# Goopy crusty eyes in my one week old baby



## tammyw (Sep 21, 2003)

And we didn't get the eye drops at birth, so now I'm feeling a little worried/guilty that maybe I did the wrong thing.

Mostly he wakes up with the goopy/crusty eyes, though they will get a little goopy during the day. He is sleeping on his side, and the side he sleeps on gets really goopy.

Any suggestions? Ideas? My friend's baby had something similar only worse and she ended up having to do antibiotics.

cross-posted on the health section


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## tash11 (Mar 12, 2006)

I had that too. no eye drops either. We asked our ped and she gave us the antibodics too. it was goo that I had to put in her eye twice a day, if I did it quick she didnt even notice it. didnt bother her at all. cleared it right up too (and the ped didnt know about the no eye drops at birth either)

I have heard that it can also be a plugged duct, but I dont know anything about it.

You could try the milk-in-the-eye thing if you wanted to.


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## ibex67 (Feb 24, 2006)

My ds had it -- it was plugged tera ducts so the regular eye fluids were not draining properly. I don't remember what we did [7 tears ago] -- but if you google it -- I bet you can find out. It's not a big deal -- and not all that uncommon.


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## lunasmommy (Jun 30, 2005)

my daughter had this too, and no drops here either. put breastmilk in it, it works wonders and it'll clear it right up. its pretty common, just the baby adjusting to life outside the womb. no worry.


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## fireshifter (Sep 2, 2005)

I second the breastmilk idea, that's what we did. The eyes will eventually stop doing that, I think ours stopped around 3 weeks. It was nasty yellow stuff that gooped up his eyes shut sometimes.

Jen


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## elmh23 (Jul 1, 2004)

We did eye drops and my dd still had goop. It's a blocked tear duct. Squirt some breastmilk a couple times a day and also wash it with a warm washcloth. Take the wash cloth to the corner of the eye then towards the nose. My dd had it until she was 3 or 4 months old, but some kids have it longer.

Even now, at 18 months old, if my dd gets sick, she gets goopy eyes, lol. The doc says that it's because her sinuses are still pretty small.


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## BensMom (May 4, 2002)

DD's rt tear duct is still blocked, but breastmilk has always done the trick when it gets goopy. Its not as easy now taht my supply is leveled out to squirt it in her eye, I kidn of drip it in now.







One of these days I hope it will open, but at least we have a free, easy option to keep the infection away.


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## Shaki (Mar 15, 2006)

Yep put some breastmilk in there. You can also GENTLY massage the bridge of nose, near the tear duct, to help loosen things up. Don't worry. It's totally normal. I actually don't think it's got anything to do with skipping the eyedrops at birth...but I could be wrong.


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## tammyw (Sep 21, 2003)

I thought initially it was a plugged tear duct and I did do the breastmilk in the eyes, and did the massaging but when I took him in, they said it definitely wasn't a plugged tear duct. And his eyes had started getting red as well.

I know I shouldn't beat myself up. I hate that as mommies we take the weight of the world (or our children's world) on our shoulders.


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## ndunn (Mar 22, 2006)

My daughter has that too. But, its not green. So my midwife says she doubts its an infection. It seems to clear up with breastmilk. Don't beat your self up! You did a good thing by not giving the eye drops at birth. Thats when bonding happens....its nice for them to be able to see clearly (but not that they can see that far anyhow...). Glad you found something that worked.


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## tanyalynn (Jun 5, 2005)

My son has a goopy eye thing that sounds like the same thing. How many days and times per day have y'all done the breastmilk thing? Thanks!


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## ndunn (Mar 22, 2006)

I do it a few times a day after wiping eyes with a warm wet clean cloth.


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## mama_at_home (Apr 27, 2004)

My babies had that and I just squirted breastmilk in their eyes several times a day. I think it is a normal newborn thing. We didn't do eyedops either.


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## LeslieB (Feb 17, 2006)

Yeah, my DS has Decryostenosis, the narrowing of the tear duct, in one eye. It's pretty common, and 95% of children outgrow on their own by a year. Hopefully, it's just that.


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## AppleCrisp (Aug 19, 2005)

I think you're ok! We had that too - it actually crusted out all over his eyelashes. I refused the eye drops as well, and got hell for it by the hospital pediatrician - she made us sign a form that he might have infection, eye ball rupture, or death! So you can imagine how I felt having to go back and say that I was worried about his eye goop







: I think its mainly the tear ducts, like the PPs already said. Just wipe it off. I think it went away in just a few weeks.


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## LongIsland (Jan 11, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tammyw*
And his eyes had started getting red as well.

The red eyes are from conjunctivitis.

Newborn conjunctivitis is not uncommon - with or without the drops. I just did a google and it confirmed _the drops themselves_ also cause conjunctivitis.


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