# Eye ointment and Vit K for newborns - CA law?



## allisonrose (Oct 22, 2004)

I'm thinking about refusing eye ointment and Vitamin K shot - unless the birth is difficult - but was looking through information from the hospital I am going to deliver which states "According to state law, we will place arythromycin ointment in your baby's eyes to protect against eye infections, and administer an injection of vitamin K to promote normal blood clotthing, as newborns have immature clotting mechanisms."
Does this mean that I don't have the right to refuse?

Sorry if this has been discussed previously. I did try a search first.


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## lirpasirhc (Oct 26, 2007)

i refused both in a CA hospital in April. you can even refuse the Nb screening, but to refuse that you have to sign a religious waver. i didn't have to sign anything to refuse vit k and antibiotics eye ointment. the law may say that they have to offer it. as far as i know, NY is the only state that forbids parents to decline. ETA: i know several states make the nb screening mandatory w/ no exceptions.


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## amnesiac (Dec 28, 2001)

Moving this over to B&B.


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## SiobhanAoife (Jun 10, 2008)

You can definitely decline either or both, and also the Hep B vaccination, in California.


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## nia82 (May 6, 2008)

Yup, you can decline it. I just gave birth on August 19th in San Luis Obispo and they didn't pester me. I had to sign a paper though that I refuse the vitamin K shot and eye ointment. It's just a legal safeguard for them from the way it looked and was worded.

We brought oral vitamin K with us and gave it to our son right after birth. The nurse also told us that we can refuse the newborn screening if we wanted to; the hearing test is completely voluntary too.


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## allisonrose (Oct 22, 2004)

Thanks for all the feedback, ladies. The way it was worded seemed rather official.


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## justice'smom (Jun 5, 2007)

I would make sure that your husband is with baby at all times when they are doing anything to it. Thankfully my husband was there because they tryed to give our son a second dose of vitamin k. We also did not want to do either, but I was in labor for 2 days with my water broken before we decided to go to the hospital. So, we felt it was a good idea.


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## Shahbazin (Aug 3, 2006)

I had 2 hospital births through Kaiser here in San Diego, declined eye ointment, vit K & hep B for both, no problem - just signed a refusal paper.


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## Jackies Ladybug (Jun 19, 2008)

by law they have to OFFER vit. k and ointment, its easier for them to just leave out the offer part on their forms.

you can decline any treatment in california, its pretty awesome actually. some states have laws mandating that you HAVE to do certain things with your baby, but not here! you can even have a hospital lotus birth, you just have to sign a bunch of paperwork.

dont let anyone bully you into doing something you aren't comfortable with.


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