What to know
Mothers with hepatitis B or C infections can breastfeed their infants. Precautions are needed if the mother's nipples are cracked or bleeding. CDC recommends that all babies get the hepatitis B vaccine.
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). The virus is transmitted by blood, semen, or other body fluids from an infected person.
A woman with hepatitis B can infect her infant with the virus during childbirth. Pregnant women are tested for hepatitis B as part of their prenatal care or when they arrive at the hospital to give birth.
CDC recommends that all babies get the first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine before leaving the hospital or within the first 24 hours. Babies are usually given the second dose of the vaccine 1 to 2 months after the first dose. They receive the third dose by the time they are 18 months old.
Breastfeeding with hepatitis B
The risk of HBV transmission through breastfeeding is negligible if infants born to HBV-positive mothers are vaccinated. However, there is no need to delay breastfeeding until the infant is fully immunized.
Infants born to mothers with hepatitis B should receive:
- Hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) and the first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine within 12 hours of birth.
- Second vaccine dose at 1 to 2 months.
- Third vaccine at 6 months.
An infant born to a mother with hepatitis B should be tested after completion of the vaccine series. The test is usually between 9 and 12 months during a well-child visit. This test will determine if the vaccine worked and that the infant was not infected with HBV during the birth process.
Learn more about HBV infection and HBV vaccination.
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmitted by blood from an infected person. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C. The best way to prevent hepatitis C is to avoid behaviors that can spread the disease, especially injecting drugs.
Breastfeeding with hepatitis C
It is safe for a mother with hepatitis C to breastfeed her infant. There is no documented evidence that breastfeeding spreads HCV.
Learn more about HCV infection.
Breastfeeding with cracked or bleeding nipples
There is not enough data to conclude whether women with hepatitis B or hepatitis C can continue to breastfeed if their nipples are cracked or bleeding. However, both types of hepatitis can be spread by infected blood. Therefore, if the infected mother's nipples and/or surrounding areola are cracked and bleeding, she should stop breastfeeding temporarily.
To maintain her milk supply, mothers can express and discard breast milk until her nipples are healed. Once her nipples are no longer cracked or bleeding, she may fully resume breastfeeding.
Providers may need to refer mothers to lactation support providers. Lactation support can help mothers learn to maintain milk production and supplement with pasteurized donor human milk or formula while temporarily not breastfeeding.