Rejecting standard procedures--for those who hospital birth - Page 2

[Alenushka]

Pretty much anytime I met someone at work who was diagnosed with STD was 100% sure that there is not way that had one as their partner would never do such thing to the,

[Jaimee]

Okay, but some of us actually know for a fact.  That's all I'm saying.

[LivingSky]

Originally Posted by Alenushka 

Pretty much anytime I met someone at work who was diagnosed with STD was 100% sure that there is not way that had one as their partner would never do such thing to the,

DDCC to add: I don't know about US protocol, but standard prenatal testing in Canada includes testing for most STDs. So it's not necessarily a huge leap of faith to assume you haven't picked up a one in the few months between testing and birth.

[Alenushka]

It is huge leap of faith actually. Many things can happen in course of few months . 

[Alenushka]

Yes, if you tested  few weeks before birth and had no oral or intercourse sex with anyone, you do know for a fact. You are correct in this case.

Originally Posted by Jaimee 

Okay, but some of us actually know for a fact.  That's all I'm saying.

[mommy2be2011]

what are these things for vit k and everything else you all have talked about? i've never heard of the babes getting these things done to them.. is it after there born or like vaccinations?

[justamama]

Originally Posted by Jaimee 

Okay, but some of us actually know for a fact.  That's all I'm saying.

Exactly. I walked out on the CNM that I first saw with this pregnancy because when I declined the Chlamydia and Ghonorhhea (I always butcher that spelling!) testing she looked my husband in the eye and said "Well, how do I know he's not sleeping around on you?" O.o

Some of us know for a fact that our relationships are monogamous. I'd be willing to bet mine and my children's lives on it. So yea, I do know for a fact.

[Jaimee]

Originally Posted by mommy2be2011 

what are these things for vit k and everything else you all have talked about? i've never heard of the babes getting these things done to them.. is it after there born or like vaccinations?

There are several newborn procedures that are standard protocol in most hospitals and birth centers.  Even homebirth mw's will offer them to you.  They are performed either directly after the birth or a little bit afterward.  Often you have to request that these procedures be delayed if you would like quiet bonding time first.  Or decline some or all of them all together.

Vitamin K is for blood clotting assistance since newborns have difficulty clotting their blood for the first few days.  If baby were to be injured, circumcised, need surgery, or as a pp mentioned- have a bleed in the brain (though I have not heard this before... I'm waiting to learn more about it) during this time, vitamin K would be necessary.  However, the vast majority of babies will not be dealing with any of these things within the first few days of life.  This is also why traditionally the Jewish bris (and other similar cultural practices) are put off until 8 days after birth.

Antibiotic eye ointment (aka "goop") is put in their eyes to prevent eye infections that can cause blindness.  These infections are most commonly caused by STD's like Chlamydia or Gonorrhea.  But more minor infections can be caused by normal bacteria present in the vaginal canal.  These minor infections do not cause blindness and can usually be easily cleared up by squirting some breastmilk in the eye.   You were likely tested for STD's at the beginning of your pregnancy, but these tests do have false negatives and as a pp has mentioned there are women who do not know if they have these STD's or not b/c cheating does happen.  However, as I have mentioned several times, some of us KNOW that our dh's are not cheating  on us and therefore we know we don't not have STD's.

Hep B is a vaccine and it was routinely given at birth to protect against this STD if baby should need to get a blood transfusion.  The likelihood of baby needing a blood transfusion and contracting the disease is very low.  Many places have now stopped giving this vax at birth and you can always get it later if you decide you want to vaccinate.

Genetic screening: this is a heel stick where they test for a huge variety of genetic metabolic disorders.  PKU is probably the most well known, which needs to be diagnosed immediately if baby has it, though it is hardly common (less than 1% of the population and varies by ethnicity).   The problem is that the test is not accurate until baby has actually digested some food.  Usually it is given within 48 hours of birth b/c most baby's leave the hospital after that, but it needs to be given again a week later to confirm the results.  Many parents opt to simply wait a few days and only test once so it is accurate the first time.

Newborn hearing screen: the hospital, birth center or your ped will give you a referral to get your baby's hearing testing usually a couple weeks after birth.  It's usually state mandated and your ped will generally hound you until you do it.  They just put earphones and an electrode on baby and see if baby responds to noises.  It's pretty quick and certainly doesn't hurt.  But I never got around to it with my second and it's clear he hears just fine. 

There are pros and cons to these tests and when they are given so definitely read up some  more before making your decision!

[MrsKatie]

Originally Posted by Jaimee 

Vitamin K is for blood clotting assistance since newborns have difficulty clotting their blood for the first few days.  If baby were to be injured, circumcised, need surgery, or as a pp mentioned- have a bleed in the brain (though I have not heard this before... I'm waiting to learn more about it) during this time, vitamin K would be necessary. 

Hey Jaimee!

If you look a few posts back (I think the bottom of page 1), I posted a few links you can check out re: Vitamin K and bleeding in the brain.

[Jaimee]

Thanks Katie, I missed them when the thread jumped to the next page.  We will still be declining the shot, but I will put more thought into supplementation while breastfeeding.

[MrsKatie]

Originally Posted by Jaimee 

Thanks Katie, I missed them when the thread jumped to the next page.  We will still be declining the shot, but I will put more thought into supplementation while breastfeeding.

