- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
November 2011 Moms
? about vit k shot and eye ointment etc... (xpost from nat birth board)
What are the reasons why many people do not want their new baby to get the Vit K shot, or eye ointment or anything else that you're signing a waiver to have your baby NOT given.
I had an all natural VBAC with my DS (after a csection for twins) and am hoping for another this time around and I know ALOT of mommas refuse a lot of these "standard" practices and wanted to better understand everyone's reasoning to help make the best decisions this time around...
anyway I would love any and all feedback!
Ps if you are refusing any of the above (or others that I didn't mention) did you talk to your ped about this? I will be seeing mine for my older DS/DD's 4 year check up and thought it would be a good time to mention it.....
This discussion has been closed.
Re: ? about vit k shot and eye ointment etc... (xpost from nat birth board)
I got my DD the vitamin K shot, but it was also after a rapid birth and I had low platelets so she was more at risk for bleeding issues. I, however, did not get her the eye ointment because I don't have any STD's so she wasn't going to be picking anything up in the birth canal. I just didn't feel it was necessary so why do it?
I didn't talk to the pedi about it. I read all of the handouts that my birth center provided me since both are completely optional there and they encourage you to decide ahead of time what you'd like to do and spoke to my midwives about it. After my DD was born the midwife looked at me and told me that she highly recommended giving DD the vit K shot because of the circumstances of her birth. So even if we hadn't planned on it at that point we would have.
As far as the Vit K topic.... I am not a doctor or a medical professional, and there are numerous speculations or studies out there that say different things about Con why not to get the shot. For me, it is a very personal choice, and I just feel it is unnecessary to flood baby's system with such a high dosage of a Vitamin that is not natural to me. Also, if baby gets some formula in the hospital, I am told that the formula alone already has high levels of Vit K. I would recommend if you are wondering about the Vit K topic to google it because there is a lot of Pro and Con information out there that I cannot confirm or deny because I am not a medical professional. The reason for the shot is to prevent a rare blood clotting disorder I believe the google research that I did said the odds your baby would even have this problem was like 1 in 100,000. But again I recommend research it for yourself definitely don't quote me.
The reasons most people refuse these things is because they are misinformed.
The eye drops aren't a huge deal since, if your baby develops conjunctivitis it can generally be treated before they go blind. I've heard a lot of people say, "I don't have STDs so, my baby doesn't need it." That's simply not true. While chlamydia and gonarrhea are by far the most common cause, they are certainly not the ONLY cause. Neonates can develop conjunctivitis from NORMAL bacteria found in the vaginal cannal. DO it or don't but, don't kid yourself that you aren't putting your child at risk. A small and likely treatable risk but, a risk just the same. Up to you.
I've heard 2 arguments against the vit K shot. The first being it causes cancer. That's misinformation. ONE study which is over TWENTY YEARS OLD raised the possibility of a link. Over a dozen follow up studies, over the past ten years have failed to demonstrate that link. It does not cause cancer.
The second argument I've heard is that hemorrhagic disease of the newborn almost never happens. This is true. People tend to stop there and not ask the ever important follow up, WHY does it almost never happen? Well, the reason is that almost every baby gets the vit K shot! Talk to pediatricians who have been around for a while.
There is no treatment once your baby develops the condition. You will watch your newborn suffer and die a horrible death. There is NO way to screen for it. It is almost 100% preventable with a vit K shot at birth. Oddly, the children at the highest risk for it are those who are exclusively breast fed. So, the all natural moms are the last ones who should refuse it.
The thing we did refuse at birth was the Hep B shot. Not because we didn't intend to have our son vaccinated, because the Hep B shot at birth was to ensure that it didn't get missed. Hep B contracted in childhood is significantly worse than Hep B contracted as an adult. Low income families with limited access to well baby care are at the highest risk for it and the least likely to get the full series. We were definitely getting our child vaccinated appropriately and if you follow the appropriate vaccine schedule AND have the dose at birth, your child actually ends up with 4 doses when they only need 3. So, we didn't actually decline a vaccine we just declined an extra dose of vaccine.
Vitamin K helps with clotting - for me no problem
eye ointment keep away infections from the eyes - no problem again
HepB -problem not in high risk group will do later
Can you request that the eye ointment be applied later? ...as in, after the parents and the new baby have a chance to bond?
Can you also do the vitamin K shot and the Hep B vaccine a bit later? I just wonder if there is a reason that they do this right away.
Thanks!
Ok, how in the world did you girls even know about this stuff being administered? It's not like I'm just sitting here, blindly pregnant, but I have yet to run across this topic in my books. What are you girls reading that I need to go out and purchase immediately?
This is a tricky subject for me and thankfully was brought up here. Yay for TB! I have 2 clotting disorders: Factor V Leiden and Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome, which both are risks for clotting, hence why I am on daily injections of blood thinners throughout my pregnancy and 6 weeks after (Lovenox). Being that it's a hereditary condition, and the baby could very well have it, I'm now concerned about making this decision.
Anyone else weighing the Vitamin K shot when they have blood conditions that could be passed down to baby?