vitamin K and eye ointment - Page 2

[mommathea]

Originally Posted by nashvillemidwife

You cannot adequately raise your baby's vitamin K level to protect him during surgery by supplementing your own diet. If you are going to have him circumcised in the first week (before he can build his own supply), you should look to the shot.

Actually you can significatly raise your baby's vitamin K level to an adequate level by nutritional supplementing, but only after birth. The placenta regulates how much is allowed to the baby, but by colostrum the vitamin K levels can raise significantly.

[blue_bug]

i have known many baby boys to be circumsized without the vitamin k shot. it is VERY rare to have hemolytic disease of the newborn, and if you don't have it, you don't need the vit k, circ or not.

i too am concerned with the leukemia link and death...

and ditto to the pp about the eye ointment ONLY being for gonorrhea & chlaym. nothing else.

[frontierpsych]

I have no STD's so baby will not need the eye drops, and I will not do the vitamin K shot for these reasons:
- increased risk of childhood leukemia. The rates in my town have recently increased dramatically, and it isn't worth the risk to me.
- no planned sugery. Baby will not be circ'd or (hopefully!) need surgery for any other reason.
- The mother can take a vitamin K suppliment while breastfeeding. Vitamin K does cross the placenta, albeit poorly, but it shows much better in breastmilk. Eating foods high in Vitamin K (such as Kale) in the last few weeks of pregnancy and first few weeks of nursing can help.

ETA: circ'ing is legally YOUR decision, not your husband's. I hate to be harsh, but YOU are the one who is making the decision no matter what your husband says, YOU are the one who is going to be okaying it, and you AND your son will have to live with the consequences.

[california_mom]

Originally Posted by alegna

The purpose of the eye goop is only for the two diseases... NOT any other bacteria. This is a falsehood that seems to be being spread.

-Angela

The sad thing is, the nurse at the hospital told me that the eye goop was "for many bacteria that could get in the eye" or something close to that. "Many" bacteria? How about TWO. Can you say "fear mongering"? Thank gawd I had researched it already and made up my mind to NOT have it put in my babe's eyes and therefore NOT keep his sight blurry for the first hours/days of this life.

[calpurnia]

We don't do "eye goop" in the UK so that's not a concern here.

I'm refusing Vit K, not because of the childhood leukaemia (s?) stuff, but because I'm not going to all this gentlebirthing trouble in order to stick a needle in the poor kid immediately, nor to line its gut with a dose of synthetic vitamins. Doesn't seem worth it to me. BUT if my midwife feels it is medically indicated when the time comes, of course I will go with that.

I heard somewhere that the reason religious circumcisions are performed after 7 (8?) days is because the baby will have built up enough Vit K by then (in pre-injection times, I mean).

[Jen78fl]

I am still confused about the Vit K shot. From some Ive heard that its a huge dose of Vitamin K and from others Ive heard that its a small dose.. Do different hospitals just use different versions of it? I was thinking the same thing was given everywhere.. I am due at the end of June and trying to figure out what to do about the shot..

[alegna]

It's a huge dose. Never heard anyone say it's a small dose.

-Angela

[nashvillemidwife]

Same here. Who said it was a small dose?

[Jen78fl]

It was someone from this forum who said their baby received a small dose of Vitamin K via the injection..I guess most hospitals dont use it though.. I am definitely going to need to check with the hospital Im going to. Hopefully they can give me some info on the Vitamin K injection that they use.. Thanks all