Re: hospital denying Vit K refusal

[Guest guest]

Have you discussed with them the option of bringing your own oral vitamin K to

administer? This is what is given in Europe - the research will back this up.

The Vitamin K shot has nasty stuff in it and can cause death - says so right on

the label. I would use the same exemption that you would use for vaccines. The

only states where this would be difficult are WV, MS, and NY...

Melinda C.

>

> Hello! I am about to give birth and have been told that the hospital i am

delivering at will not deliver me if i am going to refuse the VitK shot. The

" story " is that a parent refused and baby died and they sued hospital, then a

patient from the practice i am at refused and they called DCFS and were waiting

on courts to decide snd parents just did the shot...She was VERY disturbed and

anxious about the whole things so i believe the second part of her story but not

so much the first....so these are my questions:

>

> I know i can refuse, but can they refuse to discharge him until " courts "

decide as Id rather give the shot than leave him unattended at the hospital for

any amount of time. I also dont want to fight it if this is the case and then i

just " give in " and become another story for the docs to use against the next

patient. I can fight for change later and should have looked into this a lot

sooner obviously.

>

> I plan on talking to the hospital about it once i get more info on this and

decide that the first scenario isnt possible and then i can begin the fight (

hopefully soon as i can deliver anytime) So basically my main question is what

is their right to keep child in hospital?

>

> I cant have a homebirth, change hospital, nor afford a lawyer so PLEASE dont

waste your typing on that as i dont want to waste your time explaining why those

arent possible right now.

> thanks for any input!

> tanya

>

> o this is at alexian hospital in Elk Grove Illinois

>

[Guest guest]

I dont want to discuss anything with them until i have more info on my rights. I

have the drops already but the midwife didnt seem to think that was going to

fly...i dont ever see a pediatrician so its not like i have someone on staff

that can back me up. I basically need to know if they have right to refuse to

discharge my infant . if they dont i will fight it but i dont want to end up in

a situation where either i do the shot or they keep my newborn while we wait for

courts to decide. id never leave baby unattended at hospital! Id rather not

fight then to fight and back down if they are able to do that because that is

what pretty much i was told would happen! I also cant find any law specifically

in IL that talks about the k injection. its not listed anywhere! no problem

refusing anything else but i cant find ANYTHING on the K shot. also the links on

the vaclib page arent working for the laws they have posted ....i am so

frustrated! thanks for any input!

> >

> > Hello! I am about to give birth and have been told that the hospital i am

delivering at will not deliver me if i am going to refuse the VitK shot. The

" story " is that a parent refused and baby died and they sued hospital, then a

patient from the practice i am at refused and they called DCFS and were waiting

on courts to decide snd parents just did the shot...She was VERY disturbed and

anxious about the whole things so i believe the second part of her story but not

so much the first....so these are my questions:

> >

> > I know i can refuse, but can they refuse to discharge him until " courts "

decide as Id rather give the shot than leave him unattended at the hospital for

any amount of time. I also dont want to fight it if this is the case and then i

just " give in " and become another story for the docs to use against the next

patient. I can fight for change later and should have looked into this a lot

sooner obviously.

> >

> > I plan on talking to the hospital about it once i get more info on this and

decide that the first scenario isnt possible and then i can begin the fight (

hopefully soon as i can deliver anytime) So basically my main question is what

is their right to keep child in hospital?

> >

> > I cant have a homebirth, change hospital, nor afford a lawyer so PLEASE dont

waste your typing on that as i dont want to waste your time explaining why those

arent possible right now.

> > thanks for any input!

> > tanya

> >

> > o this is at alexian hospital in Elk Grove Illinois

> >

>

[Guest guest]

First, who told you, the doctor or the hospital? I would ask to see the policy in writing, along with the law in writing--because I don't see that there's a law here: (http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs2.asp?ChapterID=35).

And where there are laws, such as for the Newborn Metabolic Screening Act (http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1546 & ChapterID=35), you can legally object to it. See the bottom of the link.

I would think you could for Vit. K, too, IF there is even a law. Now, if it's just a hospital policy, they don't have a legal leg to stand on if you refuse to allow it after the baby is born. I would just leave once the baby was born. See ya--thanks for the delivery! They should be more concerned that you would sue if your child had a fatal allergic reaction when you opposed doing it.

Winnie

hospital denying Vit K refusalVaccinations > Hello! I am about to give birth and have been told that the > hospital i am delivering at will not deliver me if i am going to > refuse the VitK shot. The "story" is that a parent refused and > baby died and they sued hospital, then a patient from the > practice i am at refused and they called DCFS and were waiting > on courts to decide snd parents just did the shot...She was VERY > disturbed and anxious about the whole things so i believe the > second part of her story but not so much the first....so these > are my questions:> > I know i can refuse, but can they refuse to discharge him until > "courts" decide as Id rather give the shot than leave him > unattended at the hospital for any amount of time. I also dont > want to fight it if this is the case and then i just "give in" > and become another story for the docs to use against the next > patient. I can fight for change later and should have looked > into this a lot sooner obviously.> > I plan on talking to the hospital about it once i get more info > on this and decide that the first scenario isnt possible and > then i can begin the fight ( hopefully soon as i can deliver > anytime) So basically my main question is what is their right to > keep child in hospital?> > I cant have a homebirth, change hospital, nor afford a lawyer so > PLEASE dont waste your typing on that as i dont want to waste > your time explaining why those arent possible right now. > thanks for any input!> tanya> > o this is at alexian hospital in Elk Grove Illinois> >

[Guest guest]

, I agree with Winnie. This is likely hospital "policy" being presented to you as law. Tell them you will exercise your constitutional right to reject the shot under religious grounds and that you will sign a waiver excepting them from any liability for refusing it (that is all they are worried about given the recent "alleged" death of another baby).

It also would be a good idea to have a birth plan in order with specific instructions on treatment for your baby (Hep B, Vit K., PKU Testing etc.)... i would not go into a hospital without one. Make sure you give it to your midwife and nurse staff and have several extra copies with you. Have someone stay with your baby at all times no matter what.

I personally would not give in to vaccinating any of my children even if they insisted on their bogus policies. I would tell them that if they even think about coming near my child with a needle or anything not authorized my me that they will be charged with assault and that they would be certainly hearing from my lawyer. The word "lawsuit" usually get's their attention pretty quickly as its always about the $$ for them... nothing else.

