Question about eye goop and hep B shot

[Rainfall]

So I'm reading more and more online and a lot of mamas refuse the eye goop and Hep B shot for their newbie at birth. I've never given either of these a thought and want to know why they're bad or refused. Honest question! I'm doing a lot more research this go-around and have decided if this is a boy he'll be left intact. My other two are circ'd, so this is a new world for me right now. Be kind, please!

If you refuse the Hep B shot at birth, do you just get it done later on? When? Or are you a non-vax period family and that's why it's refused?

Isn't the eye stuff Vitamin K? What's the deal with that stuff? I don't even know why they do it. I thought it was to avoid infections from the birth, but I could be wrong.

[tygr2410]

Eye goo is an antibiotic to prevent STD's from being passed from mom to babies eyes. Vit k is an injection to prevent bleeding in the infant, ESP after a traumatic birth.

I choose not to give eye goo or hep b, but do give hep b later on.

[BSWmama]

Originally Posted by Rainfall So I'm reading more and more online and a lot of mamas refuse the eye goop and Hep B shot for their newbie at birth. I've never given either of these a thought and want to know why they're bad or refused. Honest question! I'm doing a lot more research this go-around and have decided if this is a boy he'll be left intact. My other two are circ'd, so this is a new world for me right now. Be kind, please! If you refuse the Hep B shot at birth, do you just get it done later on? When? Or are you a non-vax period family and that's why it's refused? Isn't the eye stuff Vitamin K? What's the deal with that stuff? I don't even know why they do it. I thought it was to avoid infections from the birth, but I could be wrong.

We refused the Hep B at birth. I think it is a series of three shots, and our son will have them all eventually (in another year or two?), I just didn't think it was necessary right away. I am pro-vaccine and our son is otherwise fully vaccinated. Our pediatrician, who is very pro-vaccine says the Hep B is really the only one he thinks there is "wiggle room" on since an infant is very unlikely to catch it.

We also refused the antibiotic eye goop, for the same reasons - it just wasn't necessary for us. It is designed to prevent the baby from getting gonorrhea or chlamydia infection in the eye. Since I don't have those diseases, that is not a concern for me.

We did get the vitamin K shot - it helps the blood to clot. We didn't have a traumatic birth at all, but I figure there is a lot of squeezing/potential bruising of the newborn even with a normal birth.

[mom2kaydncolt]

Right eye goop and vit K are different and I don't do either of those or the Hep b. We don't vaccinate at all but if we did I still wouldn't do the hep b at birth because the chances that my 1hr old newborn is going to go contract that particular STD from another baby in the nursery is pretty slim.

Vit k I refuse because I've read articles relating it to jaundice and childhood cancers. Because the shot is such a HUGE dose for a baby. I would not be opposed to giving oral vit K but that is often not a readily available option.

And eye goop I refuse because I don't have std's so my baby isn't at any risk there. I also don't have vaginal deliveries so even if I did have std's I'd probably still refuse it as they were never at risk in the first place.

[bluedaisyma]

didn't see a need for eye goop and we don't do any vax, ever. If I did vax, I still wouldn't do the hep B, I don't see a need for it for my babies for any reason.

Vitamin K....helps blood clot bc blood doesn't start clotting until day 8....but that's how God made babies, so in my opinion, it's not needed. HOWEVER, if I were to circ (I'm not) or the baby was being born by c-sect, needed surgery (before 8 days), etc, I would get the shot.

[Ellasundies]

There are three things routinely done to newborns in the first day or two of life at the hospital. They are the eye goop, Hep B shot, and vitamin K injection.

I'm due in 2 days and we plan on declining all three for the following reasons.

The eye goop they use is an antibiotic to prevent STD's from being passed from Mom to baby in the form of an eye infection. They generally use erythromycin but some hospitals still use silver nitrate, which is outdated and can be caustic to the eye. If you opt for eye ointment then you should make sure the hosp. only uses erythromycin. We are choosing to decline for several reasons. #1 Our babe isn't as risk for this type of infection. #2 even if babe did get some kind of an infection (not necessarily from an STD) eye infections, while they are certainly serious, generally take a while to develop and it's very obvious it's developing and there is more then enough time to get use the antibiotics then. #3 I'm not a fan of antibiotic use never mind prophylactic antibiotic use. #4 it can hinder bonding and breastfeeding (just FYI some people withhold the eye ointment for this reason for the first hour or two of life and then give it to help prevent this problem).

The Hep B shot is to prevent an STD infection. We don't have family members with Hep B so accidental exposure is unlikely. I also think it's a really really bad idea to be vaccinating a baby that is just a few hours old for any disease, never mind one that is unlikely to affect the baby. Plus I'm not a fan of the ingredients in this vaccine. As far as I'm concerned I would never give my kids this vax but DH would like to reconsider when the child gets to preschool age.

The vit. K shot makes me a little nervous. It's given to prevent birth related hemorrhage. Some years ago they found a link between this shot and childhood cancers. Hemorrhage is extremely rare and about the same number of kids the shot saved from hemorrhage was about the same number that got a childhood cancer. Since then this link has supposedly been dismissed but I've seen science flip flop too many times to trust this shot. We are doing oral vitamin K drops as kind of a trade off. Drops supposedly aren't as effective so if babe experiences a traumatic birth then we will do the shot but as long as everything goes smoothly the drops seem to be a happy medium. I know some Mama's who won't even give the drops because it interferes with the babies virgin gut flora but I'm not comfortable with doing nothing.

[TwinKristi]

We declined the Hep B (I'm strongly opposed to this vax in newborns ) and eye ointment but did agree to Vit K. They told us he had a lot of bruising probably from being posterior and being pressed against my pubic bone so long (stuck at 1-2cm for hours) but it was actually birthmarks (angel kisses/stork bites) but we were fine with that choice.

[mommyria2]

At my hosp they apparently give you 6hrs to hand express colostrum instead of the eye goop. That's the route I plan to go, though i'm really not great at hand expressing. But i want to decline the eye goop.

[blueone]

We are declining the Hep B, but we have no say in the eye goop or Vitamin K shot. Apparently if we were too social services would be called in and all.

I'm going to talk to the Doula about that, but that's the law in NY from what I've heard.

[TwinKristi]

Originally Posted by mommyria2 At my hosp they apparently give you 6hrs to hand express colostrum instead of the eye goop. That's the route I plan to go, though i'm really not great at hand expressing. But i want to decline the eye goop.

Can't you just put baby on the breast to help produce it and then hand express it into the eye??