I recall reading several years ago that babies in Uzbhekistan
had infected their mothers with HIV through nursing.  The babies
(as was/possibly is a common practice in Eastern Europe and
Central Asia) were treated with blood transfusions for
malnutrition, and were infected with HIV in this way (many Romanian
babies were similarly infected).  Nursing an HIV-infected baby can be a
risk for the mother.  There would be more of a risk if the mother's
nipples were to suffer abrasions -- positioning would be important.  Of
course, most babies will not be infected with HIV, and it would be
up to the adoptive mother to decide whether she wished to take
this small risk.

As I understand it, if the birth mother is HIV positive, there is
approx. a 15-30% chance the baby is HIV positive.  I hope someone
can post with more information on this topic.

Lois Patterson
http://www.greatstar.com/lois/parent-l.html  (Breastfeeding Resources)
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