A pregnancy test reveals you are going to become a mother. You are elated, and you have even begun to plan your baby's first years. But that joy is suddenly and quickly overshadowed by shock and disbelief. Why? A routine blood test during antenatal care says you are HIV positive.
For a split second you bypass the thoughts of yourself and you begin to worry about your baby. What will be your immediate thoughts about your unborn?
We asked this question to moms on the social media network Facebook, and this is what some had to say:
"I would want to know what I can do to prevent him/her from contracting it from me," Tricia James said.
Anissy Doll's first thoughts would be to take her meds; go on protocol, stick with it and pray she does not pass it on. Both Anathalia Mc David and Christine Ramrattan would want to know the best ways to prevent their baby from getting the virus.
"God forbid the above, I will take the necessary steps to prevent the baby contracting it during pregnancy, birth and beyond. I will seriously think about appointing a guardian for them should I pass away suddenly due to the virus. Maybe a childless couple?" said Rac Ine.
Heidi Renel Duncan said: "The anguish that I would not be able to breastfeed. My daughter loved breastfeeding and did so for a long time. I'd be sad that I wouldn't be able to share that with this baby. There would also be the fear of dying because of complications, and the child not knowing me."
Claire Panchoo said she would choose to end the pregnancy.
While the issue of fear and heartache is real surrounding such an issue, as a mother it is no longer automatic that you pass on the HIV virus to your child. Because of medical and scientific breakthroughs, thousands of babies across the globe are born HIV-free everyday and mothers experience happy and healthy pregnancies.
As reported by www.aidsinfo. nih.gov, because of the use of HIV medicines and other strategies, fewer than 200 babies are born with HIV in the US each year.
In T&T, by the Ministry of Health's reasoning, currently the figure accounts for less than two per cent in all pregnancies of HIV infected mothers.
In an email response to the T&T Guardian, the ministry said: "One or two times a year we may have an infant being born with HIV, out of the total amount of pregnancies that we have in HIV positive women."
The prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) programme was initiated in T&T in 1999, under the Ministry of Health's PMTCT policy.
The policy stated the programme was initiated based on evidence which showed that transmission of HIV from an infected mother to her child could be reduced by between 51-68 per cent, with the introduction of anti-retroviral therapy during pregnancy.
It said, added to this was the affordability of AZT (azidothymidine drug). It was also shown that avoidance of breastfeeding resulted in a further reduction in the transmission of HIV from mother to child by 10-20 per cent.
The policy indicated over the last five years T&T has seen a decrease in the number of babies born to HIV positive women each year.
The policy also informs that, from 2008, dry blood spot testing using DNA PCR (polymerase chain reaction) became available in every Regional Health Authority (RHA) in the country, allowing for accurate HIV diagnosis from babies as early as six weeks old.
HIV positive mothers and the exposed babies are followed by the PMTCT programme and with the assistance of the PMTCT coordinators, the status of the infants are reported to the Ministry of Health.
There is also special care for the HIV infected mother. Mothers with HIV don't have to feel alone or scared as there is a team of medical staff, inclusive of counselors and support groups, that can guide them though their entire pregnancy.
As appointed by the Ministry of Health, the PMTCT programme demonstrates the link between the health service, community and other bodies, especially for the provision of psychosocial support.
The first part of this engagement is often the empowerment of the patient to continue to access services through counseling and engagement of their support system (family or close friends), which would occur at the point of diagnosis.
Mothers are often guided through the system by the nurses in the PMTCT programme.
These nurses and their colleagues guide HIV-positive pregnant women from first diagnosis in the community to the hospital and support follow-up of both mother and baby.
The network of nurses supporting this programme also extends to the treatment sites.
The doctors and nurses refer, where possible, to the medical social worker within facilities for additional support and for cases where necessary, the community mental health officer is sought.
Another critical part of the support, the ministry says, is that of the people living with HIV (PLHIV) community. Existing patients often support new patients to engage and follow through on their care.
Because of these initiatives that now exist, being HIV positive and pregnant is not a death sentence for mothers, and it is certainly not for their babies.