antibiotic eye ointment at birth?

I have been looking at birth plan forms and I saw this as option-able.

What does this do? Is there a reason it should be avoided? Is it only done on Vaginal births? I am mostly likely having a cesection so not sure if it's even an issue but now I'm curious as to if it is a good idea or not!

They didn't give me the option when DD was born.
But they only put it on her left eye.

<blockquote><b>Quoting Unique Mama:</b>" I have been looking at birth plan forms and I saw this as option-able. What does this do? Is there ... [snip!] ... I am mostly likely having a cesection so not sure if it's even an issue but now I'm curious as to if it is a good idea or not!"</blockquote>




I'm pretty sure they do it for c-sections, too (which doesn't make any sense). It's to prevent an std, I think gonnorhea? From infecting their eyes. I know a lot of people turn it down because they know they are clean.

Quoting Unique Mama:" I have been looking at birth plan forms and I saw this as option-able. What does this do? Is there ... [snip!] ... I am mostly likely having a cesection so not sure if it's even an issue but now I'm curious as to if it is a good idea or not!"

At the hospital I went to, they did it for my c-section. Almost everything done to you or the baby is optionable (don't let nurses hassel you on things you have made your mind up about. A lot is protocol, but they can't MAKE you do anything you don't want to.lol). I am going to have them wait at least a few hrs to put it on mine this pregnancy if I allow them to at all. The reason I want them to kind of hold off a little bit on it is because it makes the baby not be able to see very well at all through all the goop in thier eyes. I want the first few hrs to be bonding time and for the baby to be able to see me, not them doing a bunch of tests and poking and prodding my baby 

It's to prevent transferring STDs during birth. I don't know if it's necessary for c-section births, but perhaps. I said okay to them for my son because although I have been tested twice, I know some things don't appear immediately and could appear years later. I wanted to be safe.

<blockquote><b>Quoting kr.r:</b>" It's to prevent transferring STDs during birth. I don't know if it's necessary for c-section births, ... [snip!] ... I have been tested twice, I know some things don't appear immediately and could appear years later. I wanted to be safe."</blockquote>



Same here. I KNOW I'm clean. But I didn't want to risk possible permanent blindness as a result of something I had that I didn't know about.

Ah okay! That is what I THOUGHT it was for but they check for stds throughout the pregnancy so I wasent sure why they would automatically do it for all babies unless there was another reason for it LOL Thank you so much! I'll tell them not to bother then, I'm clean as a whistle! XD

Here is a site that explains it!!
http://www.betterbirth.com/site/eye-ointment

chlamydia and gonorrhea are the main things they are trying to prevent.

<blockquote><b>Quoting Unique Mama:</b>" Ah okay! That is what I THOUGHT it was for but they check for stds throughout the pregnancy so I wasent ... [snip!] ... unless there was another reason for it LOL Thank you so much! I'll tell them not to bother then, I'm clean as a whistle! XD"</blockquote>



I'm pretty sure even if you had it, it couldn't be transferred if you have a c-section. But I could be wrong.

I didn't get it with all three of my kids and will not be getting the drops for this new baby . I know I'm clean so no reason to. I opt out of several things though. Just do your research you'll figure out what's righ for you.