I thought of two parts of the birth story that I left out...
1) Real conversation I had with a young medical student.
Young man - Enters the room, greets me, and sees my birthing ball. He says, "You are the one with the ball. I had never seen one of these before."
Me- "Really?"
Young man - "Yeah. I saw the nurse in the hallway with the ball, and I asked her if they were going to do Pilates in the break room."
I had to work very hard to keep my composure! I did tell him a little about the virtues of the birthing ball... hopefully that young doctor-to-be learned something that day!
2) State law in MO mandates that Baby has to receive antibiotic on his eyes after birth! We asked to speak with the pediatrician, because our desire was that Baby not receive un-needed antibiotics. (The cream is to be used to protect the newborn's eyes from any STDs the mother has.) We told the pediatrician that he could see on my chart that I am free from disease, but he said that is does not matter. He told me that it is a misdemeanor for the attending pediatrician, if the Baby is not treated with the cream. He told me that he could lose his license. So, Baby Josiah had to get antibiotic cream.
I will say this to mothers in MO... if you do not want your baby to have the eye cream, have a home birth! And, whatever state you live in, ask in advance what your state law is... I mistakenly assumed that it would be my choice. I was wrong.
I will try to get to the after-birth stories soon...
6 comments:
I am really grateful for all the advances we've made in medical science, and will gladly take them should I ever actually need them. That being said, what is the purpose of shoving antibiotics in a newborn's eyes when you are clearly free of STDs? Ugh!
That being said, I was so delighted to hear that you did not have to have a C-section! Congratulations again!
That goo is nasty and makes them look weird for a while afterward. I guess it is more of an indictment of general society that this is mandated.
Misdemeanor?
I would be a bit skeptical of that, till I saw paperwork proving otherwise....
Crazy nanny government.
You should share that little tidbit over at www.myobsaidwhat.com
and see what the ladies there say, LOL!
Bethany, you guys need to make a fuss about that.
Check out said law below....
A parent may, after being provided a full and clear explanation, decline to permit the administration of Vitamin K. In this event, the parent shall sign a form acknowledging his/her understanding of the reason or administration of Vitamin K and possible adverse consequences in the presence of a person who witnessed the instruction of the parent, and who will also sign the form. The form shall become a part of the medical record of the newborn infant.
Here is a proper link for exemption procedures in MO
I am sorry they did that to you.
You can actually report that person for manipulating you.
http://www.msma.org/mx/hm.asp?id=PregnancyBirths
Paula,
The pediatrician talked to us at length... he told us that the Vitamin K shot IS parent's choice. You can opt out of that one. BUT, the eye cream is NOT an option.
(He also mentioned that his personal preference, and that of his colleagues would be that the Vit K would be mandatory and the eye cream optional.)
I did read the document you linked to. And, under the section "Prophylactic Eye Drops at Birth" there did not seem to be a parental opt out (as there was for the PKU testing etc).
I blame myself for not being prepared and informed in advance. I should have looked up the laws myself, ahead of time!
Bethany
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