Arianna Mojica -

From: tanyaligouri <tanyaligouri@...>Vaccinations Sent: Wed, January 19, 2011 12:57:09 PMSubject: Re: hospital denying Vit K refusalI dont want to discuss anything with them until i have more info on my rights. I have the drops already but the midwife didnt seem to think that was going to fly...i dont ever see a pediatrician so its not like i have someone on staff that can back me up. I basically need to know if they have right to refuse to discharge my infant . if they dont i will fight it but i dont want to end up in a situation where either i do the shot or they keep my newborn while we wait for courts to decide. id never leave baby unattended at hospital! Id rather not fight then to fight and back

down if they are able to do that because that is what pretty much i was told would happen! I also cant find any law specifically in IL that talks about the k injection. its not listed anywhere! no problem refusing anything else but i cant find ANYTHING on the K shot. also the links on the vaclib page arent working for the laws they have posted ....i am so frustrated! thanks for any input!> >> > Hello! I am about to give birth and have been told that the hospital i am delivering at will not deliver me if i am going to refuse the VitK shot. The "story" is that a parent refused and baby died and they sued hospital, then a patient from the practice i am at refused and they called DCFS and were waiting on courts to decide snd parents just did the shot...She was VERY disturbed and anxious about the whole things so i believe the second part of her story but not so much the first....so these are my questions:> > > > I know i can refuse, but can they refuse to discharge him until "courts" decide as Id rather give the shot than leave him unattended at the hospital for any amount of

time. I also dont want to fight it if this is the case and then i just "give in" and become another story for the docs to use against the next patient. I can fight for change later and should have looked into this a lot sooner obviously.> > > > I plan on talking to the hospital about it once i get more info on this and decide that the first scenario isnt possible and then i can begin the fight ( hopefully soon as i can deliver anytime) So basically my main question is what is their right to keep child in hospital?> > > > I cant have a homebirth, change hospital, nor afford a lawyer so PLEASE dont waste your typing on that as i dont want to waste your time explaining why those arent possible right now. > > thanks for any input!> > tanya> > > > o this is at alexian hospital in Elk Grove Illinois>

>>------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

yes ask them to show you the Illinois law

And, no, they can't keep your baby - you just sign out AMA (against

medical advice)

Sheri

t 10:04 AM 1/19/2011, you wrote:

First, who told you, the doctor

or the hospital? I would ask to see the policy in writing, along with the

law in writing--because I don't see that there's a law here:

(

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs2.asp?ChapterID=35).

And where there are laws, such as for the Newborn Metabolic Screening Act

(

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1546 & ChapterID=35

), you can legally object to it. See the bottom of the link.

I would think you could for Vit. K, too, IF there is even a law. Now, if

it's just a hospital policy, they don't have a legal leg to stand on if

you refuse to allow it after the baby is born. I would just leave once

the baby was born. See ya--thanks for the delivery! They should be more

concerned that you would sue if your child had a fatal allergic reaction

when you opposed doing it.

Winnie

hospital denying Vit K refusal

Vaccinations

> Hello! I am about to give birth and have been told that the

> hospital i am delivering at will not deliver me if i am going to

> refuse the VitK shot. The " story " is that a parent refused

and

> baby died and they sued hospital, then a patient from the

> practice i am at refused and they called DCFS and were waiting

> on courts to decide snd parents just did the shot...She was VERY

> disturbed and anxious about the whole things so i believe the

> second part of her story but not so much the first....so these

> are my questions:

>

> I know i can refuse, but can they refuse to discharge him until

> " courts " decide as Id rather give the shot than leave him

> unattended at the hospital for any amount of time. I also dont

> want to fight it if this is the case and then i just " give

in "

> and become another story for the docs to use against the next

> patient. I can fight for change later and should have looked

> into this a lot sooner obviously.

>

> I plan on talking to the hospital about it once i get more info

> on this and decide that the first scenario isnt possible and

> then i can begin the fight ( hopefully soon as i can deliver

> anytime) So basically my main question is what is their right to

> keep child in hospital?

>

> I cant have a homebirth, change hospital, nor afford a lawyer so

> PLEASE dont waste your typing on that as i dont want to waste

> your time explaining why those arent possible right now.

> thanks for any input!

> tanya

>

> o this is at alexian hospital in Elk Grove Illinois

>

>

[Guest guest]

thanks for all your help!!!

tanya

[Guest guest]

I refused it with my 4th child & he still got jaundice.

Carlena

Re: hospital denying Vit K refusal

The vitamin K injection actually causes jaundice and childhood leukemia.

The ingredients are horrible, and it's just poison. Most babies are not

even born with a vitamin K deficiency anyway, according to a 1977

*Lancet *article.

The shot is a synthetic form of vitamin K, which is 20,000 times the amount

a newborn needs. Breastmilk colostrum provides natural vitamin K. I

refused it both times for my two boys without problem either time in two

different hospitals, the first in North Carolina, the second in West

Virginia. (I did NOT offer to substitute to use an oral version either. I

just flatly refused, period.) The staff also knew I was an attorney. One

woman pediatrician made a lame attempt to argue with me about the vitamin K

shot, but she quickly gave up when it became apparent that she knew less

about the shot than I did. She had no idea what the risks or ingredients

were. Also, the pain of the needle alone is enough reason to refuse it.

This is also why I refused the PKU newborn

[Guest guest]

Not to hijack but what is in the but k shot that is so bad. I never looked into that one and allowed my daughter to get it foolishly thinking it was a vitamin how bad could it be. She ended up being a super clotter and we never could get enough blood for a pku and still was jaundice. I refused for my son as I wanted the pku test done.

So now I'm curious if that one shot in her entire life did something!

On Jan 19, 2011 12:17 PM, " Sheri Nakken " <vaccinedangers@...> wrote:> yes ask them to show you the Illinois law

> And, no, they can't keep your baby - you just sign out AMA (against > medical advice)> Sheri> > > > t 10:04 AM 1/19/2011, you wrote:> > >>First, who told you, the doctor or the hospital? I would ask to see

>>the policy in writing, along with the law in writing--because I >>don't see that there's a law here: >>(<http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs2.asp?ChapterID=35>http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs2.asp?ChapterID=35).

>>>>And where there are laws, such as for the Newborn Metabolic >>Screening Act >>(<http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1546 & ChapterID=35>http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1546 & ChapterID=35),

>>you can legally object to it. See the bottom of the link.>>>>I would think you could for Vit. K, too, IF there is even a law. >>Now, if it's just a hospital policy, they don't have a legal leg to

>>stand on if you refuse to allow it after the baby is born. I would >>just leave once the baby was born. See ya--thanks for the delivery! >>They should be more concerned that you would sue if your child had a

>>fatal allergic reaction when you opposed doing it.>>>>Winnie>>>> hospital denying Vit K refusal>>Vaccinations >>>> > Hello! I am about to give birth and have been told that the

>> > hospital i am delivering at will not deliver me if i am going to>> > refuse the VitK shot. The " story " is that a parent refused and>> > baby died and they sued hospital, then a patient from the

>> > practice i am at refused and they called DCFS and were waiting>> > on courts to decide snd parents just did the shot...She was VERY>> > disturbed and anxious about the whole things so i believe the

>> > second part of her story but not so much the first....so these>> > are my questions:>> >>> > I know i can refuse, but can they refuse to discharge him until>> > " courts " decide as Id rather give the shot than leave him

>> > unattended at the hospital for any amount of time. I also dont>> > want to fight it if this is the case and then i just " give in " >> > and become another story for the docs to use against the next

>> > patient. I can fight for change later and should have looked>> > into this a lot sooner obviously.>> >>> > I plan on talking to the hospital about it once i get more info

>> > on this and decide that the first scenario isnt possible and>> > then i can begin the fight ( hopefully soon as i can deliver>> > anytime) So basically my main question is what is their right to

>> > keep child in hospital?>> >>> > I cant have a homebirth, change hospital, nor afford a lawyer so>> > PLEASE dont waste your typing on that as i dont want to waste>> > your time explaining why those arent possible right now.

