[name_m]Hi[/name_m] all you Mama’s and Papa’s out there…
As with all things in life I’m doing my research very last minute…
and getting conflicting advice from my family in Europe and friends in the US.
What in hospital newborn procedures did you choose to do or decline and why?
We are tempted to delay the Hep B vaccine because I’ve been vaccinated (and my vaccine is up to date).
I’m also wondering about the eye ointment/antibiotic. At the hospital they told us it didn’t hurt the baby but then some of the stuff I’ve read says it stings their eyes and gives them a blurry vision for a couple of days and is mostly used to prevent STD’s being passed from the mother to the child. (I’ve always tested negative for STD’s etc). Anyone have any particular thoughts or knowledge on the subject? Links to good research would be loved as well.
Thanks.
Not a mama yet, but I’m currently going through nursing school, so maybe I can be of some help…
Hep B isn’t necessarily given or not given based on the mother’s vaccination history. It’s given in usually 3-4 shots over a 6-month period of time. This should help protect her over a lifetime, unless she needed a booster. When I had to go through my nursing school entrance physical/booster shot appointment, I chose to have a titer done for Hep B (essentially is a blood test that sees if you are still provided immunity from whatever vaccination you had previously), and my immunity was still pretty high…and I’m almost 23. Anyhow, you could choose to delay it and it wouldn’t necessarily harm her, although just because you had yours doesn’t mean everyone who holds her has had theirs.
The eye ointment is also for the baby’s protection. It’s not just for STDs. If you think about it, baby is passing through a tunnel with various bacteria and such (E. Coli, for instance). It can protect the baby’s eyes from things that could cause blindness and infections, like pink eye. It’s pretty routine for newborns to receive and while there has been some debate as of late as to whether or not it is absolutely necessary, I consider it a safety measure.
In all, it is pretty much up to you. I’d really discuss this with your doctor as well. They could very well be pro for these interventions, but there’s reasons for that…my professor (an OB nurse) has told us so many stories… 
. Anyhow, they can given medically-based opinions that aren’t just “I knew a guy who knew a guy who had a cousin who…”. You do have the right to refuse. Honestly though, having seen some of the things I’ve seen, I fully with be okay with whatever the recommended treatments they offer my newborn down the road. It’s for their protection, so why not lol. Sorry, I’m not trying to put my opinion on you or anything…just sharing a bit with you 
best of luck with whatever you decide. I wonder if @blade is still around here…she would probably know better than any of us on these medical topics.
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/hepb/
I am not a mama yet either but I highly recommend the vitamin k shot that they give after birth, its to prevent bleeding because the baby hasnt fully eveloped the clotting factors
I don’t understand why people would delay vaccinations or not give the vitamin k shots and eye ointment. All of these things are done for the baby’s best interest.
Thanks for the input… honestly we were on the whole do everything standard train but then decided that it wouldn’t hurt to do some research instead of just accepting everything. Also different countries recommend different things… for example I got a TDab booster but my family members in Germany thought it was crazy – however the whooping cough rate in the US is soooo much higher for infants than in Germany it made sense to me. Thus I’d just like to hear thoughts and opinions instead of accepting what is “standard” in my area.
Anyone else got any thoughts?
There’s one procedure that I’d absolutely decline unless there was an actual problem calling for it: circumcision.
I had whooping cough in college right before they started doing the booster. (Which is exactly why they started it…lots of people in my age group were getting it and needed a booster) It sucks, lasts for weeks, and there’s no antibiotics for it…you just have to wait it out. [name_m]Trust[/name_m] me, you don’t want it and you certainly don’t want to spread it to an infant who could end up on a ventilator if they caught it. Risks of vaccinations are miniscule and overblown.
I like Mama Natural’s take on things (link to her blog post on Newborn Procedures Natural Baby: Alternatives to routine newborn procedures). We have had three children all born in the U.S. hospital setting. A midwife attended my births and we were never pressured to do anything we didn’t want done. We refused the hepatitis B, vitamin K injection, eye ointment, and circumcision (for our son). I don’t have any regrets with our decisions, but do your own research and go with your gut. Prayers for a happy and healthy delivery!