Hepatitis is a “scary” term to many people, and the first thing that comes to mind is that it is contagious. This is especially true for some mothers-to-be who have hepatitis, and because of the fear that the hepatitis virus will be transmitted to their babies, many mothers-to-be prepare formula early and prepare to feed their babies artificially, thinking that this is the best thing for their babies. But is this really the case? Let’s talk about breastfeeding for mothers with hepatitis today. Most of what we usually say about hepatitis refers to viral hepatitis caused by viruses type A, B and C. Hepatitis A is mainly transmitted by fecal-oral route, the virus is not transmitted through breast milk and breastfeeding can continue. The mother needs to stop the spread of the virus by washing her hands regularly and maintaining good personal hygiene. If a nursing mother is unable to breastfeed her baby during the acute phase because of clinical symptoms, she can express her milk and feed her baby until her symptoms resolve. Can a breastfeeding mother with hepatitis B breastfeed or not? China’s Clinical Guidelines for the Prevention of Mother-to-child Transmission of Hepatitis B Virus (1st Edition) clearly states that breastfeeding does not increase the risk of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus, and that breastfeeding should be encouraged. Some people believe that breastfeeding is undesirable because of the presence of hepatitis virus in the milk of hepatitis B mothers (the amount of virus is very small) and because the nipples may crack and bleed, or the baby may bite the nipples and cause transmission. However, the reasons mentioned above will only increase the baby’s exposure to the virus, but not the chance of infection. The direct evidence is by comparing the rate of hepatitis B virus infection in babies with different feeding methods. A large number of studies at home and abroad show that there is no significant difference in the rate of hepatitis B virus infection between breastfed babies and artificially fed babies, and there are even studies in which the rate of hepatitis B virus infection in breastfed babies is lower than that in artificially fed babies, and the latest study The latest research shows that there is a substance in breast milk that can kill the hepatitis B virus, although the substance has not been clarified. After the baby is born, we give the baby the first vaccination against hepatitis B and hepatitis B immunoglobulin as early as possible, and then start breastfeeding. There is no need to test the level of hepatitis B virus DNA in breast milk, much less test the newborn baby for hepatitis B virus. Although breastfeeding is not contraindicated for mothers with hepatitis B, we should take good care of and protect our children from the mother’s blood, and keep our babies up to date with the rest of the hepatitis B vaccine and immune globulin as scheduled. Hepatitis C is usually unconscious and is transmitted mainly through blood and sex, but rarely through breast milk. Antibodies against the hepatitis C virus can be detected in the breast milk of breastfeeding mothers, so breastfeeding is possible for mothers with hepatitis C. Some studies suggest that breastfeeding mothers may need to stop breastfeeding temporarily during the active phase of hepatitis C. In summary, in most cases, mothers with hepatitis can safely breastfeed. When choosing a breastfeeding option for your baby, mothers with hepatitis need to weigh the “real disadvantages of formula” against the “probability of infection with breastfeeding”, which is in fact the same as the “probability of infection with breastfeeding”. The probability of infection” is not significantly different from that of artificial feeding, so we should not ignore the other benefits of breastfeeding for the sake of the “same probability of infection” for both baby and mother.