[mamamilkers]

I am curious as to everyone's thoughts on this. My last DD was born in a hospital and she just got all the standard stuff, including the eye drops. I did not, and do not now, have any STD's, so obviously I don't think my DD needed the drops. Now I am having a homebirth and I just found out today that they (the midwives) are required by law to give the eye drops to newborns. She said they usually wait until all the newborn exams and everything are done and put the drops in right before the babe is going to zonk out, anyways. She also said they can't do the drops "if the mother keeps the baby from them and won't let them do it (wink wink)" and then they would have to document in the records I wouldn't let them do it.

So, what has everyone else done about this? Are you getting the drops? If not, was your mw required to do them and you "didn't let her"? I don't want the babe to get the drops, but am not absolutely dead set against it at all costs, either.

 

[lactivist]

My first was born at a birthcenter and they did the eye drops after everything when she was ready to conk out, it sucked! With my second I had a homebirth with midwives and they had to "offer" and i had to refuse, they just documented it. With my third (a UC) we didn't do any of the standard things and it was so much better.

Wendi

 

[sweetfeet]

I'm not doing the drops. I have never had an std and I feel it's completely unnecessary. My mw asked if I planned on giving the drops and I said no drops and she said okay.

 

[broodymama]

I just looked at your blog, you are in WA? (I'm just across the Sound from you.) My DD was born at home last month and I declined the eyedrops, there is a waiver you can sign.

 

[huggerwocky]

I'm against "just-in-case" antibiotics, so no eye drops here.

 

[LeosMama]

I agree with huggerwocky. I am against "just-in-case" antibiotic use. I see very clearly the need to use the prophylactic antibiotic eye drops for babies whose mothers have not sought prenatal care and come in to hospital to deliver while high on drugs (I'm not knocking you UC mamas, really). There are often very obvious situations that the baby might have been exposed to an STD and the mother either had no testing or denies exposure, etc but her lifestyle would indicate a higher risk.

Most of us don't really KNOW we aren't at risk, as our partners might have had an affair during our pregnancy and given us an STD (that is the logic for it being required for all newborns).

But come on...you know if you've been exposed or not. Have you been? Ask your dh if your baby needs the eye drops. I teasingly asked my dh this and he just rolled his eyes and kissed me (good answer!).

 

[treemom2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by huggerwocky I'm against "just-in-case" antibiotics, so no eye drops here.

DD had them because she was born in the hospital and I wasn't given a chance to refuse! Ds was HBAC so I definately didn't want them and my mw was only too happy to agree.

 

[eco_mama]

I had a homebirth in June and didn't get any drops. ( We didn't do any tests or shots either ) I had a lay mw that didn't do any testing whatsoever so I had no problems declining since there was nothing to decline!

But usually you just have to sign a waiver if you don't want any tests. That seems weird that your mw said it was madatory. I wouldn't definitely look that up. It just doesn't sound right. Good Luck.

 

[katt]

I'm in WA and mw here are supposed to administer eye drops. At least that is what the 'law' says. Although, I've looked, and I can't, for the life of me, find any legal documentation stating that eye drops are required. I brought this up to the mw at our first visit. She said she had never been able to find any written law regarding it either, she also gave me the 'look'.
I'm sure if I decline she'll have to document it. I wouldn't want her to jeopardize her license.

 

[alegna]

We skipped them. Our midwife was happy for us to skip anything we wished to skip.

-Angela

 

[primalmomma]

My midwives just told me to squirt some breastmilk in her eyes and we'd call it a day

 

[midstreammama]

I signed a waiver I'm pretty sure it's a universal thing, so you can probably sign it too.

 

[captain crunchy]

Jumping into say, no eye drops (or anything else) at our homebirth medical-wise... and our 14 month old is in perfect health with great eyesight

I think there is a waiver you sign... our midwife was awesome about this

 

[mezzaluna]

we had a hospital birth and it was in our birth plan that we wanted to decline the eyedrops. we were given a form to sign, and that was it!

 

[mamamilkers]

Oh wow, thanks!

Yes, I'm in WA state. I am so glad to hear that no one had a problem with refusing them. Even though I've refused lots of other things, for some reason this one seemed different because my mw was required to do it. I am glad it's as simple as it seems to just say "no, don't give those to my babe" and then she writes that down in the record and that's that.

 

[kalisis]

Our m/w just checked that she did it on the form, even tho she didn't.

I don't know - we never had any trouble with it, so what do I really care.

I hope you can work it out.

 

[Kellym]

http://www.unhinderedliving.com/statevaccexemp.html This site lists all the immunization waiver forms for each state. You may find a waiver form by using this as a starting point.

 

[cryspanimal]

We definitely didn't see any need for them, since I was free of STDs. Our MWs didn't give them to DD. I honestly don't remember them making an issue of us having to "refuse" them, but it could have been a very casual non-issue. It's possible they could have said something like, "Did you want eye-drops? No? Okay, initial here," and I wouldn't even remember that detail of the whole birth experience.

 

[boscopup]

My midwife is "required" to give them, BUT... she doesn't have them. You have to get a ped to prescribe them ahead of time.

AND... almost all of her clients refuse. She just says you have to sign a waiver to refuse them. In reality, she'd rather not do them anyway, but she's required by law to say that you're supposed to get them, kwim?

Sounds like what your midwife might be doing, since she hinted that she can't do them if you don't give her the baby.

 

[cathicog]

No need for them if you don't have STDs or are opposed to them. Your choice. Unfortunately many hospitals have protocols that assume that every pregnant woman who walks in thier doors:
1) has STDs/ other known and unknown diseases
2) has had little or no prenatal education/ and sometimes care
3) is an operation waiting to happen
4) is a potential lawsuit
5) is a potential moneymaker for the hospital, even "non-profit" ones!

So with training like this it is a wonder we aren't strapped to a gurney and plugged into machines like cows at the milking parlor, eh? Oh, they do do that,don't they? It just takes a few hours....