>> > thanks for any input!>> > tanya>> >>> > o this is at alexian hospital in Elk Grove Illinois>> >>> >>>>>>>

[Guest guest]

Here is a good article on Vit K:http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/27/high-risks-to-your-baby-from-vitamin-k-shot-they-dont-warn-you-about.aspx

[Guest guest]

1/it’s a synthetic vita

K so the body can’t do much with it anyway and 2/ it wouldn’t help

the condition for which it’s being given anyway

The best way to get vita K going is to start breastfeeding

immediately and that gets the gut going which gets the vita K going

Death is listed as a possible side effect and that alone is

enough to make me avoid it and next would be it’s not effective or

necessary either

I’ve got some files and I think it’s up on sheri’s

site too

Nita,

mom to: 18, Jon 16, 14, 12, 9, Christian (7/16/03 to

8/22/04), 5, Isaac 3 and , due 3/2011

http://momof6.dotphoto.com for

possibly current pictures and http://nitasspot.blogspot.com

Learn from the mistakes of others. Trust me... you can't live long enough

to make them all yourself.

__

[Guest guest]

Ime, birth plans are hardly

ever read. The best bet is just have someone stay with the baby from the minute

it pops out to when it’s rooming in with mom and then when it goes to the

nursery in the a.m. for the doc check.. have someone there to watch the baby

like a HAWK.

Nita,

mom to: 18, Jon 16, 14, 12, 9, Christian (7/16/03 to

8/22/04), 5, Isaac 3 and , due 3/2011

http://momof6.dotphoto.com for

possibly current pictures and http://nitasspot.blogspot.com

Learn from the mistakes of others. Trust me... you can't live long enough

to make them all yourself.

_,_._,___

[Guest guest]

Here is my page on vit K:

http://www.vaccineriskawareness.com/Vitamin-K-Does-Your-Baby-Really-Need-It---- On Thu, 20/1/11, Mindy LeFort <decembermoon23@...> wrote:

From: Mindy LeFort <decembermoon23@...>Subject: Re: hospital denying Vit K refusalVaccinations Date: Thursday, 20 January, 2011, 16:11

Not to hijack but what is in the but k shot that is so bad. I never looked into that one and allowed my daughter to get it foolishly thinking it was a vitamin how bad could it be. She ended up being a super clotter and we never could get enough blood for a pku and still was jaundice. I refused for my son as I wanted the pku test done.

So now I'm curious if that one shot in her entire life did something!

On Jan 19, 2011 12:17 PM, "Sheri Nakken" <vaccinedangers@...> wrote:> yes ask them to show you the Illinois law> And, no, they can't keep your baby - you just sign out AMA (against > medical advice)> Sheri> > > > t 10:04 AM 1/19/2011, you wrote:> > >>First, who told you, the doctor or the hospital? I would ask to see >>the policy in writing, along with the law in writing--because I >>don't see that there's a law here: >>(<http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs2.asp?ChapterID=35>http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs2.asp?ChapterID=35).>>>>And where there are laws, such as for the Newborn Metabolic >>Screening Act >>(<http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1546 & ChapterID=35>http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1546 & ChapterID=35), >>you can legally object to it. See the bottom of the link.>>>>I would think you could for Vit. K, too, IF there is even a law. >>Now, if it's just a hospital policy, they don't have a legal leg to >>stand on if you refuse to allow it after the

baby is born. I would >>just leave once the baby was born. See ya--thanks for the delivery! >>They should be more concerned that you would sue if your child had a >>fatal allergic reaction when you opposed doing it.>>>>Winnie>>>> hospital denying Vit K refusal>>Vaccinations >>>> > Hello! I am about to give birth and have been told that the>> > hospital i am delivering at will not deliver me if i am going to>> > refuse the VitK shot. The "story" is that a parent refused and>> > baby died and they

sued hospital, then a patient from the>> > practice i am at refused and they called DCFS and were waiting>> > on courts to decide snd parents just did the shot...She was VERY>> > disturbed and anxious about the whole things so i believe the>> > second part of her story but not so much the first....so these>> > are my questions:>> >>> > I know i can refuse, but can they refuse to discharge him until>> > "courts" decide as Id rather give the shot than leave him>> > unattended at the hospital for any amount of time. I also dont>> > want to fight it if this is the case and then i just "give in">> > and become another story for the docs to use against the next>> > patient. I can fight for change later and should have looked>> > into this a lot sooner obviously.>> >>>

> I plan on talking to the hospital about it once i get more info>> > on this and decide that the first scenario isnt possible and>> > then i can begin the fight ( hopefully soon as i can deliver>> > anytime) So basically my main question is what is their right to>> > keep child in hospital?>> >>> > I cant have a homebirth, change hospital, nor afford a lawyer so>> > PLEASE dont waste your typing on that as i dont want to waste>> > your time explaining why those arent possible right now.>> > thanks for any input!>> > tanya>> >>> > o this is at alexian hospital in Elk Grove Illinois>> >>> >>>>>>>

[Guest guest]

"Ime, birth plans are hardly ever read".

I have heard this said before and while it may be true in some cases I would still never walk into a hospital without one. One should obviously not rely on it alone... it is up to the mother to be VERY vocal with everyone that enters the room or comes near your baby. On my last birth I was beyond vocal, i was a madwoman. I purposely noted on my notarized birth plan "A COPY OF THIS DOCUMENT IS ON FILE WITH MY LEGAL REPRESENTATIVE" in very large print. So while they might not have read the birth plan, believe me, they did read that and they paid attention. I know because my midwife told me so- we were able to walk out within 24 hrs... with me and my baby in tact, no vit, k., no pku test, nothing!

So while I could have accomplished the same without a written BP, I feel it is essential in documenting your position.

my 5 cents

[Guest guest]

I really wish I'd known this with my kids. I would never have done it.

Winnie Re: hospital denying Vit K refusalVaccinations > Here is a good article on Vit K:> > http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/27/high-risks-to-your-baby-from-vitamin-k-shot-they-dont-warn-you-about.aspx> > > > >

[Guest guest]

Same here! All three of my kids were jaundiced, and now I know why!

From: "wharrison@..." <wharrison@...>Vaccinations Sent: Thu, January 20, 2011 9:36:59 AMSubject: Re: hospital denying Vit K refusal

I really wish I'd known this with my kids. I would never have done it.

