Eye ointment at birth...yes or no?

eec129 · January 2012

I would like to pass on this at my baby's birth. Is anyone else? I don't have an official birth plan, but I'm starting to think I should have a simple one.

Katie31759 · January 2012

We're definitely not doing it. It's for STDs and I know I don't have any, so there's no point. It's a good idea to have a birth plan so you don't have to remember everything when you're going through labor!

JackieMac824 · January 2012

I hear of alot of people passing on the eye ointment - may I ask why - is it no good for the baby??

bigbear · January 2012

I think the ointment is a good thing but I'm going to delay it. I want the first hour when the baby is alert to be just with me. They can do everything else later on.

rachel.wenger · January 2012

We are doing it after he starts to BF. My doctor said that it could cause blurriness with eye sight right after the drops are put in, causing some delay in them being able to find the nipple. So we are just waiting until after the first hour that he gets to BF. Doc said that a lot of her patients wait until that first initial latch.

Mrs.MauiBride24 · January 2012

bigbear:
I think the ointment is a good thing but I'm going to delay it. I want the first hour when the baby is alert to be just with me. They can do everything else later on.

Same here.

Jess084 · January 2012

I'm not doing it. I know I don't have an STD, I have been tested for STDs (even though I know I don't have one) and I don't see a point in gooping up my baby's sight.

JenJH923 · January 2012

I would definitely get the ointment. The baby is coming down a birth canal filled with bacteria and such. I'm an RN in the newborn nursery and we have people refuse it all the time because they don't want the baby's vision to be blurry- they don't have good vision anyway and the ointment is usually gone within a few hours of birth. It's not like they are going to never recognize you again because they didn't get a good clear picture of you right when they were born. 8 out of 10 times if they refuse it the baby is fine, but I have had to send babies to the NICU who end up on antibiotics from eye infections. It's something so simple and harmless I would not risk a NICU stay or eye infection (not just caused by STD's) over ointment that is the size of a pea going into their eye. Preventative medicine.

DEBBIE33CASEY · January 2012

I actually had no idea that skipping was even an option. This is something I will discuss with my OB tomorrow! Thanks for bringing it up!

Mama Jan · January 2012

JenJH923:
I would definitely get the ointment. The baby is coming down a birth canal filled with bacteria and such.

Yes

Baby not being able to find the nipple? I've seriously never heard that argument before and it sounds a little silly to me. Never heard of a mom giving up BFing because baby couldn't locate the nipple...

Rsoc23 · January 2012

Thank you for this...I have been debating back and forth weather I was going to do the ointment hut this makes me think it is better to do it.

textbookcase · January 2012

Mama Jan:
JenJH923:
I would definitely get the ointment. The baby is coming down a birth canal filled with bacteria and such.
Baby not being able to find the nipple? I've seriously never heard that argument before and it sounds a little silly to me. Never heard of a mom giving up BFing because baby couldn't locate the nipple...

Yeah, babies generally don't have very good vision at birth and find the nipple by rooting rather than sight. I will get the eye ointment. I don't have STDs, but there is definitely a lot of bacteria in all of us.

christinbeatrice · January 2012

bigbear:
I think the ointment is a good thing but I'm going to delay it. I want the first hour when the baby is alert to be just with me. They can do everything else later on.

This. That is our hospitals policy now, that if able they put baby skin to skin for first hour & only do the apgar test while mom is holding baby. Then they do all test & treatments after.

I have been tested also, I have no std's, but I don't really understand why you'd skip. It's just a prevention that shouldn't hurt a thing.

GeekMom · January 2012

bigbear:
I think the ointment is a good thing but I'm going to delay it. I want the first hour when the baby is alert to be just with me. They can do everything else later on.

We're doing this!

GingerWife · January 2012

bigbear:
I think the ointment is a good thing but I'm going to delay it. I want the first hour when the baby is alert to be just with me. They can do everything else later on.

This

rachel.wenger · January 2012

Mama Jan:
JenJH923:
I would definitely get the ointment. The baby is coming down a birth canal filled with bacteria and such.
Baby not being able to find the nipple? I've seriously never heard that argument before and it sounds a little silly to me. Never heard of a mom giving up BFing because baby couldn't locate the nipple...

The nurses discussed it in my birthing class (at the hospital where we are delivering). I wouldn't have thought twice about it otherwise. We are def getting the ointment in the eyes, just delaying for the first hour because of reasons that they discussed. BF was just one of them.

shortstuff15 · January 2012

JenJH923:
I would definitely get the ointment. The baby is coming down a birth canal filled with bacteria and such. I'm an RN in the newborn nursery and we have people refuse it all the time because they don't want the baby's vision to be blurry- they don't have good vision anyway and the ointment is usually gone within a few hours of birth. It's not like they are going to never recognize you again because they didn't get a good clear picture of you right when they were born. 8 out of 10 times if they refuse it the baby is fine, but I have had to send babies to the NICU who end up on antibiotics from eye infections. It's something so simple and harmless I would not risk a NICU stay or eye infection (not just caused by STD's) over ointment that is the size of a pea going into their eye. Preventative medicine.

I'm not an RN so I don't have that experience, but I agree with everything in this post. There is so much bacteria in the birth canal and everywhere else and the ointment is not just for STD's. I am 100% positive that I have none (my husband was my first and I was his first and we have never been with anyone else) but I still don't refuse the eye goop. As far as blurry vision, well my cousin put it in his own eyes after his wife had their daughter and he said it did nothing but make it blurry for about 5 seconds. Not worth the risk to avoid it for 5 seconds of blurry vision!

KitKat83 · January 2012

Yes. I don't have any STD's, but I'm not risking possible infection or even blindness of my child for a few seconds of blurriness. I've had it in my eyes before, it doesn't hurt and its no big deal at all.

star173 · January 2012

There's no need for it. It's an oudated practice, honestly. I told them I didn't want it and no one batted an eye over it- because they know it's not necessary as well. it's a "blanket procedure" they said.

FarmvilleLover · January 2012

I'll ask my OB about it tomorrow. I don't have strong feelings about it either way.

theladyjess · January 2012

We're declining the eye oinment and delaying Hep B until 2 months. The only thing LO will get at birth is Vit K and that wasn't w/out discussion and research.

I'd definately do a birth plan, even if it's simple. You don't know how you'll react once you're in labor and you don't want to forget what is important to you and your DH. Add emotions of birth to the mix and you're bound to forget or overlook something.

I'm planning a natural, med free birth and would be happy to share my birth plan with you. I kept it to one page with bullet points for each stage of labor. I have a second partial page for what I'd like in the event of a c/s. I shared it with another Jan momma and she called it "assertive but not bossy".

SoonToBeMsP · January 2012

We'll be getting it, but it will be delayed for BFing purposes. At the same time, if they happen to put it on before I try and BF, I don't think it will be a big deal because like it's been stated above- their eyesight is horrible and a little ointment won't actually make a difference.

RN4Babies81 · January 2012

star173:
There's no need for it. It's an oudated practice, honestly. I told them I didn't want it and no one batted an eye over it- because they know it's not necessary as well. it's a "blanket procedure" they said.

This is so not true. It is given for all the reasons stated in previous posts so I won't go into them again. There is no risk in giving it, and as PP have said, the birth canal can carry many different bacteria that have the potential to cause an infection to enter through the eye.

If you choose not to give it to your child, that is your choice, but don't tell others that it is an outdated practice when you don't know what you are talking about.

As an RN in the NICU, I have given this ointment thousands of times and it has never caused one issue for baby.

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Eye ointment at birth...yes or no?

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