Customer Reviews

Breastfeeding And HIV/Aids: The Research, the Politics, the Women's Responses

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As a breastfeeding mother of two, tandem-nursing a three-year-old and a one-year-old, I am often frustrated by the lack of available information on breastfeeding. Information that is available tends to focus on how wonderful breastfeeding is and why every single person should do it. This is a very disturbing scenario because it both fails to acknowledge the reality of women's lives and fails to view them as intelligent people capable of making informed decisions. In Breastfeeding and HIV/AIDS: The Research, the Politics, the Women's Responses, Ms. White expresses an opinion which is not popular, but whose time has come. The research clearly shows that HIV/AIDS is indeed readily transmitted through breastmilk, and that this information needs to be publicly acknowledged and passed on to the women who it most directly affects . We need to recognize that women are intelligent beings, who do the best they can, based on the information that they have when the decision is made. The time is long overdue for a scholarly book which presents the information in a clear manner and makes that information available to the general public. I find it appalling that governments, the medical profession and other groups feel that they have the right to make decisions for women. Ms. White brings a respect for all women and all children that tends to be lacking in discussions concerning women and children in resource-poor countries. As a strong breastfeeding advocate, it is difficult to hear that, in some situations, breastmilk is not the best option. As a mother and a feminist, I realize that it is important to have this conversation and to make it an honest conversation, where all those concerned have access to the truth. Thank-you Ms. White for providing a springboard for this conversation.

The author of this book has thoroughly and systematically discussed the link between breastfeeding and transmission of HIV . The diverse spectrum of settings and cultures that have informed the author's perspective presupposes the urgent need to halt further spread of HIV from a mother to her child. My present research on Nigeria reinforces that mother-to-child transmission is one of the ways in which the virus is spreading in Nigeria. Although migrant status,education status and age at first sexual intercourse have different levels of impact on AIDS-KNOWLEDGE through mother to child blood transfusion, the undeniable fact is that it is a problem in Nigeria. On the other hand, other colleagues should be informed that most health care systems in Africa are still in the crude state and HIV/AIDS intervention strategy on such issues I may be wrong are well documented in national programmes of AIDS, but are rarely on the agenda. The message of cross infection is yet to be understood by most women. But again, gender is a highly charged topic in Africa because of male dormination and unguided misconceptions against western interpretation of disease prevention. The only way forward is to mitigate the spread of HIV through this process by consistently promoting the alternatives to breastfeeding. It may take time, but the long term implication of taking prevention measures to halt mother-to-child HIV spread in Afica is a sound research agenda that should be encouraged. Edith White has made a significant contribution to this dynamic subject. It will require huge funding, political support and de-culturing certain negative beliefs in Africa in order to change high risk practices. I passionately expect AIDS- PREVENTION revolution that will ultimately translate AIDS-knowledge into behaviour change. I strongly recommend the approach of the author to other researchers. Thank you for your audience.

I found White's book to present many different points of view while it drew on a variety of disciplines. This book was a great overview on a topic that not many consider or know much about.

Keep in mind that the field of AIDS and HIV is a fast moving area of research. what was current in 1998 when Edith White did her research is hopelessly out of date now, and some was out of date when the book was published.

Mixed feeding has been shown to be the worst scenario for protecting infants from AIDS transmission. If a child is fed a combination of artificial food and breastmilk, absorbtion in the gut is modified so that viruses and proteins pass through more easily. To keep the gut intact, a mother should feed *only* breastmilk. There is a large body of research supporting exclusive breastfeeding and decreased HIV transmission.

Women in developing nations are often stimatised for bottle feeding because it is taken as an admission that she is positive for HIV. This leads to the very dangerous practice of mixed feeding, because women bottle feed in private and breastfeed in public. Women must be given *accurate* information that prevents this practice. They must be given enough information to nourish their babies as they see fit.