Winnie Re: hospital denying Vit K refusalVaccinations > Here is a good article on Vit K:> > http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/27/high-risks-to-your-baby-from-vitamin-k-shot-they-dont-warn-you-about.aspx

[Guest guest]

The vitamin K injection actually causes jaundice and childhood leukemia.  The ingredients are horrible, and it's just poison.  Most babies are not even born with a vitamin K deficiency anyway, according to a 1977 Lancet article.  The shot is a synthetic form of vitamin K, which is 20,000 times the amount a newborn needs.  Breastmilk colostrum provides natural vitamin K.   I refused it both times for my two boys without problem either time in two different hospitals, the first in North Carolina, the second in West Virginia.  (I did NOT offer to substitute to use an oral version either.  I just flatly refused, period.)  The staff also knew I was an attorney.  One woman pediatrician made a lame attempt to argue with me about the vitamin K shot, but she quickly gave up when it became apparent that she knew less about the shot than I did.  She had no idea what the risks or ingredients were.   Also, the pain of the needle alone is enough reason to refuse it.  This is also why I refused the PKU newborn blood screening (heal stick).  I refused all painful procedures both times.  Newborns actually feel more pain than adults do.  Circumcision is especially painful, because it's the most sensitive part of a man's body, and the pain sends newborn babies into shock and causes permanent brain damage to the prefrontal lobe and amygdala, which govern decision making and emotions.

 

My refusal requests were documented in my Birth Plan both times.  However, I almost had the baby in the car (driving 100 mph) at 2:22 AM for my first birth in NC, and therefore, no one at the hospital read it beforehand or even knew my name within the moments during and immediately after delivery.  The baby was born within five minutes of my arrival at the hospital, and my mother, who was standing in the delivery room watching the baby, orally refused the vitamin K shot on my behalf without any problem.  We weren't even able to hand in the Birth Plan until probably 30 minutes afterwards, since the birth took first priority as an emergency.  Had my mother not orally refused, the baby would have received the vitamin K shot immediately after birth.  So in that case, just my mother firmly telling them " no " worked.  (No doctor was present at either of my births, just the nursing staff in labor and delivery.)   Neither of my sons were jaundiced or colicky.  Both are very healthy and and bright!

 

During my second birth, we arrived at the hospital in WV 1 hour and 45 minutes before my second son was born.  The hospital staff was very polite the entire time and were impressed with my drug-free, walking, upright delivery.  I stayed only one night, during which a pediatrician tried to make an issue over the vitamin K shot.  (Yes, she actually confronted me alone in the middle of the night in my little hospital twin bed with the baby at my side.  The staff likes to pop in on you at night to try to catch you asleep with the baby in your bed so they can scold you for that, but I was very good at staying alert all night!) 

 

At the North Carolina hospital during during my first birth, a pediatrician (an older man) tried to persuade me to get the hepatitis B vaccine, warning me that " the baby might catch hepatitis B on the way home, " when we all know it's an adult blood disease, not airborne at all.   I refused.  It doesn't really matter what they say to you or how nasty they are at the hospital, because it's your right to refuse, and you are responsible for your child, not they.  Just be prepared and confident going into it, and do your homework so that you can educate them.  Medical personnel are often brainwashed and have not done any independent or unbiased research, which amazes me, since it's their business to know what's going on!  What they're usually spouting off is just the predictable " programmed response answer, " which is very easy to argue with.  You can also offer to sign a waiver, since not getting sued is all they really care about--that and getting paid.  You can also threaten to leave, which I haven't felt the need to resort to yet, but I wouldn't hesitate to if there were a problem.  I posted a copy of the Birth Plan I used both times below, which I've posted on here before, and I hope it may be helpful.  I'm expecting my third baby on June 1, a girl this time.  Yay!!! 

  

I'd like to recommend some excellent books:  The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskins (midwife), and my personal favorite Active Birth by Janet Balaskas.  These last two books thoroughly explain the health advantages for mother and baby of using the ancient upright labor/birthing position still used in some cultures around the world today.  For me, walking really reduced the pain of labor/transition both times, and the kneeling position I used for delivery was almost painless, bloodless, and so quick (one push)!  I really believe that many of the problems/pain women experience during labor/delivery are created by being strapped down flat on their backs, which is actually the worst position possible, forcing her to push uphill. 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BIRTH PLANREFUSAL/WAIVER NOTICEOfmother's name

address

phone # Due date: ____, for newborn infant, baby's name

       I will sign all necessary medical waivers.  This document is intended to give all medical personnel notice that, in order to give my child a natural and gentle welcome into the world, I decline/refuse the following newborn tests, vaccinations, and procedures:

 1.    NO vitamin K injection 2.    NO newborn blood screening (blood test for PKU, etc., drawn from heal cut) 3.    NO hepatitis B vaccination 4.    NO circumcision Special directions:

 1.  A family member is to remain with the baby at all times, with authority to reject any procedure.  " Family " includes mother ______, father _______, or grandmother ________.  2.  In order to ensure that all medical personnel are aware and to prevent these routine blood procedures from occurring, please write on the bassinet identification card in plain view that, " Mother refuses Vitamin K injection and PKU newborn screening (heal cut). "

 3.  Please ask to obtain parental signature before administering any other shot to infant, which has not been mentioned here, by needle, IV, or any other painful procedure, for any reason. 4.  Mother will breastfeed;  therefore, newborn should not receive feeding supplementation.  I expect the baby to stay with me in my room. 

   ___________________signature (on back) WISHES REGARDING LABOR AND DELIVERY 1.    NO EPISIOTOMY.  If I tear, I wish to tear naturally.  I strongly prefer no operative vaginal delivery without prior consent at the time.  An exception to this includes a life-threatening emergency to mother or baby that does not allow time for the consent process.

 2.    Unless the cord is strangling the infant, DO NOT CLAMP OR CUT THE UMBILICAL CORD BEFORE IT STOPS PULSATING, as this deprives my child of his/her own blood supply.  3.   No internal fetal electrode monitoring, if it would puncture the scalp.

  ________________________signature Please note that this Birth Plan was followed exactly for the birth of my first child, __________, who was born October 22, 2004, at 2:22 A.M., at the Brady Birthing Center of et General Hospital in Morehead City, North Carolina, without any complications whatsoever.  I breastfed _____ for 46.5 months.

 

[Guest guest]

My second was so jaundiced he was green. I was slightly panic stricken as each day he got worse while I nursed him like crazy out in the sun every day (lucky for him he was a summer baby!). Something told me not to take him to the docs and I'm glad I stuck it out, but I questioned whether I was doing the right thing. Very scary time.

Winnie Re: hospital denying Vit K refusal> Vaccinations > > > Here is a good article on Vit K:> > > >http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/27/high-risks-to-your-baby-from-vitamin-k-shot-they-dont-warn-you-about.aspx> >x> > > >

[Guest guest]

Did the nursing in the sun with all three of mine as well and didn't bother to take them back in. I just researched other options on my own. My first son's doctor kept telling me it was my breastmilk that was causing it? He termed it "breastmilk jaundice."

