Eye ointment "law" in WA state

http://www.doh.wa.gov/sboh/Meetings%...OTS-5072.3.pdf

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Unlike the newborn blood screen (sometimes called the PKU or heelstick test), there is no provision to refuse consent in this law. To the letter of the law, it is a mandatory procedure.

Insurance carriers have used this interpretation to deny coverage to providers that allow documented refusal of the procedure. Legally, they say, it cannot be refused - therefore any provider who allows refusal is practicing illegally and cannot be insured by their company.

KaKirk,
My son was born in Tacoma and when the nurse put the oitment in his eyes, but midwife swiftly wiped it out with a damp cloth. She was prepared for this moment. I had planned on a homebirth, no oitment, but ended up being induced : and the hospital would not hear of my protest against the oitment, so I did the next best thing.

Smithie
Well, you can think what you want about the health concerns of erythomycin in the eyes (if you have allergies to this drug, as I do, I would highly recommend forgoing this ointment because often your child will react too) but I think the main issue is that it basically blinds the baby at a very critical bonding moment between mother and child. Not to mention that it stings. If your child can't see you, and there has been tons of research done on the importance of this first two to three hours after birth, then how will he/she be able to bond properly with you? Of course, if you are in the hospital, then the babe will probably be swept away to the heater and end up bonding with a machine or nurse anyways, so maybe it would be best that he couldn't see for a while

For years doctors believed that Silver Nitrate was safe, until it was eventually proven otherwise. I have no doubt that Erythomycin will one day be shown to cause damage also.

I think it really comes down to this: If you have ever had Chlamydia trachomatis, then I would recommend the oitment for fear that you could pass the std to your baby and they would contract Chlamydia Conjuctivitis. If you have never had this std, then I am pretty sure you are in the clear.

Well, you can think what you want about the health concerns of erythomycin in the eyes (if you have allergies to this drug, as I do, I would highly recommend forgoing this ointment because often your child will react too) but I think the main issue is that it basically blinds the baby at a very critical bonding moment between mother and child. Not to mention that it stings. If your child can't see you, and there has been tons of research done on the importance of this first two to three hours after birth, then how will he/she be able to bond properly with you? Of course, if you are in the hospital, then the babe will probably be swept away to the heater and end up bonding with a machine or nurse anyways, so maybe it would be best that he couldn't see for a while...

(sigh) For pete's sake, this is not a useful tone to take, esp. considering that you know NOTHING about the OP's birth plans, resources financial and/or geographic, not to mention her (gasp!) preferences when it comes to a birthing location.

So, to the OP:

1) The ointment does not sting. That is incorrect. I have used the very same ointment myself when I had a cyst on my eyelid.

2) The blurred vision caused by the ointment is very fleeting - again, I've used the ointment and I speak from personal experience. It does not last for hours, and as far as anybody can tell, newborn vision is pretty blurry anyhow.

3) Your baby is a human, not a duckling. S/he will not impress on the first object or person she is placed next to. I hope that you can hold her right after birth, but if she is taken away for any reason please do NOT worry that your bonding will be affected. If you love her and show her love every day, she will be just fine.

4) It's good to know about these things and to have the courage of your convictions (for instance, silver nitrate DOES sting and it's great that you've found that out), but you can reach the point where you worry so much about every possible thing that might be less than ideal for your baby on her birth day that you wind up forgetting to provide the MOST IMPORTANT THING - a mama who is relaxed and thrilled and proud of herself, giving off the vibe that the world is a safe and good place.

I can see one potential positive of the antibiotics - many babies do get yellow goopy eyes in the first weeks after birth, and there is clear evidence that the ointment prevents these non-serious infections.
While these small infections are not serious, it does make parents worry and often lead to a doctor's visit, especially when breastmilk in the eyes doesn't seem to fix the problem.
If I were counseling someone who did not want the eye drops, I would explain the symptoms of a serious infection, swollen eyelids and lots of discharge that may be chunky. Eyelids that are stuck together more than once is also concerning. Any bad smell is also a serious symptom.
It doesn't do any good to not do the antibiotics at birth, and then get them 3 days later at the ped's office because of parental concern.

"Most of us here at Mothering" is a pretty broad statement. I'd like to think that "most of us here at Mothering" are mostly concerned with making sure that all the information about any sort of drug or procedure is made freely available. Frankly, I'm uncomfortable with the blatant agenda-pushing going on in this thread. I don't see that the OP is going to be better prepared or more empowered in her birth experience if she believes that her baby will be blinded by ointment and bonding with an isolette unless she manages to thwart all hospital policy AND has a smooth, intervention-free labor. Put in those terms, a mother's dream of bonding with her child become just another source of anxiety and potential disaster. That's not OK.

I'll say it one more time: OP, if you love your baby and show her love every day, she will bond to you and be a happy, secure, attached infant and child. Even if you birth in a hospital. Even if she is washed or warmed after birth. Even if she has ointment put in her eyes. Even if she (god forbid) is born early and spends her first weeks in the NICU. Even if (god forbid) you cannot establish breastfeeding. Humans are amazingly adaptable creatures. As long as your baby has your love, even a really medicalized birth (and it can happen, they're called "emergency" C-sections for a reason) will not impair your bond. So plan ahead and be informed, but please don't torture yourself or feel that you need to take on CPS as your first parental act in order to be a good parent. "Most of us here at Mothering" have issues over which we are prepared to do battle, and issues where we decide it's not worth the flak. Beware of anybody who tries to tell you what your fightin' issues should be. Only you can know that.

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Both these statements are true - newborns do have blurry vision, but the most striking feature is their fixed focal distance. The only things they see clearly at all are things that are at a specific distance, that from the breast to the face. In general, vision is the least developed of a newborn baby's senses.

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I guess I am of the mindset that newborns are born as they should be. If they needed eye ointment they would come up clutching a tube. Just like if they needed suction they would come out holding a bulb syringe. Of course, his does not apply to all babies, just those within the realm of medically "normal."