vitamin K, eye goop, and other hospital stuff - Page 2 « Back to Group Discussions

[birthmommomx2]

after speaking with the hospital it looks like we are going to do vit. k, PKU but pass on eye goop, and hep b.

[Faliciagayle]

We have these oral Vit K drops:  http://www.birthwithlove.com/categories/itempage.asp?prodid=vitamin+k+1+(vit+k+1+)oral+vit+k

We didn't use them for DD, but decided to do so with DS (different state).

We decline eye ointment, and Hep B (home birth), and we do the PKU screen and the hearing test.

[MissE]

Those were the drops that were recommended to me too by a friend. I'm yet on the fence if I should order them or just go with the shot (which would be free). I will however decline the eye ointment and sign a waiver and we won't do the HepB either.

[Monkey Keeper]

Pretty much what everyone else said--decline goop (colostrum is acceptable as a sub here) and HepB and go ahead with VitK and PKU. I debated VitK with my son, but he came out with bruising so we went ahead with it.

[hyde]

Originally Posted by ArtificialRed 

Hyde where have you been seeing that the antibiotics protect against anything other than STDs? We're planning on declining (even though it's not technically legal here) but I'd be interested to know if there was some reason to think it could actually help.

I don't have any single link that I'd say is a solid source for this- probably fairer to say it amounts to mentions here and there about what people's HCPs have told them. I'm thinking atm that the flip side is, if what we're talking about is not 'your secret gonorrhea will blind your child forever', but rather the possibility of baby developing run-of-the-mill conjunctivitis from whatever assorted bacteria, it would seem like that could be dealt with when/if it actually happens..?

(I love your new profile pic, btw. That is exactly the shade of red I would go if I ever work up the balls.. paranoid about what dye would do to my curls, but every six months or so I get right up to the edge because I love it so much! The style is gorgeous, too. )

[Carlin]

I thought I'd revive this thread. :)

I'm still torn on Vit. K. Does anyone have any links to good resources on the potential negatives of giving it?

So far in the pros and cons categories I have:

Pro: Very effective in preventing Infant Hemorragic Disease.

Cons: Potential allergic reaction

: Possible link to jaundice - I can't find any actual evidence of this, but I can see how it is possible - does anyone have links, even to anecdotal evidence?

: Link to hemolytic anemia - appears not to have happened since the '50s and they've changed the type of vit. K they use since then.

: Possibility for overdose, particularly as vit. k is a fat soluble vitamin so excess can't just be excreted in urine like most vitamins - but once again, I havent' actually found any evidence of this.

I'm usually pretty good at digging up real research, but my skills are failing me on this one. I'd love to hear other people's opinions!

[katt]

Carlin- I haven't any research on this atm, i suppose i can go see... But, here's my reasoning for NOT doing the Vit K unless the baby shows signs of needing the clotting factor (bruising etc...) How can EVERY baby be born with a deficiency since the dawn of time?  How can God/Nature/evolution have screwed up ONE thing that we must 'fix' in every baby when everything else has worked just fine?

do you follow me here?  

Anyway, that's my reasoning.  That is why I'll wait and see.

[Carlin]

Katt, that's basically my thought process too, and the reason we decided to skip it with DD, but for some reason I'm struggling with it a bit more this time. As of now, I've told the midwives we'll play it by ear, but I figured a little more research into it might help me feel more comfortable one way or another. I'm not sure if my intuition is telling me it's a good idea for some reason, or if everything else is going so smoothly that I just need something to worry about!

Plus I always like to know the 'why' of things. lol. Why are we born with low Vit K? Is it because there's an adaptive advantage to it? In which case there should be negative effects of giving vit K at birth. Or is it just because the disadvantages of being vit, K deficient are so limited that there's no evolutionary pressure to change it, in which case there may be no disadvantage. I'm also wondering if vit K deficiency is common in traditional societies or if it's a result of our current "civilized" diet and lifestyle.  

[nukuspot]

I have no issues with giving vitamin K....For me the reason why I opt out of the injection is purely due to all the preservatives in it. I'd prefer not to have them in my baby's bloodstream. The oral option is almost equal in efficacy (though it requires more dosing) and has no preservatives. Interesting conversation!

[Carlin]

I came across this article and thought I'd share. It's by far the most even handed and well referenced article I've come across yet. http://drbenkim.com/vitamin-K-shot-baby.html

[MadiMamacita]

thanks carlin- great info!
Anyone know where to get the oral vit K?

