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3rd Trimester
CaliVal
member
Vitamin K/Eye Ointment immediately after birth
CaliVal
member
Hey guys, I have an appointment today with my doctor but I wanted to see if you guys had any feedback prior to then. So last night at our birthing class the teacher brought up that usually right after birth they will give your newborn a Vitamin K shot (since newborns don't produce vitamin K until their 8th day of life), and eye ointment incase some kind of fluid got in the newborn's eyes because if you've ever had an STD, this fluid could cause blindness.
My thoughts are this:
1. I have never had an STD, if that is the only thing that could potentially cause blindness, then I am prepared to sign the waiver and forego the eye ointment. I'd rather my baby be able to grow accustomed to the world without having a bunch of gunk in her eyes. Has anyone heard of any other reason for the eye ointment?
2. I am debating on whether I would want them to give the Vitamin K shot right away, so that the worst is over and we can bond, breastfeed, etc without any contrainsts, OR if it makes more sense to bond and then have her get stuck with a shot.
What are your thoughts? Thanks for any help ladies.
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Re: Vitamin K/Eye Ointment immediately after birth
I didn't really want the ointment but she got it anyway, while she was off getting checked because I had meconium. It was in my birth preferences, but I was not vocal about it, and in the rush to the nursery post birth to check on her I really wasn't thinking about it. I was neutral on the vitamin K, but we'll definitely get it if baby is a boy because I let DH make the decision to circumcise.
Honestly, the eye ointment had no effect on us as far as bonding, breastfeeding, etc. And no, I've never had an STD either.
The only thing we postponed was the Hep B shot. We did that at her second pedi appointment.
BFP#1 10 wk missed mc
BFP#2 DS born at 40+2 on 8/14/12 BFP#3 DD Born at 39+3 on 5/13/14
Want to clarify three things:
1. I didn't say that the ointment would interfere with bonding, I said that I wanted her to be able to get to know the world around her (her former one being a lot darker and not nearly as much going on around her as the one she'll be introduced to) without gunk in her eyes. However, if a STM thinks this wasn't a big issue, that is awesome.
2. I'm not implying that anyone that has gotten the eye ointment for their baby has had an STD.
3. I didn't say that getting the Vitamin K should would interfere with bonding with the baby, or that I wouldn't get the shot. I definitely AM getting the shot, I am just wondering if others are planning on putting it off or getting it right away.
I'm not sure on the policies of your hospital, but mine delays both of these things and the Hep B for a little bit of time after the birth in order to give the mom a chance to do skin to skin and bond with the baby. If this is not your hospital's policy then I'm sure you could ask about it and they shouldn't have a problem with you delaying it. If you want to go without the eye ointment then that is your decision. It is used mainly to prevent infections that are associated with gonorrhea and chlamydia. I'm not sure if it fights any other infections though...
Newborns cant really see anyway. They only see light and dark, and even the shapes they see are fuzzy. Plus they can only focus on things about 6 inches from their face, they wont notice a thing about what is going on in the room around them with or without ointment.
BFP#1 10 wk missed mc
BFP#2 DS born at 40+2 on 8/14/12 BFP#3 DD Born at 39+3 on 5/13/14
With DD we got the eye ointment and the vitamin K shot (they let you bond with your newborn for quite some time before taking LO for all of these things). DD wasnt bothered by the eye ointment - her eyes were closed most of the time. And to be honest I rather be safe than sorry.. just my 2 cents
Also, don't assume the 1st minutes after birth are the only opportunity for bonding.
I wasn't able to hold DD for 20 minutes. She was given her ointment, maybe the shot I don't remember, weighed, measured, etc, cleaned and swaddled before she was given to DH. After the initial cry when she started to breath she was quiet and content. Like I said she turned towards me when she heard my voice. And any time I sent her to the nursery the nurse would always bring her back w/in a half an hour bc she was, as they put it, yelling at them. As soon as she realized I was in the same room she would stop yelling. And she has even turned out to be the most low maintenance, non-needy baby.
So, in my experience, the shots, ointment, bath and swaddle do not hinder on the bonding what so ever.
Any medical procedure is optional. It may be mandated that hospitals have a policy to provide it for every newborn, but they cannot mandate that every parent agree to it. My son did get both the Vitamin K shot and the eye gunk, but we delayed both until an hour after he was born. He spent the first hour on my chest. They took his vitals and wiped him off, but that was all. Obviously if there had been complications, things would have gone differently. But thankfully my son was born healthy. I'm hoping to do the same with this one.
This.
I had both done with DS right away. We didn't have a problem bonding.
We'll do the same with this LO.
DS2 8/21/12
DD 9/26/14
Baby #4 edd 2/11/19
This!
We're not doing the ointment for the same reason.
Also, because we're having LO at a BC, we got the option of administering Vitamin K orally over time, rather than all at once in a shot. Maybe that's an option that you can have as well?
We declined both with our first two for the same reasons. We are going to order the oral vitamin K to have on hand in the event that we and our midwife feel it should be administered. Vit K doesn't start working so quickly that it's going to prevent some sort of immediate hemorrhage situation, so I don't see any reason to not delay it for an hour or two if you would like a moment to bond.
Home Birthing-Breastfeeding-Cloth Diapering-Baby Wearing-CoSleeping-Delayed/Selective Vaccination Mama to Charlie (5yrs) and Madeline (21mos)
There is no reason for the eye ointment other than potential blindness which could occur only if you have one of two types of STD. If you are certain (CERTAIN) there is no way you could, then pass it by. I will be denying consent for this procedure. I do not like that it blurs their vision for awhile and stings their eyes for absolutely no purpose (at least for my child).
Vitamin K I don't find is a big deal. It has virtually no side-effects and is just a quick stick. Baby will be getting prodded a bit over that time period just to check and make sure all is well, I don't think the needle stick itself is a big deal. The chances of your baby having a disorder that the shot would help are next to none...but since the risks from the shot are also next to none I'm going with the shot.
The other one to think about is Hep B. That does have some definite side effects which can effect bonding and is usually given right after birth. Since my baby has no risk factors for being exposed to it (assuming she is healthy, if we're dealing with blood transfusions, etc, I'll rethink) I don't see the point in giving her a vaccine which can make her sleepy and distressed for several days when we're trying to get our routine set up, establish breastfeeding, etc. I'll just start the series at 2 months.
Um actually your baby can see when it's born. There eyesight is about the distance from your breast to your eyes. As long as you didn't have medication then your baby will be awake.
I don't plan on doing the eye ointment. I don't have an std and I've been tested. I plan on doing the vit K shot. We're not sure of we're circumcising yet. We're team green. The hep B shot I will be delaying it. I want some breast feeding in my baby so the immune system gets a jump start. The bonding time is very important. As long as your babyis stable then there is no reason for you not to have that time.