From: "wharrison@..." <wharrison@...>Vaccinations Sent: Thu, January 20, 2011 11:36:57 AMSubject: Re: hospital denying Vit K refusal

My second was so jaundiced he was green. I was slightly panic stricken as each day he got worse while I nursed him like crazy out in the sun every day (lucky for him he was a summer baby!). Something told me not to take him to the docs and I'm glad I stuck it out, but I questioned whether I was doing the right thing. Very scary time.

Winnie Re: hospital denying Vit K refusal> To:

Vaccinations > > > Here is a good article on Vit K:> > > >http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/27/high-risks-to-your-baby-from-vitamin-k-shot-they-dont-warn-you-about.aspx

[Guest guest]

Parenting can be sooo scary, having someones life in your hands.

correy

>

> My second was so jaundiced he was green. I was slightly panic stricken as each

day he got worse while I nursed him like crazy out in the sun every day (lucky

for him he was a summer baby!). Something told me not to take him to the docs

and I'm glad I stuck it out, but I questioned whether I was doing the right

thing. Very scary time.

>

> Winnie

>

> Re: hospital denying Vit K refusal

> > Vaccinations

> >

> > > Here is a good article on Vit K:

> > >

> >

>http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/27/high-risks-to-you\

r-baby-from-vitamin-k-shot-they-dont-warn-you-about.aspx

> > >x

> >

> >

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Vitamin K: Does Your Baby Really Need It?

Vitamin K Injection: is it really just a vitamin?

When my second born was but a few hours old, I was asked if I would consent to her being administered vitamin K. Thankfully I knew about the study linking vitamin K injection with childhood leukaemia and the hospital where I gave birth had a policy to only give oral drops, so I mistakenly thought that these drops must be okay because they were ‘just a vitamin’, and vitamins are good for you. So I allowed them to give them to her and only later discovered that the manufactured version of vitamin K is anything but just the vitamin. Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding This disease was previously known as Haemorrhagic Disease of the Newborn and was first described in 1894 by a doctor called Townsend. 1 in 10,000 babies are thought to have some form of bleed at or some time after birth. There are three different kinds of VKDB: Classic VKDB: This occurs between one and seven days post birth. A baby may bleed

from his umbilical cord stump and gastrointestinal tract. Very rarely, he might bleed from his brain. If he has any puncture marks from injections or IV’s he may bleed from those. This type of VKDB is the most common and usually caused by being unwell at birth, for instance, through prematurity, traumatic delivery or failure to breast feed soon after birth. Drugs used in childbirth can interfere with the baby’s alertness and ability to feed and so may contribute to this type of the disease, as may immediate cord clamping after birth. Early Onset VKDB: This occurs on the first day of life and is rare. It usually only occurs if a mother has been on medications during pregnancy, such as antibiotics. If you are pregnant, you should not take antibiotics unless it is a life threatening emergency. Other trigger medications include anti-convulsants and medicines to control blood clots such as warfarin. The rate for early onset VKDB is up to 12% of

babies born after a medicated pregnancy. Late Onset VKDB: This occurs between 8 days and six months after the birth. In half of these cases, the baby has an underlying liver disease and is unable to utilize vitamins in his milk. Other cases occur when a breast feeding mother does not have an optimal diet (for instance, not eating green vegetables and fresh foods, consumption of alcohol and junk foods and use of drugs and medications in that mother). You are what you eat and if you eat junk food then your breast milk will be junky. PHYTONDIONE VITAMIN K INJECTION This information was taken from Merck vaccine manufacturer, who also make this injection. Ingredients: Phytondione 2 or 10mgs, polyoxyethylated fatty acid 70mgs (the data sheet didn’t say where the fatty acid was derived from, but one type of oral brand has bovine gall bladder fatty acid in it, so I assume similar here), dextrose, benzyl alcohol and water. Other

brands such as the one by Roche Pharmaceuticals, may have varying ingredients. Roche’s also contains hydrochloric acid. Hospira Inc’s version contains aluminium. Warnings: This injection should be administered subcutaneously (just under the skin) because severe reactions including fatalities have occurred immediately after intramuscular (deep muscle) and intravenous injection (via a drip). Those reactions include hypersensitivity, anaphylactic shock, and cardiac and respiratory arrest. Benzyl Alcohol as a preservative as been associated with toxicity in newborns (Writer’s comment: why are they then using it in an injection meant for newborns?) Adverse Reactions: Deaths have occurred after intramuscular and intravenous injection, ‘flushing’ sensations, dizziness, rapid and weak pulse, profuse sweating, hypotension, dyspnea, cyanosis, pain, swelling at the injection site, allergic sensitivity, scleroderma like skin lesions

that persist for long periods. Hyperbilirubinemia has occurred in newborns following the administration of vitamin K injection (jaundice). This drug has not been tested to see if it is carcinogenic (causes cancer),whether it mutates or if it impairs fertility. It is not known whether it can cause fetal harm or whether it is excreted in human milk. Contraindication Hypersensitivity to any of the injection’s ingredients. (Writer’s comment: how would they know, since they give it to newborns with no medical history?). It is interesting to note that vitamin K injections are given intramuscularly even though some manufacturer’s such as Merck say this is dangerous. Hospira’s data sheet also says this: ‘Benzyl alcohol has been reported to be associated with a fatal “Gasping Syndrome†in premature infants. WARNING: This product contains aluminium that may be toxic. Aluminium may reach toxic levels with prolonged

parenteral administration if kidney function is impaired. Premature neonates are particularly at risk because their kidneys are immature, and they required large amounts of calcium and phosphate solutions, which contain aluminium. Research indicates that patients with impaired kidney function, including premature neonates, who receive parenteral levels of aluminium at greater than 4 to 5 mcg/kg/day accumulate aluminium at levels associated with central nervous system and bone toxicity. Tissue loading may occur at even lower rates of administration.’ Childhood Leukaemia In 1970, a study was undertaken to see what the risk factors were for childhood cancers. 16,193 babies were studied who had all been born in April 1970. 99 children developed cancer by the age of 10 in the control group and 33 children in the other group. The researchers found that when babies had received vitamin K in the first week of life, their risk of cancer

increased three fold. They had not been looking at vitamin K specifically and did not expect to see such an association, so they approached Roche Pharmaceuticals, asking them to do a further trial. They initially refused, until stories about vitamin K and cancer forced them into a corner, and, determined to prove the safety of their product, they began a new study. 588 healthy children and 195 children with cancer were studied. All of these children had been born at one of two hospitals in Bristol. One hospital used oral vitamin K drops and the other used the injection. The researchers found a two fold increase in childhood Leukaemia among those who had received the injection and stated that as many as 980 cases of childhood Leukaemia were caused by the vitamin K injection every year in the UK alone. Newer studies have been done as recently as 1998 which seem to confirm this. Two studies in the British Medical Journal in that year found that

there was a two fold risk of Leukaemia among 1-6 year old’s who had been given the injection at birth, and that there was a ‘significant risk’ of all cancers after the shot. An Alternative View Of Vitamin K Deficiency Some medical professionals question whether newborns are actually deficient in vitamin K or whether in fact this is their normal level. Levels have been described as low due to the comparison with adult levels of the vitamin, but this doesn’t make a lot of sense, since newborns and adults are not compared in other areas. For instance, in weight and nutritional requirements. Drugs are also measured differently with lower amounts given to babies. All babies have this universally ‘low’ level of vitamin K, so surely that would point to it being normal? Normality is based on what is seen in the majority of cases. Perhaps babies need less vitamin K than we do? According to Archives of Disease in Childhood,