[Faliciagayle]

as I posted above thread, I bought mine from Birthwithlove.com

http://www.birthwithlove.com/categories/itempage.asp?prodid=Vitamin+K+1+%28Vit+K+1+%29Oral+Vit+K

[nukuspot]

2 strange typos with that article. 1.). They talk about supplementing baby with vitamin K9!? Ummm I think they mean K1. Also they say 200mg each week for 5 weeks. I believe they mean 2mg but normal dosing is 2mg at birth, 1 week and one month.

[nukuspot]

I reread it, it says 200mcg. That makes more sense but still there is no oral K1 that comes in that low of a dose.

[nukuspot]

My local pharmacy carries the oral K (same product as they sell @ birth with love) but if they didn't I'd just get it online. A few natural birth/midwifery products stores sell it. There is just the one kind, by Scientific Botanicals.

[MadiMamacita]

so if I were to take it orally and pass it through my milk, how much would I take? would I take it daily?

[calpurnia7]

We're doing the eye goop after 2 hours and the vit K, but waiting on Hep B until the three-month checkup per our pediatrician's recommendation.  My doc hates the eye goop, but legally that hospital has to do it. 

[katt]

I had to look this up a bit, the hospital  legally required etc...

I found this: http://www.mothering.com/community/t/399102/what-newborn-procedures-are-legally-required

Texas is mentioned in there.

But, from what i gathered, they are legally required, BUT, you still have the right to sign a waiver and say no thank you.

I'm going to look into this a bit more.

http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1335725/newborn-eye-onitment

from other moms in Texas it seems that it is dependent on the hospital and could involve a call to CPS.  :(  (see second link)  which really sucks imo.  'cause no one wants that.

sorry, i wish I could have found you something else to at least give you more of a choice rather then the 'choice' given.  

Edited by katt - 7/30/12 at 2:07am

[13pumpkins]

I am not sure what the protocols will be since our delivery is supposed to be a c-section (I'm *really* bummed about this).  With DD1, she was handed to me right after delivery but we both needed oxygen and so she was whisked away quickly--everything was a bit of a blurry mixture of emotions and lightheadedness.  She never left our site but was returned with eye antibiotics hep B vaccine, etc.  I was never happy about the hep B vaccine.  When DD2 was born, she spent an amazingly long time on my chest and it was wonderful.  Eventually, she did get cleaned up and they did the eye antibiotics but she had already nursed, napped, nursed, and so on.  We declined hep B until we could chat with our pediatrician the next day and he brought up fair reasons for us to to wait.  In the end, I felt MUCH better that he supported either choice and we made the choice we were comfortable vs. having it forced on us in the throes of labor.  I liked it so much that I felt I would much rather do it this way again (waiting a day and discussing it with our physician).

With these girls, I am inclined to opt out of as much as possible during labor.  I really dislike how pushy the nurses can be at times.  With DD2, they were pulling DH away from me (and DD2 was born in 45 minutes) to ask him if he wanted circumcision, etc.  What is the POINT of that during labor?  I think it is inappropriate, as does my OB, to ask parents any of these questions during labor since one's focus is not on the questions.  However, I do not know what the protocols are for such a medically managed pregnancy (well medically managed to me though it's been pretty low key with some extra ultra sounds).  I am horribly upset about the babies being taken from the OR from me, upset that my arms probably will be restrained (when it gets closer to the date, I am going to request that not happen), and that I will be left in recovery alone.  If I do get to hold my girls, I am not sure how long it will be because I can see some logistics holding 3 all at once when in that position....I think in the end, I am going to make a list of things I want held off of (like hep B) and then do the best we can do.  There may be other things at play when we deliver that make all of this moot.

[calpurnia7]

Originally Posted by katt 

sorry, i wish I could have found you something else to at least give you more of a choice rather then the 'choice' given.  

Thank you for doing that research!  Yea, I'm not thrilled about it.  I had a long discussion with our pediatrician about it, because he's not your typical doctor at all.  He studied for a while under Dr. Sears and totally sticks to all of his philosophies and is very anti-over medicating kiddos.  He said that he recommends home birthing with a midwife, that's what he and his wife did with their four children, but in this case, if we wait the two hours, he reassured me that everything will be fine RE: bonding, etc.  He has a lot of confidence in my doctor and the hospital where I'm delivering.

DH has promised me that he is 100% comfortable with home birth for our second child.  If it weren't this late in the game and I didn't love my doctor so much, we might consider switching, but as it is, there will be a few annoying issues to contend with in the hospital.  This is a fight I'm not going to fight.