Eye Ointment, Vit. K, and Hep. B at birth??

[Pepper44]

Does anyone have any information or experience about getting out of the eye ointment, vitamin K shot, and hep B vaccine after birth? Our midwife told us that those things are now mandatory and the only way to get out of them is to get a letter from your baby's doctor saying you and the ped. will accept the responsibilities for the baby's care should they fall ill, or something along those lines. The midwife used to just skip the ointment and all at request of the parents but she was fined $10,000 so she can't do that anymore.

I called the pediatrician we are planning on using and their office told me that they wouldn't give us a letter because they believe the baby should have all of those things at birth.

I could handle her getting the eye ointment, and maybe the vitamin K shot (though I would much rather she didn't), but I do not want her to have the vaccine! I don't think she needs it, especially within the first 12 hours after birth like they want to do.

I'm not sure what to do now. It's so frustrating to think that I have to fight to do what I think is best for my child. I want to get this figured out before we have the baby, she's due any time now.
Any advice??

(I cross posted this in my tribal area.)

[pageta]

I would get a different ped. I asked our ped about routine procedures and he told me I can decline them if I wish and said they would just call him...implying that I wouldn't be harrased by them any more for it because he would tell them it was okay. Our ped is also anti-vax and is the first one who educated me on the possibility of delaying or skipping vaccines altogether. Your ped operates on a different line of thought, and you will probably have to have those procedures unless you find a ped that will support your wish to decline them.

[ZeldasMom]

Wow. How draconian. What state do you live in? Here in WI the parent just signs a form declining newborn procedures. What I have heard about the local hospitals in general when in comes to declining procedures is that if you come off as someone who is informed, it tends to go smoother.

I hope someone in tribes can recommend a physician who can help. I might also go over to the midwifery today boards and see if anyone there has any ideas.

[Shelsi]

Post this in the vaccinations forum.

It depends on where you live but in 48 states you can get a religious exemption. The vax forum people will have much more info for you. Make sure you tell them where you live. One lady on there has all the exemption info for every single state and will help you out.

[rmzbm]

I just said I didn't want it, noone argued with me. Yes, post on the vax forum for specifics.

[boobyfeeder]

Something smells not right here. They can't require you to give any of those things. I just told my m/w that I didn't want any of them, she said fine, put it in my chart, and I ripped up the Hep B consent form. Of course, I'm planning to UC but if I end up at the hospital I want all my bases covered. As far as the ped is concerned, I would find another ped, one who will respect the parents' wishes. That's why I switched peds, my former ped was not ok with non/delayed vaxing. Try a family practitioner. You shouldn't have to have an exemption form to refuse any of those, but if you do, post in vaccinations and they can probably help you out with your particular state.

[boscopup]

I even got out of Hep B when taking my son home from the NICU. I just said "I don't want it done at this time", and the nurse said "Will you get it done later?" and I said "yes". I saw no reason why a less than 5 lb baby needed to be getting a vaccine of ANY kind, especially since they wanted him to stay at home for 6 weeks anyway!

Bet post what state you're in and people can probably give you more specific information. I'm planning to birth in TN, and all I have to do there is to sign a form saying I refuse each of those things. In AL, I don't think I even signed a Hep B refusal, that I can remember. He had the eye goop and Vit. K, since I wasn't in a frame of mind to refuse (and probably would have allowed Vit. K in his instance anyway, since he was bruised pretty bad and was a preemie).

[Pepper44]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I live in Kentucky, for those who asked. I'm sad that our pediatrician wasn't more open to anything--she came recommened by so many people! I never actually got to talk to the doctor though, I called to ask them how to go about getting an exemption thing and I never got past the secretary. All she said was "Sorry, patients at our office are required to have every vaccination. Have a nice day." When we went to checkout their office prior to picking a ped. they told us that if we don't want certain vax or we want to delay them all we have to do is sign a consent form, so I was hoping they would be understanding.
I just discovered these forums, I'll check out the vaccinations one and post this there too. I did find one religious exemption form online that looks promising. I'm going to ask the midwife what she thinks about it when I see her tomorrow.

[maxmama]

In WA, I'm required to make a CPS report for parents who decline eye ointment, but CPs doesn't care. So maybe you could decline NB procedures (which is your right) and just take the extremely minor fallout from it?