Yeah, I think I'd be much more comfortable with that, too.  Just had my midwife appointment today - next time I'll ask her about supplementation!

[onetwoten]

DDCC from December. DH and I just talked about all of these a few nights ago, so they are fresh in my mind. We pulled up a few articles regarding VitK that linked a significant increase in childhood leukemia to the VitK shot. Other studies have refuted these claims, but honestly the descriptions about why they think it may be so, make a lot of sense to me. That combined with the fact that the dose they give the baby is 20,000 times the normal metabolic levels... that just seems insane to me. I understand wanting to bring the levels up a bit, but 20,000 times, just doesn't seem normal. We will be declining the Vit K (and instead supplementing my diet through food and oral doses if needed) unless something with the birth indicates increased trauma and we feel the benefit outweighs the risk. 

We will decline everything else other than the heel prick to check PKU, although I had never stopped to think about the idea that it's more accurate/valid after the infant has had a chance to digest food. We hope to leave the hospital a few hours after birth, so I may talk to my family doctor (who will be the baby's doctor) about having her do it at a one week visit instead.

I'm glad DH is on board with us refusing all of these, although we're still on the fence about GBS protocol if I happen to test positive. We're in agreed that we want the information, so we will do the test, but we haven't decided what to do if it comes back positive. I am quite terrified of needles, so having to have an IV in during my entire labor I do believe has a strong risk of stalling my labor and ending up in a c-section, so I'm trying to consider that as well.  

[Ttarail]

  I also do the PKU test, as it only requires a few drops of blood and it could potentially save

My six year old still rembers this and she was weeks old at the time. I don't think I'll repeat it with this one.

[mamapierrogi]

How did anyone reject the Vitamin K and eye ointment if your babe(s) was born in NY? I live on Long Island and was told by my midwife and OB (previous birth) the state is VERY STRICT and you cannot get around it. Thanks for your help!  Sharon (Mama to Noah 10/14/05 & Grayson 6/1/07 and soon to be #3 around 7/22/11)

[Jaimee]

Welcome to MDC mamapierrogi!   I don't live in NY and don't know much about its laws (though I have heard horror stories about not vaccinating there).  Anyway, you might find the answers you are looking for by posting in the Finding Your Tribe section for NY.  I'm sure there are others that have encountered the same problem.  Good luck!

[jennet1130]

Just so you know Hepatitis B is not an STD. It is transmitted through the blood and affects the liver. Not a reason to give it to newborns but just wanted to make sure people don't think it's an STD......

[Jaimee]

From the CDC...

[Hepatitis B] is efficiently transmitted by percutaneous or mucous membrane exposure to infectious blood or body fluids that contain blood. The primary risk factors that have been associated with infection among adolescents and adults are unprotected sex with an infected partner, unprotected sex with more than one partner, MSM, history of other STDs, and illegal injecting-drug use.

So technically it is an STD, but is also transmitted via blood transfusions.  Which is why I mentioned in my other posts that the risk to a newborn is from blood transfusions.  Otherwise the main risk is sexual transmission, which I personally do not plan on worrying about for quite some time with my kids.

Edited by Jaimee - 7/5/11 at 10:24am

[mamapierrogi]

Thank you for the welcome Jaimee. I generally read the posts, but don't reply...I am a lurker..lol. I will try searching that section.  Thank you!

Originally Posted by Jaimee 

Welcome to MDC mamapierrogi!   I don't live in NY and don't know much about its laws (though I have heard horror stories about not vaccinating there).  Anyway, you might find the answers you are looking for by posting in the Finding Your Tribe section for NY.  I'm sure there are others that have encountered the same problem.  Good luck!

[abc123xyz]

We refuse all of these and more :*) Vitamin K is routinely given as an insurance policy to the hospital and/or for surgical medical procedure. Although, if breastfeeding, Vitamin K is more than sufficient within the first few days of life. If a Dr. uses force to extract your baby, roughly handles, or drops your baby, they are insured against a severe brain bleed or other bleed. It's never been worth it to me because we homebirth. Even with our transport, we refused. No one was allowed to hold my baby except myself or my husband. You assure yourself a safe baby when you demand everything be done on your bed. It caused a lot of problems but made me rest easy and was peaceful and sweet for my baby. Refuse the eye ointment unless you have chlamydia or gonorrhea. Those two things are the only reason for the eye ointment. Refuse Hep B unless you anticipate your baby becoming an IV drug user or sexually active before 8-10 yrs of age. Because if you choose to vaccinate, they will get another at that time. We also refuse the PKU test all together but in hospital or upon birth because they are notoriously inconclusive and have to be re-done by your dr. Plus, it's a rare thing, even though it does occur, if you have no predisposition, it's highly unlikely.

Honestly, you have to do the research for yourself. It's helpful to know what other people have done, but in the end, you have to live with the decisions you make. No one else can stand accountable for those, in either way of influence. Our convictions all come from different places and we are all justified in them!

[KeanusMomma]

Definitely don't want the monitoring, I will keep that to a bare minimum. No iv fluids or npo rules. No circ if I have a boy. No pitocin or pain meds. I have herpes, so I'm thinking the eye ointment will be good for us, but vaginal exams should be avoided as much as possible. I will be talking to midwife about the other stuff, like vit k.

Btw I will prob birth @ birthing center