Real Women

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Current HIV/AIDS Leaders

Rev. Vanessa D. Sharp, M.Div. and Concentration in Ecumenics, Urban Evangelism and Missiology and Master of Arts in Church Music

Sharp on the ministerial staff of Higher Hope Christian Ministries in SW Atlanta and is a strong advocate for HIV/AIDS issues and Health and Wholistic Wellness concerns. She is a leader and servant of people: locally - AIDS Ecumenical Coalition, AIDS Alliance, SisterLove, Inc., Sista Sol, Inc. and the Speakers Bureau of AID Atlanta,
HOPWA of Atlanta, Ryan White Planning Council of Atlanta; nationally - PHEWA Executive Board for PAN Network Leadership Team; worldwide she is Consultant for ChangeOneLife, Inc.’s medical ministry in Kenya, East Africa and represented the USA in Indonesia for the World Council of Churches for World Peace 2008. She recently founded Love In the Name of Christ (LINC) Worldwide Outreach and LINC, Inc., (Love Integrates Nurture & Care) a “Girls to Womanhood Initiative” HIV & AIDS Peer Education and Awareness program in partnership with Shoot The Hoop, Inc. an Academic Excellence, all 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations. A graduate at the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) (2008), Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary in Atlanta, GA (2008) and Dallas Christian College in Texas (2001), Rev. Sharp was diagnosed with the HIV virus 19 years ago and began her wholistic healing through advocacy in 1997, breaking her silence. She is a mother of 4 adult’s children and has 2 grandchildren.

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Naturally, all first time mothers experience worries about the health of their baby when he/she is born but if you are a mother who is HIV positive and is expecting a new baby, you may be concerned about how to prevent your baby from getting HIV.

HIV CAN SPREAD TO THE BABY DURING PREGNANCY, DURING BIRTH, AND THROUGH BREAST FEEDING. Your doctor will plan with you the best options on how to prevent from spreading HIV to your baby but here are some things you can do if you are pregnant or planning to.

• Take folic acid every day for at least three months before getting pregnant to lower your risk of
   some birth defects of the brain and spine
• Keep your viral load as low as possible by staying on the medicine your doctor has given you.
• Manage side effects from the HIV/AIDS drugs.
• Get immunizations if you need them to prevent opportunistic infections like the flu or pneumonia.
• Stop smoking and drinking alcohol.
• Eat healthy foods.
• Get plenty of rest.

Taking HIV drugs before and during the pregnancy is the best defense against passing the virus to your baby while keeping you and baby healthy. If you have not been taking HIV drugs and are in your first trimester, you may want to wait until after the first trimester before you start them. This is because baby’s major organs are developing and you might already be experiencing nausea with the pregnancy ad the medication may make it worse. If you are already on medication and find out you are in your first trimester you should talk to your doctor about whether you should continue your treatment or not, keeping in mind that your viral load can increase if you do stop. If you are into your second or third trimester and are already taking HIV medication you should continue with you treatment.

There is NO 100% way of not transmitting HIV to your baby but with HIV drugs, the risk of giving HIV to the newborn is below 2 percent. About 25% of women who don’t use HIV drugs during pregnancy pass the virus on to their newborns. There are ways to lower the risks of passing the virus to your baby.

• Get prenatal care: going to your doctor before you get pregnant or as soon as you find out
         you're pregnant
• Take HIV/AIDS medicines: talk to your doctor about which HIV/AIDS drugs to take and when
         to take them.
• Lower the risk of passing HIV during delivery: choose the type of delivery that will reduce the
         risks of passing HIV to your baby.
• Do not breastfeed: you can pass the virus to your baby through breast milk.

Your doctor knows what is best for you and your baby. TALK TO A DOCTOR BEFORE DECIDING TO GET PREGNANT OR START ANY MEDICATION TREATMENT.

Learn more at www.womenshealth.gov.