A woman I am in contact with has asked what resources I know of for
mothers with HIV who want to BF.  I have permission to post her
questions to you.  I've been reading LACTNET every day but not sure any
concrete answers have popped up.  Please respond on list or privately if
you'd like to cloak your identity.  I've already sent her the list of
milk banks and the HMBANA info.  I don't feel comfortable offering
anyone else's names up as a HCP working with mothers in similar
circumstances.  Hopefully you will know who you are and feel comfortable
doing so yourself.

> Well, now I've done it. Years ago I volunteered extensively for my local
> AIDS community organization, and for a while was involved with the Canadian
> AIDS Society. I volunteered my skills, which are in media and public
> relations.
>
> The other day there was an article in our local newspaper about an
> HIV-positive woman who had fled another province with her two children
> because she felt social services was about to remove them from her custody
> because she was opposed to aggressive HIV therapy. She's here in our
> province and working with the local AIDS group. She is apparently nursing a
> newborn against the advice of our local medical health officer and also
> against the advice of the AIDS group. Both urged her to switch to formula.
>
> I called up the local AIDS group and politely suggested that she obviously
> felt she was doing what was best for this baby's health and that perhaps if
> she were presented with other options she might make other choices. I said
> that human breast milk can be heat-treated or pasturized, and that this
> woman could pump, treat her milk, and bottle-feed her infant as an
> alternative to using formula. Now whether or not she decides to do this is
> up to her, but she'll never do it if she doesn't know it's an option!
>
> Well of course nobody had even contemplated this and now this group would
> like me to provide them with information, contacts, resources etc. as they
> have a number of women who are HIV positive who need this information.
>
> So now I need help. I think the best info would be contact info for a couple
> of milk banks in the US, plus for the milk bank in Vancouver (if it's still
> operating,) URLs with medical literature and experts, and best of all,
> contact info for physicians or lactation experts working with women in
> similar positions.
>
> Jodine
--
Monique
Noah 6/97, ?? edd 6/17/00
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