Can I breastfeed my baby if I have hepatitis B? The reason why so many people are concerned about whether it is possible to get pregnant with hepatitis B is because the hepatitis B virus can be transmitted between the mother and the fetus or newborn, which is often referred to as mother-to-child transmission. If a pregnant woman carries the hepatitis B virus, it will not necessarily be transmitted to the fetus or newborn. Whether or not a fetus or newborn is infected with the hepatitis B virus depends on the degree of replication of the hepatitis B virus carried by the pregnant woman and the genetic defects of the mother. If a pregnant woman is “hepatitis B major triple positive” (positive for hepatitis B virus e antigen) and positive for hepatitis B virus deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), the probability of the newborn being infected with hepatitis B virus is as high as about 90%; if the pregnant woman is negative for hepatitis B virus e antigen and negative for hepatitis B virus DNA, the probability of the newborn being infected is only about 30%. This is the reason why some people in families with a tendency to gather hepatitis B have hepatitis B and some do not. So, is there any way to interrupt this transmission? To answer this question, we need to know what are the ways of mother-to-child transmission. The mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B is mainly through the following three ways: 1, intrauterine transmission, the baby in the mother’s body through the blood circulation and infected with hepatitis B virus, this way the infection caused by about 5%, mother-to-child blocking failure mainly occurs in cases of intrauterine infection. 2, transmission during labor, that is, during the delivery of the baby’s skin, mucous membrane abrasion or placental abruption, the virus in the mother’s blood through the ruptured placenta into the umbilical cord blood, and then into the body of the newborn. This process has the greatest possibility of infection and is the most common. 3. Close contact between the baby and the mother after delivery can also transmit the hepatitis B virus. How to interrupt mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus: Hepatitis B virus mostly causes intrauterine infection in the fetus through the placenta. Clinical studies have shown that when hepatitis B surface antigen-positive pregnant women were injected with hepatitis B immunoglobulin several times from the 20th week of pregnancy, the newborns were not detected positive for hepatitis B surface antigen at birth, the mechanism is that the placenta actively transfers an antibody from the mother to the fetus from the 20th week of pregnancy. Hepatitis B immunoglobulin is a protective antibody against the hepatitis B virus, which can neutralize the hepatitis B virus in the blood and cells or on the surface of mucous membranes, and gradually remove it so that it cannot enter the liver cells to grow and multiply, with a protection rate of 90% to 95%. For pregnant women who are close to delivery, if they are found to be hepatitis B virus carriers, their newborns should be injected with hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours after birth, and the dose should be doubled; and the vaccination should be boosted after 1 month and 6 months respectively, and the protection rate for newborns can reach 86.65%. If the hepatitis B vaccine is given immediately after birth and 1 dose of hepatitis B immunoglobulin is given at the same time as the hepatitis B vaccine at 1 month, the protection rate can be as high as 97.13%. This shows that the majority of mother-to-child transmission can be avoided by taking effective preventive measures. Some hepatitis B mothers may ask: If mother-to-child transmission is blocked, will the hepatitis B virus infect the baby through breast milk? Breast milk contains all the nutrients needed for the baby’s growth and development until 6 months of age, and is easy to digest and absorb. So what should a hepatitis B mother do when breastfeeding? Can hepatitis B mothers breastfeed? Hepatitis B mothers can go to the hospital for a breast milk test to find out the concentration of hepatitis B virus in breast milk. We generally do not advocate breastfeeding for mothers with major hepatitis B, because breast milk contains a high concentration of hepatitis B virus particles, which is infectious to the baby. If the baby has been vaccinated with hepatitis B vaccine and hepatitis B immunoglobulin, and the mother’s breast is not broken, she can breastfeed. However, the mother should wash her hands with soap and running water before breastfeeding.