers. (Someone correct me if I'm
wrong).  However, there is data that shows the rate of transmission increases
if the mother breastfeeds.  In the US, the recommendation currently is that
HIV+ mothers should bottlefeed because of this known cause-effect
relationship.  In third world countries, however, where the risk of death
associated with bottlefeeding outweighs the risk of HIV transmission, the
recommendation is that the mother breastfeed.  There is a correlation between
rates of transmission from mothers to their breastfeeding babies when the
mothers have seroconverted, but this does not negate the current
recommendation in this country because not enough is known about the hows and
wherefores.  Personally, as strongly as I feel about breastfeeding, this
illness is not one to fool around with, and I would not encourage a mother in
this country to breastfeed her child if she is HIV+ because the stakes are
just too high!  Definately more research is needed on this.