1997, a baby given a vitamin K injection receives 300 times more vitamin than is recommended for an adult and has a 9000 times higher blood plasma level. This may be why some babies then develop jaundice, as an overdose effect of the drug. Bilirubin is a natural by-product which is formed during the body’s normal break down of red blood cells. It is excreted by the liver. Jaundice happens when there is an excess of bilirubin and the liver is unable to properly cleanse the blood, i.e. liver overload. As babies receive such a huge dose of vitamin K, combined with other toxic ingredients in the shot, this liver overload isn’t surprising. In turn, jaundice can cause kernicterus (brain damage from high bilirubin levels) and haemolysis (destruction of red blood cells), as reported in journals such as the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 1996. The Truth About Breast Milk Breast milk undoubtedly gets a bad press in the

vitamin K deficiency argument, with doctors and drug manufacturer’s both suggesting that breast milk is ‘too low’ in vitamin K. Just as with vaccines, it is another step to undermine the mother, by suggesting that she is not good enough for her baby, and in ensuring reliance on drugs from birth. There are many other factors to consider, such as whether the baby has fed and how often he has breast fed, what his overall condition is like, whether he has been exposed to antibiotics. Studies have shown that: • Breast fed babies whose mothers ate leafy green vegetables while pregnant, did not get VKDB • Breast fed babies whose mothers were supplemented with vitamin K tablets while pregnant did not get VKDB • There are higher levels of vitamin K in colostrum, the baby’s first milk, so it is really important that he gets to drink colostrum as soon as possible. A study in the British Medical Journal in 1992 showed that

babies who had unrestricted access to the breast immediately after birth, and who had breast fed before they were 24 hours old, did not get VKDB. Protecting Your Baby From Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding To summarise: 1. Don’t take medications while pregnant. If you are epileptic and on anti-seizure medication, talk to your doctor to see if it is possible to alter your drugs. Don’t take antibiotics unless there is a life threatening emergency. 2. Don’t drink alcohol during pregnancy. 3. Eat plenty of leafy green vegetables and fresh foods. 4. Avoid junk foods, and in particular, fats and margarine. Margarine contains butylated hydroxytoluene, which is an inhibitor of vitamin K. 5. Opt for a natural birth. Drugs in childbirth can make the baby unwell or drowsy, interfere with breast feeding and increase the risk of VKDB. Say no to a forceps delivery. You don’t have to have them, even in difficulty, there are

other ways to help the baby into the world. 6. Delay the cord clamping. Leave your baby attached to his cord until it has stopped pulsing, or longer. 7. Breast feed your baby immediately after he is born. If he won’t feed, keep offering. If he is ill and cannot suckle, ensure he gets breast milk through a tube soon after he is born. 8. If you have a son, DON’T circumcise him! Research has shown that circumcision can cause heavy bleeding and lead to VKDB. 9. If you are considering giving artificial vitamin K supplementation, choose an oral brand rather than the injection. It is less stressful for the baby and it hasn’t been linked to cancer. Check ingredients carefully. Some may contain animal products, phenols or aluminium. 10. Consider having a natural vitamin K supplement in pregnancy and while you are nursing your child, as this won’t have the same risk of side-effects as the ones manufactured by the pharmaceutical

industry. Sources used for this article: Information on VKDB came from source 1. 1. Joint statement and recommendations on Vitamin K administration to newborn infants to prevent vitamin K deficiency bleeding in infancy. National Health and Medical Research Council Paediatric Division of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Australian College of Midwives Inc 2. Merck and Co. Manufacturers data sheet for Aquamephyton vitamin K injection, dated February 2002. http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/SAFETY/2003/03Jun_PI/AquaMEPHYTON_PI.pdf 3. Hospira Inc manufacturer’s information http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?id=1448 4. Roche Phrmaceutical’s Manufacturer’s data sheet, dated July 2006.

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcmed.nsf/pages/rockonmm/$File/rockonmm.pdf 5. Golding J, Paterson M and Kinlen L. Factors associated with childhood cancer in a national cohort study. Brit. J Cancer 1990;62:304-8. 6. Greenwood R. Vitamin K and childhood cancer. MIDIRS 1994;4(3):258-9. 7. Greer F, Marshall S, Cherry J and Suttie J. Vitamin K status of lactating mothers, human milk, and breast-feeding infants. Pediatrics 1991;88(4);751-6. 8. British Medical Journal, 316:189-193, Jan 17, 1998 9. Passmore S, Draper G, Brownbill P, Kroll M. Ecological studies of relation between hospital policies on neonatal vitamin K administration and subsequent occurrence of childhood cancer. BMJ 1998;316:184-9 10. Meyer T and Angus J. The effect of large doses of Synkavit in the newborn. Arch Dis Child 1956;31:212-5 in, Ruby, C. Vitamin K: a historical perspective. MIDIRS 1997;7(3):362-4. 11. New Ethicals Compendium; 3c: 303-304.

12. Hall M. and Pairaudeau P. The routine use of vitamin K in the newborn. Midwifery 1987;3(4):170-7 13. O’Connor M. and Addiego J. Use of oral vitamin K1 to prevent hemorrhagic disease of the newborn infant. J Pediatr 1986;108:616-9. 14. Hathaway W. New insights on Vitamin K. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am 1987;1(3):367-379. 15. Golding J, Greenwood R, Birmingham K. et al. Childhood cancer, intramuscular vitamin K and pethidine given during labour. BMJ 1992;305 (6849):341-6. 16. -Smart, D. Giving vitamin K to newborn infants: a therapeutic dilemma. MJA 1996;165:414-5. Written by Joanna Karpasea-.

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From: <melanieecooperesq@...>Subject: Re: hospital denying Vit K refusalVaccinations Date: Thursday, 20 January, 2011, 19:00

The vitamin K injection actually causes jaundice and childhood leukemia. The ingredients are horrible, and it's just poison. Most babies are not even born with a vitamin K deficiency anyway, according to a 1977 Lancet article. The shot is a synthetic form of vitamin K, which is 20,000 times the amount a newborn needs. Breastmilk colostrum provides natural vitamin K. I refused it both times for my two boys without problem either time in two different hospitals, the first in North Carolina, the second in West Virginia. (I did NOT offer to substitute to use an oral version either. I just flatly refused, period.) The staff also knew I was an attorney. One woman pediatrician made a lame attempt to argue with me about the vitamin K shot, but she quickly gave up when it became apparent that she knew less about the shot than I did. She had no idea what the

risks or ingredients were. Also, the pain of the needle alone is enough reason to refuse it. This is also why I refused the PKU newborn blood screening (heal stick). I refused all painful procedures both times. Newborns actually feel more pain than adults do. Circumcision is especially painful, because it's the most sensitive part of a man's body, and the pain sends newborn babies into shock and causes permanent brain damage to the prefrontal lobe and amygdala, which govern decision making and emotions.

