Contact Lenses & Giving Birth

[superfastreader]

Hey everyone:

I'm giving birth for the first time in November, and I am curious to hear from contact lens wearers about what they did--mainly if you have extremely poor vision and hate wearing your glasses.

I am just about legally blind and my glasses give me motion sickness if I do too much walking with them. The thought of having to take out my contacts during such an intense time is really overwhelming--I want to be able to SEE my baby clearly, not through glasses. However, I keep noticing among friends of mine that they're wearing their glasses in their "look at my new baby" photos, and a lot of times it seems like they never put their contacts back in.

I figure one of the main reasons they have their contacts out is because they're in a hospital & you probably have to, just in case, right? I'm having a home birth so if I do go to the hospital it will be to have a c-section & in that case I'll take them out.

But otherwise, do you see any issues with leaving contacts in?

And, as a slightly OT follow up, how hard is it do deal with contacts when you have a newborn? I mean, I hear people saying "I haven't brushed my teeth in 3 days" but is that for real? You can find 30 seconds to put contacts in, right?

(FWIW, I haven't had any of the troubles they say some people have with their eyes during pregnancy--my contacts haven't been an issue thus far.)

[Rodeo Mama]

I also have poor vision and hate my glasses. I didn't have any problem with leaving mine in particularly for my homebirth. I just popped them in when I woke up in labor and that was the end of the discussion. Even with my hospital birth I talked to them and they allowed me to leave my contacts in as long as I promised to take them out if it became necessary. Also, I haven't found dealing with contacts w/ a newborn to be an issue. It's not a problem to run and pop them in quick.

[Patchfire]

I have glasses on in both my kids' photos because I went into labor at night, when they were already out, and I just didn't think to put them in. I have thought about writing that down for dh next time... "Sam, make sure I put in my contacts between contractions. Kthx!"

But, no, I don't think there would be a problem with having them in, wherever you are. Most hospitals wouldn't think to ask, I would think...?

[luckymamato2]

I didn't have to take mine out because I gave birth at a FSBC. I think I would have killed anyone who came near my eyes during labor! I'm one of those "bad" people who wear contacts 24/7. I know I should take them out at night but I don't like to.

I think the reason they want them out is because they "expect" to do surgery on you.

[aprildawn]

I didn't wear my contacts for either labor. But both girls were born at night. It wasn't really something much on my mind. I can't see at all w/o glasses or contacts either.

As for around the house after the baby is born, I always found time to put in my contacts, and brush my teeth, and even shower. Yeah, there were times I'd be up and trying to do my morning routine (bathroom, brush teeth, contacts in, splash water on face), and there'd be a baby start to cry before I was done. But I'm pretty sure I was able to finish up everything.

I do wear my glasses from time to time, though. Esp when the weather is cooler and overcast. I don't like to wear them in the summer because they make me even hotter! After I have my glasses on for awhile my eyes seem to adjust and I stop having that weird motion-sickness thing you talk about.

You'll figure it all out. New babies sleep a lot! You'll have time to get your contacts in, I'm sure.

[giarose]

I didn't have any problem with my contacts during my two labors.

And yes, there is some truth to, "I haven't brushed my teeth in three days" but like you, I have really bad vision and I just can't see as well with my glasses. I always managed to get my contacts in, but didn't always manage to brush my teeth... but I used to keep my contacts by my bedside and not in the bathroom.

[cornpicker]

I had a homebirth and wore my contacts for the full 34 hour labor and then some! You should be fine.

And yes, you'll be able to find a few minutes here and there for luxuries such as hygiene... but it is amazingly challenging.

[skyblufig]

I wear my contacts 24/7 too and it didn't even come up (obviously!) this last time. With my first ds, the mw who we had at the hospital asked about contacts/glasses and when I told her I leave them in to sleep, she said it was fine to leave them in the whole time we were there, even if surgery became necessary. If they're anywhere near your eyes for a c-sec I'd definitely go to a different hospital! Seriously, though, just don't tell them you have contacts in, it really doesn't matter.

