Treatment GuideJust DiagnosedSex & DatingAfrican AmericanStigmaAsk the HIV DocPrEP En EspañolNewsVoicesPrint IssueVideoOut 100
CONTACTCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
For many HIV-positive women, preventing transmission of the virus to their infants isn't as simple as following a step-by-step plan. For them, HIV exists within a cross section of any number of life stressors, including substance abuse, mental illness, coinfection with hepatitis C, homelessness, poverty, and domestic abuse. These women's pregnancies are often far from planned, and their ability to prepare for a healthy birth may be seriously hampered by a life that seems out of their control. Situations like these are where medical centers like St. Vincent's Comprehensive HIV Center in New York City and other social-service agencies around the country work to provide a helping hand. 'The majority of women'once they become pregnant'do everything they can to prevent transmitting HIV to their baby,' says Antonio Urbina, MD, who is medical director of HIV education and training at St. Vincent's as well as a contributing editor to HIV Plus and a member of the President's Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. 'It's really those who have mental illness or substance abuse where you really get into difficulties, because then addiction kind of overrules that maternal instinct.' But Urbina, who says St. Vincent's treats 10 to 20 HIV pregnancies a year, most of them unplanned, points out that he hasn't seen a seropositive birth since 2004. That's because of the team approach used to help these women. Urbina arranges monthly interdisciplinary meetings among the hospital staff to discuss all the current HIV cases. There, the social workers, obstetricians, and nurses discuss with him how to work in tandem to help pregnant women who have trouble helping themselves. 'The goal of managing an HIV-positive woman is really to treat her virus effectively,' Urbina says, 'and you do that by providing competent HIV care, but then also by managing psychosocial aspects that may prevent them from adhering to their regimens.' Evelyn Harrington, a social worker at St. Vincent's, is known as Mama or sometimes Grandma among the women she helps guide through pregnancy, providing them with a sense of family when outside sources of community may be lacking. 'The first thing anyone wants is to be accepted for who they are,' she says of her leave-judgment-at-the-door approach to care. During a pregnancy, she helps the women establish goals and sets them up with parenting classes. 'I've seen women who've been substance abusers'who've been incarcerated because of drug use and sale'completely turn their lives around,' Harrington says of the life-changing effects of pregnancy. Sometimes, 'they're in college, and they're looking forward to graduation.' Harrington even accompanies the women into delivery for support whenever family isn't available. Russelle Miller-Hill, who is herself an HIV-positive mother of a teenage boy, works as a reproductive health worker at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and is part of a team that provides a wide array of services to pregnant HIVers. One element of her program that helps women keep their infants healthy is there is no discharge from the program after delivery. In fact, many mothers keep coming back, she says, well after they've given birth. In addition to support groups, individual counseling, and accompaniment to prenatal visits, Miller-Hill's team members help out with baby clothes, furniture, and disposable diapers, and they throw a yearly shower for all the moms. 'We try to make the pregnancy a great event so that it doesn't become a hindrance,' she says. 'It actually is a happy time in their life. For some women, they've never experienced the joy of a baby shower.'
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
The science behind U=U has been liberating people with HIV for years
June 04 2024 3:31 PM
As Pride party season begins, the CDC urges mpox vaccinations
May 16 2024 6:52 PM
Exclusive: We kiki with Q from 'RuPaul's Drag Race'
June 24 2024 11:37 AM
The freedom of disclosure: David Anzuelo's journey through HIV, art, and advocacy
August 02 2024 12:21 PM
How fitness coach Tyriek Taylor reclaims his power from HIV with self-commitment
September 19 2024 12:00 PM
Activist and philanthropist Bruce Bastian dies at 76
June 26 2024 1:28 PM
In honor of Juneteenth 2024, meet The Normal Anomaly
June 19 2024 1:39 PM
Creator and host Karl Schmid fights HIV stigma with knowledge
September 12 2024 12:03 PM
Plus: Featured Video
Latest Stories
Check out our 2024 year-end issue!
October 28 2024 2:08 PM
Meet our Health Hero of the Year, Armonté Butler
October 21 2024 12:53 PM
AIDS/LifeCycle is ending after more than 30 years
October 17 2024 12:40 PM
Twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir, an HIV-prevention drug, reduces risk by 96%
October 15 2024 5:03 PM
Out100 Honoree Tony Valenzuela thanks queer and trans communities for support in his HIV journey
September 18 2024 12:00 PM
Kentucky bans conversion therapy for youth as Gov. Andy Beshear signs 'monumental' order
September 18 2024 11:13 AM
Why activist Raif Derrazi thinks his HIV diagnosis is a gift
September 17 2024 12:00 PM
Study finds use of puberty blockers safe and reversible, countering anti-trans accusations
September 11 2024 1:11 PM
Latinx health tips / Consejos de salud para latinos (in English & en espanol)
September 10 2024 4:29 PM
The Trevor Project receives $5M grant to support LGBTQ+ youth mental health in rural Midwest (exclusive)
September 03 2024 9:30 AM
Introducing 'Health PLUS Wellness': The Latinx Issue!
August 30 2024 3:06 PM
La ciencia detrás de U=U ha estado liberando a las personas con VIH durante años
August 23 2024 2:48 PM
Tratamiento y prevención del VIH por inyección: Todo lo que necesita saber
August 23 2024 2:41 PM
Sr. Gay World quiere asegurarse de que estés bien
August 23 2024 2:30 PM
Eureka is taking a break from competing on 'Drag Race' following 'CVTW' elimination
August 20 2024 12:21 PM
With a new case in Sweden, what is the new mpox outbreak and should you be concerned?
August 15 2024 4:48 PM
From ‘The Real World’ to real life: How Danny Roberts thrives with HIV
July 31 2024 5:23 PM