My refusal requests were documented in my Birth Plan both times. However, I almost had the baby in the car (driving 100 mph) at 2:22 AM for my first birth in NC, and therefore, no one at the hospital read it beforehand or even knew my name within the moments during and immediately after delivery. The baby was born within five minutes of my arrival at the hospital, and my mother, who was standing in the delivery room watching the baby, orally refused the vitamin K shot on my behalf without any problem. We weren't even able to hand in the Birth Plan until probably 30 minutes afterwards, since the birth took first priority as an emergency. Had my mother not orally refused, the baby would have received the vitamin K shot immediately after birth. So in that case, just my mother firmly telling them "no" worked. (No doctor was present at either of my

births, just the nursing staff in labor and delivery.) Neither of my sons were jaundiced or colicky. Both are very healthy and and bright!

During my second birth, we arrived at the hospital in WV 1 hour and 45 minutes before my second son was born. The hospital staff was very polite the entire time and were impressed with my drug-free, walking, upright delivery. I stayed only one night, during which a pediatrician tried to make an issue over the vitamin K shot. (Yes, she actually confronted me alone in the middle of the night in my little hospital twin bed with the baby at my side. The staff likes to pop in on you at night to try to catch you asleep with the baby in your bed so they can scold you for that, but I was very good at staying alert all night!)

At the North Carolina hospital during during my first birth, a pediatrician (an older man) tried to persuade me to get the hepatitis B vaccine, warning me that "the baby might catch hepatitis B on the way home," when we all know it's an adult blood disease, not airborne at all. I refused. It doesn't really matter what they say to you or how nasty they are at the hospital, because it's your right to refuse, and you are responsible for your child, not they. Just be prepared and confident going into it, and do your homework so that you can educate them. Medical personnel are often brainwashed and have not done any independent or unbiased research, which amazes me, since it's their business to know what's going on! What they're usually spouting off is just the predictable "programmed response answer," which is very easy to argue with. You can also offer to sign a waiver, since not getting sued is all

they really care about--that and getting paid. You can also threaten to leave, which I haven't felt the need to resort to yet, but I wouldn't hesitate to if there were a problem. I posted a copy of the Birth Plan I used both times below, which I've posted on here before, and I hope it may be helpful. I'm expecting my third baby on June 1, a girl this time. Yay!!!

I'd like to recommend some excellent books: The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskins (midwife), and my personal favorite Active Birth by Janet Balaskas. These last two books thoroughly explain the health advantages for mother and baby of using the ancient upright labor/birthing position still used in some cultures around the world today. For me, walking really reduced the pain of labor/transition both times, and the kneeling position I used for delivery was almost painless, bloodless, and so quick (one push)! I really believe that many of the problems/pain women experience during labor/delivery are created by being strapped down flat on their backs, which is actually the worst position possible, forcing her to push uphill.

BIRTH PLANREFUSAL/WAIVER NOTICEOfmother's name

address

phone # Due date: ____, for newborn infant, baby's name

I will sign all necessary medical waivers. This document is intended to give all medical personnel notice that, in order to give my child a natural and gentle welcome into the world, I decline/refuse the following newborn tests, vaccinations, and procedures: 1. NO vitamin K injection 2. NO newborn blood screening (blood test for PKU, etc., drawn from heal cut) 3. NO hepatitis B vaccination 4. NO circumcision Special directions: 1. A family member is to remain with the baby at all times, with authority to reject any procedure. "Family" includes mother ______, father _______, or grandmother ________. 2. In order to ensure that all medical personnel are aware and to prevent these routine blood

procedures from occurring, please write on the bassinet identification card in plain view that, "Mother refuses Vitamin K injection and PKU newborn screening (heal cut)." 3. Please ask to obtain parental signature before administering any other shot to infant, which has not been mentioned here, by needle, IV, or any other painful procedure, for any reason. 4. Mother will breastfeed; therefore, newborn should not receive feeding supplementation. I expect the baby to stay with me in my room. ___________________signature (on back) WISHES REGARDING LABOR AND DELIVERY 1. NO EPISIOTOMY. If I tear, I wish to tear naturally. I strongly prefer no operative vaginal delivery without prior consent at the time. An exception to this includes a life-threatening emergency to mother or baby that does not

allow time for the consent process. 2. Unless the cord is strangling the infant, DO NOT CLAMP OR CUT THE UMBILICAL CORD BEFORE IT STOPS PULSATING, as this deprives my child of his/her own blood supply. 3. No internal fetal electrode monitoring, if it would puncture the scalp. ________________________signature Please note that this Birth Plan was followed exactly for the birth of my first child, __________, who was born October 22, 2004, at 2:22 A.M., at the Brady Birthing Center of et General Hospital in Morehead City, North Carolina, without any complications whatsoever. I breastfed _____ for 46.5 months.

[Guest guest]

There is another backup option you can investigate in advance to protect yourself against the hospital staff when you're refusing the vitamin K shot.  During my last pregnancy I made a lot of phone calls.  I called various hospitals to ask what their policies were on refusing the vitamin K vaccine and PKU newborn screening blood test, which screens for incredibly rare diseases.  (See link.  http://www.wvdhhr.org/nbms/Disorders_Expansion_02042009.pdf )  I spoke to random nurses who answered the phone in newborn nurseries, and I often got some confused responses.   Often they would say, " It's a 'mandatory' state law that babies receive the vitamin K shot and the PKU screening. "   However, once I got the correct answer, which was, " Oh, yes, once we had a mother here who adamantly refused the PKU newborn blood screening (heel stick).  Sure enough, I called the state department, and she did have the right to refuse!  So, yes, it's your baby and your right to refuse. "   Sometimes it's just a matter of setting a precedent at a hospital and educating the staff that this is a mother's right to refuse.  The staff is taught hospital policy to inform patients that " it's mandatory state law " to perform x,y, and z on every single baby. 