It's not uncommon for peds to require vaxing on time to keep you in their practice.

[Mama Poot]

Nothing is "mandatory"- its your child, you make the ultimate decision. I was just talking with my midwife last night, and while she gives the eye drops ( not the goopy ointment because it blurs their vision- and NO it isnt the silver nitrate drops either, its something else ) she agreed with me that the Vit K and Hep B shots are unnecessary. Hep B is basically an STD/disease prevalent among intravenous drug users- why the hell would a newborn baby need this vaccination?? Vit K shots became popular when breastfeeding was basically unknown in this country and everyone was feeding formula. Babies get all the vitamin K they need through colostrum, so if you plan on breastfeeding there is definitely no need for the shot. Its unfortunate that this kind of information seems to have been lost among healthcare professionals, and no one has any faith in the power of the human body.
Just say no to the things you don't want.

[boscopup]

Originally Posted by Pepper44

I never actually got to talk to the doctor though, I called to ask them how to go about getting an exemption thing and I never got past the secretary.

Always always always ask questions like this of the doctor him/herself, not the receptionist or nurses. They will just tell you "office policy", but the doctor may make exceptions to that policy on a case by case basis.

I'm sure if I were to call up my OB's office and ask about refusing the GTT, they'd probably say no, you have to have it. But my OB himself actually offered for me to refuse it when I had concerns about the testing methodology.

Also, for vaccinations... It's usually pretty easy to talk a ped into letting you stay if you're just delaying vaccines, including Hep B. Talk to them intelligently about your reasoning, and they'll likely be cool with it. But yes, many practices will kick you out if you don't vaccinate at all, so you have to really hunt down a doctor if that's the case. Who did you get referrals from? Were they mainstream folks or non-vaccinating folks? I'd find some non-vaccinating folks and see who they take their kids to. If you don't know any, go to your LLL group and you'll probably find some non-vaxing folks there.

[eco_mama]

First of all, nothing is "mandatory." It's YOUR child..not theirs! The 1st mw I was seeing just had me sign a waiver since I declined everything and then the mw I ended up w/ was a lay mw and didn't even do anything. I was never even asked about eye drops, vit k, etc. (And may I add that our DS didn't receive ANY shots, ointment, etc at birth and is 100% perfect and healthy.) We don't go to a pedi or do well-child visits so we have no problems in that area. With our DD we got a pedi and went to her checkups until it was time that she would gets her vaccines and when we told our pedi that we decided NOT to vaccinate, he turned us away and told us to find another pedi so...we just never went back to one. There was no point since DD has never been sick or anything. I would get a different pedi, or not one at all and tell your mw exactly what you do and don't want for your DC. It's YOUR child!

Good Luck Mama!

[AnnesMoM]

We weren't getting any of it, either. We just told everyone we were "delaying" the Hep B shot (until she's 90 ). The eye goop and Vit K we just declined. We were in WI then, and I don't know if the eye stuff was "required" or not. They were great and didn't give us any problems. I did have to sign a waiver for her to not get the Hep B.

[tash11]

I had a homebirth and the heb b wasnt even mentioned. I think this is because it doesnt concern my midwives and her ped didnt know she didnt get it. they did ask me about the eye goop and the vit k early on and I said I was still decideing but that I didnt want her to have any shots (pain) and they said they had the liquid kind. but then I decided not to do it and they didnt even bring it up again.......

[courtenay_e]

Well, here in Michigan, those things are a hospital by hospital case. Yes, the "law" reads that they have to have the ointment. The hospital I birthed at will not only file a report if you refuse, but will BRING IN social services. It really, excuse me, but pissed me off, as I have neither gonorrhea nor chlamydia (and they even do a test to this end during your pregnancy), so they are giving my child useless antibiotics for no reason. Grrr. The shot and the vax, though? They couldn't care less. Other hospitals in the area couldn't care less about ANY of it! So be sure that this is an actual LAW and not just the HOSPITAL's SOP.

Also, call and ask to SPEAK to the pediatrician. Often, secretaries and nurses will give their OPINION as the law of the land. The fact that you got the word from the doc's mouth during the tour and meet and greet means that the secretary was either pulling her info out of the air or just plain didn't know the law of the land. If you have to, make another appointment to speak to the doc face to face. They'll want to know if their office staff is playing god, you know?