Newborn procedures: Know your options
It’s easy to get so consumed with preparing for labor and birth that we forget to also consider the many options we’ll be faced with as soon as our babies are born. And not just that, but not everyone realizes that each newborn procedure has three different ways they can be approached. You can either:
accept a newborn procedure and have it done soon after birth
accept the procedure but delay when it performed
or decline to have the procedure at all
There is no right or wrong here, necessarily. Every parent has to research the pros and cons of not only the newborn procedure itself, but also when it should (or should not) be performed. The only wrong choice is making one because your peers did it that way or because you thought that’s what you were supposed to do. Make any choice about your child your informed decision.
The first step in the process is just knowing what the common newborn procedures are. They include:
Hepatitis B vaccine
Circumcision (when applicable)
Erythromycin (eye ointment)
Vitamin K shot
Newborn screening
Other things to consider that aren’t newborn procedures but still effect you and your child include:
Cord clamping: immediate vs. delayed
Removal of vernix - wiping it off vs. rubbing it in
You may have thought at the start of your pregnancy that you would accept or decline a certain newborn procedure and then completely change your mind once you research it. This isn’t always the case, but learning more about the procedures and why they are done will help you determine, for you and your child, what is best.