[alegna]

I wore my contacts for most of my 31 hours of labor (started at 1:30, I tried to sleep for a bit...) I never had problems getting them in. But I also got my teeth brushed and got a bath every night I have a super dh

-Angela

[thebarkingbird]

i wore contacts at the hospital. i think it's mostly "just in case" of a c-section kind of thing. there's no real problem keeping them in during labor and i know many women who've done it.

i plan to put mine in if labor starts at night for the same reasons you listed. VERY bad vision and i want to be able to SEE without having to deal with glasses and things slipping off my face.

[KLM99]

I have horrible vision too and I rarely wear my glasses except right before going to bed because they bother me. I wore my contacts for almost two straight days and honestly, it didn't even occur to me to take them out while in labor.

[onandon]

I was just saying last night that I want to remember to put in my contacts in labor this time around. While I can see up close without them, I can't see across the room, and I'd like to be able to!

I'm having another homebirth, but I can't imagine how anyone would even know you had contacts if you just wore them to the hospital. I haven't read about the risks of contacts and c-section...but if risks are low, you could just sneak them!

[lovesdaffodils]

I wore my contacts during labor (FSBC). I actually stopped wearing mine all the time after he was born though. I have never been able to sleep with mine (my eyes get irritated easily), so in the newborn stage of randomly going to sleep whenever the baby did, it was easier to deal with glasses so I could just pass out.

[bryonyvaughn]

Oh, I can so relate. I can't wear glasses so if it weren't for contacts I'd have been legally blind long ago.

I wore contacts during all of my labors but they were short. My only recommendation is to have a spare clean pair so you can take a nap and put in a fresh pair without having to clean the old ones (especially if you use a hydrogen peroxide based cleaning system) or if you cry and they get crudded up and itchy from the protein build up.

FWIW my correction is -8.00 diopters and I'd feel very comfortable birthing solo in the middle of the night without my contacts in than I ever would at an attended birth without correction. I think us low vision folks have developed much better interpretive skills with very little input than average sighted folks. Of course it's much easier interpreting things around you in your own home than in a foreign place with foreign objects.

~BV

[liseux]

I had a 60 hr labor with contacts in and I had 2 C sections with them in & nobody even asked. I don't wear them at night, I definitely like my eyes to breathe part of the time, but having a baby? I haven't ever taken them out for that.

[sophiekat]

i've had two c/s and wore contacts during both -- no one ever asked about my vision

[Kitten]

I wear contacts. I can't remember what I did. I think I wore them during labor and birth and then took them out afterwards to let my eyes rest. DS was born during the night and I tend to get dry eyes if I wear them for too long. Nobody ever asked whether I had contacts in or not and I didn't tell. They're disposables so I figured, worse came to worse, the nurses could just pluck them out and throw them away. I brought extras just in case, which I always do when I go anywhere in case I lose one or tear one or whatever.

Wearing glasses irritates me so much that I always made time to put in my contacts.

[LemonPie]

I wore my contacts for both of my hospital births. Nobody even asked me about them, if I recall correctly.

I plan to next time as well. Actually what I'd REALLY like is LASIK before I have another baby, but well yeah, that's not gonna happen . I hate wearing glasses anyway, but especially when I'm hot and sweaty and such.

Jen

[superfastreader]

Thanks, everybody!!! That makes me feel SO much better.

Originally Posted by bryonyvaughn

FWIW my correction is -8.00 diopters and I'd feel very comfortable birthing solo in the middle of the night without my contacts in than I ever would at an attended birth without correction. I think us low vision folks have developed much better interpretive skills with very little input than average sighted folks. Of course it's much easier interpreting things around you in your own home than in a foreign place with foreign objects.

I totally know what you mean--I can do all kinds of things in the middle of the night w/o my glasses on. I'm -10 and -10.5, so I'm in really bad shape but except for reading in bed I'd rather be blind than wear my glasses

[phoebemommy]

Homebirth here, and I wore mine, too. I really only wear my glasses anymore but I didn't want to deal with them for a waterbirth. Plus, I was feeling kind of hinky during labor and didn't want anything touching me, if that makes sense.

My labor was only 4 hours, but I figured I'd take them out if I needed to. Didn't need to.