[..Christine..]

I am trying to work on my birth plan and coming across administering or delaying vaccinations at birth.....DH and I have already decided to do a delayed vax schedule but I have no clue what they would administer right after birth???

Does anybody know what they routinely administer or do they administer any right after birth???

[*kyle*]

As far as I know, they do the Hepatitis B vaccine before you leave the hospital. We're currently looking into delaying that until 2 - 3 months.

They also give a Vitamin K shot and this one just became *mandatory* at my hospital - as in, if you refuse it, they will not let you give birth there. Then there's the eye ointment which is antibacterial I believe, to prevent infections. Those aren't really vaccines but some people do try to refuse them. The argument against the eye ointment is that it could interfere with breastfeeding/bonding... but babies' eyesight is pretty limited at that point anyway and they are mostly rooting from smell.

[..Christine..]

Thanks Kyle- I thought it was hepatitis B- I think we will delay.

I also saw about the vitamin K and an option to administer orally....I also saw about the eye ointment .....so much to consider!

[Resi]

Vik K & Hep B are the two shots they give right after birth. We got the Vit K because they don't carry the oral kind. Most don't. We skipped the Hep B shot and the eye stuff.

[ShannonMVT]

FYI, they gave us a hard time about not wanting the eye ointment. We ended up giving it. We did give Vitamin K as well. We opted out of Hep B vaccine and they didn't give us a hard time about that one.

I was lucky my hospital didn't give me grief for anything being delayed. But we got the Vitamin K shot since Jack had some bruising and it is recommended in those cases even by midwifes. He had the eye ointment too, and really it wasn't that big of a deal for us even though we had debated it. By the time I saw him the ointment was gone, and if you remember his newborn pics, there wasn't any irritation and he was extremely alert and bright eyed to everything So try not to sweat it if it turns into an issue. I wish I hadn't.

Oh and they give newborns the Heb V vaccine b/c if a mom had Hep B she can pass it on to her child during birth, and the child will then get that disease unless the first dose of the vaccine is given quickly after birth. A lot of people our age got the vaccine as pre-teens, so if that is you, you most likely don't have Hep B (or you got a blood test that shows you are negative) so there is no reason to give it at birth. Really, it is a preventative measure they enact upon all women across the board as a safety precaution for the babies of women that didn't have prenatal care and have no idea if they are infected or not. That is how my pediatrician explained it, and so most places shouldn't give you a hard time if you know you are negative. And if a nurse does, you can always explain the above or just tell them the baby will be receiving their first dose at their 2 week appt rather then at birth. I know some nurses can be very pushy about this stuff. Good luck with the decisions.

[IamMom]

I had my babies at two different hospitals and I trusted both doctors/hospital staff to do what was the norm and both my babies turned out happy and healthy....I agree with the other gals...try not to sweat it too much...its such a happy moment to let eye ointment get in the way! To be honest I don't even remember seeing eye ointment on my kids...so it must not have been a big deal..

[..Christine..]

Thanks for all the advice- we are just going to go ahead w/ Vit K and the eye ointment and only delay Hep B.

[ScottishBrit]

All Cambria has had was the Eye stuff. I didn't even get asked they just did it. Other then that she has had NO shot's and I dont plan on getting her any anytime soon.

[greeneyes]

The eye ointment can also caused clogged tear ducts which can lead to infection and there is always the possibility that your newborn's immature immune system may have an allergic reaction to the antibiotic in it. If you've ever had an STD, you should opt to get it though.

We refused the ointment, Vit K, and Hep B vaccine - the staff gave us an incredibly hard time about it. On the flip side, one of my best girlfriends had her baby the month after me and her son developed an inflamed tear duct and rash from the eye ointment and will need to have corrective eye surgery when he's older, so the risks are very real.

Just my !