Are you breastfeeding your little one, mother of “major” or “minor”?

  We all know the benefits of breastfeeding. However, because of the fear of hepatitis B, many mothers with “major triple-positive” have given up breastfeeding for fear of transmitting hepatitis B virus to their children. And in the medical field, there are people who advocate that mothers with “major triple-positive” should not breastfeed, but ask for artificial feeding. Is it true that hepatitis B virus can be transmitted to the child through breast milk?  Hepatitis B virus is transmitted through blood, not through the digestive tract. Newborns are immunized by hepatitis B vaccine and hepatitis B high potency immunoglobulin, and already have protective antibodies in their bodies. It has been suggested that hepatitis B virus has occasionally been detected in breast milk, but oral feeding to gorillas has not triggered hepatitis B virus infection in gorillas. In a survey conducted by many mothers with “major triplets”, there was no significant difference between breastfeeding and artificial feeding in terms of the rate of hepatitis B virus infection in infants. There was also no significant difference in the rate of hepatitis B surface antibody production in newborns vaccinated with the hepatitis B vaccine between breastfeeding and artificial feeding of mothers with “major triple-positive” status.  In conclusion, there is no evidence to date that hepatitis B virus can be transmitted through breast milk.  Currently, the World Health Organization also encourages breastfeeding for mothers with “major triplets”. In our country, the “Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B” developed by the Chinese Medical Association in 2006 also states that hepatitis B carriers can breastfeed. Since there is no evidence to prove that hepatitis B virus can be transmitted to newborns through breast milk, and breastfeeding has so many benefits, both nutritional and hygienic, as well as economic and convenient, why do mothers with “major” or “minor” hepatitis B not breastfeed their children?  Breast milk is the most ideal nutritional food for babies, it can strengthen the baby’s resistance to disease and enhance the emotional bond between mother and child. For the sake of your child’s healthy growth, breastfeed your baby, even if you are a “major” or “minor” carrier.