opinions on the eye ointment at birth? at first I didn't want her to get it but now I'm thinking about just delaying it…

What does delaying it do? I always thought it was to prevent certain viruses from getting into the eye. what is it for really?

If you delay it for an hr then you might as well not get it. I didn't do it with my daughter because its only for someone with an std yet they give it to every baby. I knew I didn't have an std and the stuff it contains can also cause blindness so even that small chance put it at a no go for me

you don't have to get it at all, baby only needs it if you have an STD. I won't allow them to put it on my daughter

@michellevaldez4750 it's for if the mother has an STD it won't cause the baby to go blind. Only use

@ginnalynn please explain what the eye ointment does. I don't have an Std but my child will still get the ointment.

Alright you ladies have brought my choice of not getting it back. @hermommy @quea lol thank you and I know I don't have one and won't have one by the time my daughter is here lol

@marleas.mommy no problem girl, best choice... All that extra not needed stuff is dangerous like @quea said there is a chance it can make baby go blind

hey momma, the eye ointment is used to prevent eye infections/blindness, neonatal meningitis, and other complications that can be caused by normal flora of the vagina getting into your baby's eyes during birth. the ointment is basically an antibiotic that will kill different bacterias such as listeria, Chlamydia, gonorrheae, e coli, etc. (listeria is actually normal flora in the vagina that can cause infections in the eye). it isn't just for STDs. you don't have to get the ointment, but as a lab technician who has studied and grown this bacteria in the lab I highly recommend getting it for your baby as soon as he/she is born.

@jacesterlingsmommy, well than it's pointless but to each it's own. There are more risk than benefits to it if its not being used for the purpose intended which if you don't have an std then it isn't.

thank you @jacesterlingsmommy for trusting in my medical background to give this info btw. love being able to help mommies who may not know all the details about certain things that I've been lucky enough to study

I'm glad you could explain it. Are there any serious side effects that it could cause? @ginnalynn

This comes straight from the CDC website. This are the hazards and symptoms of silver nitrate (The ointment they put on a perfectly healthy newborn baby)

@marleas.mommy, @michellevaldez4750 @jacesterlingsmommy I'm just going to tag all of you since you all seem to be wondering and can read what I've already written plus what I'm writing now! side effects to the ointment for the baby are temporary blindness (sounds scary but baby's are actually born basically blind for the first couple hours anyways), some mild swelling if they're allergic to it for some reason, and possibly irritability just from having it seep out with blinking. from what I've seen with it, most babies do very well with it and have no problems at all! like I said, this ointment is not just used if momma has an STD, it protects against lots of different bacterias (some of which are normally found in the female vagina). I highly suggest the drops/ointment, but as stated above you can opt out of getting them. delaying the ointment could give bacteria just enough time to negatively affect the baby, so it's best to get them right after birth. I hope this info has helped you ladies, and feel free to ask if you have any other questions

@ginnalynn, after researching a little what exactly is it. I've seen some say silver nitrate, ilotycin and erythromycin. I didn't mean to come here and start an argument just want to be informed. Also why do so many opt out of the hep b or vitamin k shot?

The ointment is not just for STD's. Like @ginnalynn mentioned, it's also used to prevent infections that are causes by our own normal flora in the vagina & rectum. Including pink eye! The infections themselves can cause blindness if they go untreated. And you can actually delay it, alot of people do. It's painless but it does make the babys vision blurry for a while. So if you dont want it on your babys eyes until after you have held him then you can deffinetely delay it for up to hours after birth.

@ginnalynn, @floress_j yeah I personally think it's worth the little risk of discomfort to be protected. even if you know you don't have an std why risk it? and besides like you mentioned it's not only to protect from std, there are other things as well. Thanks for the info!

@quea, silver nitrate isn't used by most hospitals. they actually use erythromycin more often because it's less harsh for baby's eyes. @floress_j you're right about it not being used just for STDs, neonatal meningitis (swelling of the brain/meninges) can actually occur from normal flora of the vagina getting into baby's eyes. @jacesterlingsmommy many mommies opt out of those vaccines/shots for religious reasons or they just don't feel they are necessary. getting the vitamin k shot is very important for baby's clotting factor since they don't readily produce vitamin k at birth (which can cause them to bleed uncontrollably). every mommy has the right to opt out of these shots, but I still highly recommend them

you're welcome @michellevaldez4750 glad I could help :)

Thank you for all your help! @ginnalynn

you're welcome @jacesterlingsmommy ! anymore questions then feel free to message me, I'll answer to the best of my knowledge! that goes for any of you ladies @floress_j @marleas.mommy @michellevaldez4750 p.s. I will NOT give medical advice/opinions unless I've personally studied it in the lab

@quea, it's not just for std.

I'm not giving it to my daughter. My midwife said that if I'm in a monogamous relationship and there's no threat of having chlamydia or gonorrhea (I think those were the two) then it's really not necessary. I will let them do the vitamin k shot, since it takes baby a few wks to start producing it on their own

I'm definitely having them give it to my son. Absolutely

@ginnalynn it confuses me that some people think that the ointment is just if the mother has an std... I don't even have a medical background and I know it is for a lot of different things. I definitely appreciate seeing your medical opinions on this kind of stuff since you actually know what you're talking about

well thank you hun @emkasting I'm glad that you find it helpful in some way. I wouldn't give my opinion on such an important topic without actually having the medical background on it, that's too dangerous and risky. I just don't like people googling stuff and think that it's always true because sometimes there's info left out

Yeah I mean it kind of irks me that some women are like "well I know I don't have an std so my baby obviously doesn't need that junk" & stuff like that. People are really misinformed @ginnalynn

that's not always their fault though, I know some of them have been told that by doctors (which scares me a little) but I think it makes a huge difference actually working with the bacterias themselves to see how the drugs/ointments/drops affect them. if every momma gets tested for STDs and most come up STD free then why would hospitals still suggest the drops anyways...? @emkasting