In our clinical work, we often come across pregnant women with hepatitis B who are about to become mothers asking this question: Will the hepatitis B virus be transmitted to their children and is there any way to prevent it? The concern of these expectant mothers is not unreasonable and understandable, because there is a possibility of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus, especially for those who are infected with hepatitis B virus with “triple positive” due to the active replication of the virus and the high viral load in the body, which makes the possibility of mother-to-child transmission even greater. However, mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus can be prevented. Mother-to-child transmission includes three aspects: first, intrauterine transmission, second, transmission during labor and delivery, and third, transmission during breastfeeding. So if you want your baby to be healthy and block the mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus, you must start from these three aspects. 1, block intrauterine transmission The mother and fetus share a common blood circulation system, and there is a placental barrier between the mother’s blood and the fetus’ blood, which will not be mixed under normal circumstances. The main reason for intrauterine transmission is that the placenta is damaged, so that the blood of the mother “leaks” into the fetus, causing infection. The probability of intrauterine hepatitis B virus infection is about 5%. Miscarriage or preterm labor, abdominal collision and extrusion, and various serious infections in the mother can damage the placenta, increasing its permeability and weakening its barrier function. Therefore, pregnant women must protect themselves throughout pregnancy, especially in the second trimester, and undergo regular obstetric examinations to avoid damage to the placenta for various reasons. It was once proposed that the mother should be given 1 injection of hepatitis B immunoglobulin per month during the last 3 months of pregnancy, but clinical practice has proved that this has no protective effect on the fetus and its use is no longer advocated. The higher the maternal hepatitis B virus load, the greater the likelihood of mother-to-child transmission. Therefore, there have been attempts to give pregnant women oral nucleoside antivirals (e.g., lamivudine, telbivudine, etc.) to block mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B. However, any antiviral drug has potential teratogenic effects (leading to fetal malformations and developmental disorders), so this approach has not been recognized by the relevant authorities, and pregnant women taking oral nucleoside antiviral drugs should be cautious. Currently, it is advocated that active antiviral treatment before pregnancy can not only reduce the chance of mother-to-child transmission, but also benefit the health of the mother. Interferon or nucleoside antiviral drugs can be chosen, and conception can take place six months after the therapeutic purpose is achieved and the drugs are discontinued. 2.Blocking the transmission during delivery During delivery, the fetus swallowing and drinking amniotic fluid or secretion in the birth canal, or the contact between the broken skin and mucous membrane of the fetus and the blood and secretion of the birth canal of the mother can cause infection. Therefore, mothers should go to regular hospitals to wait for delivery, ask experienced obstetricians to deliver their babies, and use as little or no assistive tools as possible to avoid damage to the skin and mucous membranes of the fetus, and shorten the process of labor as much as possible, so as to reduce the time that the fetus stays in the birth canal, and to reduce the chances that the fetus swallows and drinks secretions from the birth canal. For those who have difficulties in natural delivery, the indications for surgery should be appropriately relaxed and cesarean section should be actively performed. After the delivery of the fetus should be timely cleaning of the oral cavity, nasal cavity, external ear canal and body surface of the blood and dirt, so as not to contaminate the broken skin mucosa. 3.Block the transmission of breastfeeding breast milk is rich in protein, trace elements, and antibody complement and other nutrients, is the best food for newborns. But hepatitis B mother’s milk may also contain hepatitis B virus, breastfeeding will increase the risk of infection, so from the point of view of infectious diseases, hepatitis B virus infected mothers are not suitable for breastfeeding children. If economic conditions permit, it is recommended that newborns be artificially fed scientifically. Meanwhile, mothers infected with Hepatitis B virus should not kiss their babies, nor should they feed their babies from mouth to mouth, or feed their babies their own chewed food. Don’t share a towel with your baby. Hepatitis B Vaccine and Hepatitis B Immunoglobulin This is especially important. Hepatitis B immunoglobulin and Hepatitis B vaccine must be injected into different parts of the body within 24 hours after birth, and then again at 1 month, and again at 6 months. Each dose of Hepatitis B Immune Globulin is 200 International Units (IU) and each dose of Hepatitis B Vaccine is 10 micrograms. Hepatitis B immunoglobulin is designed to kill the hepatitis B virus directly. If a newborn is infected with the hepatitis B virus during birth, the hepatitis B immunoglobulin can play a direct role in killing the virus, which is known as passive immunization in medicine. However, the effect of hepatitis B immunoglobulin is short-lived, so it is also necessary to receive hepatitis B vaccine to stimulate the body to produce hepatitis B immunoglobulin, forming a lasting active immunity. China has included the vaccination of newborns against hepatitis B in the plan of immunization, and the hospital will give free vaccination to newborns born in regular hospitals, but hepatitis B immunoglobulin is self-funded, which is not provided by the hospital, and you need to buy it from the epidemic prevention department yourself, so that you can be prepared in advance. To find out whether your child is resistant to hepatitis B, you can take a blood test after your child reaches the age of one year, and if the hepatitis B surface antibody is positive, it means that your child is already resistant to hepatitis B and is no longer susceptible to hepatitis B virus infection.