 

During my last pregnancy two years ago, I called the WV DHHR (Dept of Health and Human Resources--not my favorite group of people by any means) and spoke to the director of maternal and infant health services who confirmed to me over the phone that although these procedures are " mandated " (i.e., permitted by state law), a parent still has the right to refuse them, and the hospital is obligated to honor this wish without penalizing her.  In other words, the state gives the hospital permission through a " state mandate. "   This permission does not, however, supersede a parent's right to refuse.  Just call and say, " Hi, I'm expecting a baby in (month), and I have some questions about refusing certain newborn hospital procedures.  I, and many others who have researched the vitamin K vaccine given at birth, have serious concerns about its harmful ingredients which cause jaundice and childhood leukemia.  Can you reassure me that I do have the right to refuse this procedure for my baby in the hospital?  I understand the nurses call your department for advice on these issues.  Also, I wish to refuse the PKU heel stick, because it screens for extremely rare conditions, which I feel my baby is not at risk for.  I plan to refuse all painful newborn procedures.  Again, can you reassure me that I have the right to refuse? "   I said something similar to this, and also followed up with, " And the hospital cannot consequently refuse to accept me as a patient or refuse to assist me during my delivery or report me later to child protective services as a result of my exercising my right to refuse?  Correct? "   Once you find a state level bureaucrat who will verify that you do have the right to legally refuse without penalty, thank them politely and ask their name.  You can then give this reference to anyone at the hospital who gives you a problem.  Ex., " According to _______ at the state department, I do have the right to refuse without penalty.  Here's his/her number.  Go ahead and call to confirm. "   As I understand, whenever the hospital staff is in doubt about your rights as a patient, they call the state department of health and human resources to ask them what to do.  Figure out their protocol, and then beat them to it. 

 

It can be helpful to contact the bureaucrats at your state department of health and human resources (or whatever they call themselves in your state).  They actually set the policy for the hospitals, and if you can get a name and phone number for a state bureaucrat who will confirm your (correct) understanding of the law, you can present them as a reference to any hospital staff who question your right to refuse.  Their authority on the state level will then override whatever false threats the hospital makes against you.  I know how it feels to worry about being a vulnerable " sitting duck " fighting off the hospital staff, especially right after you've had a baby!  Arm yourself with your state law and search for anyone who agrees with you on the state level who also acts as an adviser to all hospitals statewide.  

 

I was actually the first person at two different hospitals in NC and WV to refuse the vitamin K vaccine.  During my second pregnancy, I actually (anonymously) called the hospital nursery where I planned to deliver and asked my questions about whether I could refuse those two procedures.  When one nurse didn't give me the response I wanted, I called back anonymously later to inform (not ask) the next random nurse who answered the phone that mothers do have the legal right to refuse these procedures.  I hoped this info would eventually creep its way up the chain of command.  (I was devious.  )  Later I called the director of the maternity department (another nurse) at the same hospital where I planned to deliver and again asked whether the hospital would respect my refusal of the vitamin K and PKU screening.  When she confirmed that I had the right to refuse, I finally felt comfortable that I wouldn't be harassed over this issue during my stay there.  We still watched the baby like a hawk during my short one night stay.  At this point, I can also add that I already have two healthy unvaccinated boys who didn't receive either the vitamin K vaccine or PKU screening with newborn hospital records to prove it. 

[Guest guest]

Just wanted to add that it may depend on the wording of your state law.  If your state law provides for a religious exemption to these newborn procedures (which my state law unfortunately does NOT provide), you can then, of course, legally use religious grounds for your refusal under your state law. 

[Guest guest]

excellent

Thanks sooooooooo much for sharing this with all

May I share it in the future with others?

Sheri

listowner

At 11:00 AM 1/20/2011, you wrote:

The vitamin K injection actually

causes jaundice and childhood leukemia. The ingredients are

horrible, and it's just poison. Most babies are not even born with

a vitamin K deficiency anyway, according to a 1977 Lancet

article. The shot is a synthetic form of vitamin K, which is

20,000 times the amount a newborn needs. Breastmilk colostrum

provides natural vitamin K. I refused it both times for my

two boys without problem either time in two different hospitals, the

first in North Carolina, the second in West Virginia. (I did NOT

offer to substitute to use an oral version either. I just flatly

refused, period.) The staff also knew I was an attorney. One

woman pediatrician made a lame attempt to argue with me about the vitamin

K shot, but she quickly gave up when it became apparent that she knew

less about the shot than I did. She had no idea what the risks or

ingredients were. Also, the pain of the needle alone is

enough reason to refuse it. This is also why I refused the PKU

newborn blood screening (heal stick). I refused all painful

procedures both times. Newborns actually feel more pain than adults

do. Circumcision is especially painful, because it's the most

sensitive part of a man's body, and the pain sends newborn babies into

shock and causes permanent brain damage to the prefrontal lobe and

amygdala, which govern decision making and emotions.

My refusal requests were documented in my Birth Plan both times.

However, I almost had the baby in the car (driving 100 mph) at 2:22 AM

for my first birth in NC, and therefore, no one at the hospital read it

beforehand or even knew my name within the moments during and immediately

after delivery. The baby was born within five minutes of my arrival

at the hospital, and my mother, who was standing in the delivery room

watching the baby, orally refused the vitamin K shot on my behalf without

any problem. We weren't even able to hand in the Birth Plan until

probably 30 minutes afterwards, since the birth took first priority as an

emergency. Had my mother not orally refused, the baby would have

received the vitamin K shot immediately after birth. So in that

case, just my mother firmly telling them " no " worked. (No

doctor was present at either of my births, just the nursing staff in

labor and delivery.) Neither of my sons were jaundiced or

colicky. Both are very healthy and and bright!

During my second birth, we arrived at the hospital in WV 1 hour and 45

minutes before my second son was born. The hospital staff was very

polite the entire time and were impressed with my drug-free, walking,

upright delivery. I stayed only one night, during which a

pediatrician tried to make an issue over the vitamin K shot. (Yes,

she actually confronted me alone in the middle of the night in my little

hospital twin bed with the baby at my side. The staff likes to pop

in on you at night to try to catch you asleep with the baby in your bed

so they can scold you for that, but I was very good at staying alert all

night!)

At the North Carolina hospital during during my first birth, a

pediatrician (an older man) tried to persuade me to get the hepatitis B

vaccine, warning me that " the baby might catch hepatitis B on the

way home, " when we all know it's an adult blood disease, not

airborne at all. I refused. It doesn't really matter

what they say to you or how nasty they are at the hospital, because it's

your right to refuse, and you are responsible for your child, not

they. Just be prepared and confident going into it, and do your

homework so that you can educate them. Medical personnel are often

brainwashed and have not done any independent or unbiased research, which

amazes me, since it's their business to know what's going on! What

they're usually spouting off is just the predictable " programmed

response answer, " which is very easy to argue with. You can

also offer to sign a waiver, since not getting sued is all they really

care about--that and getting paid. You can also threaten to leave,

which I haven't felt the need to resort to yet, but I wouldn't hesitate

to if there were a problem. I posted a copy of the Birth Plan I

used both times below, which I've posted on here before, and I hope it

may be helpful. I'm expecting my third baby on June 1, a girl this

time. Yay!!!

I'd like to recommend some excellent books: The Thinking Woman's

Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer, Ina May's Guide to

Childbirth by Ina May Gaskins (midwife), and my personal favorite

Active Birth by Janet Balaskas. These last two books

thoroughly explain the health advantages for mother and baby of using the

ancient upright labor/birthing position still used in some cultures

around the world today. For me, walking really reduced the pain of

labor/transition both times, and the kneeling position I used for

delivery was almost painless, bloodless, and so quick (one push)! I

really believe that many of the problems/pain women experience during

labor/delivery are created by being strapped down flat on their backs,

which is actually the worst position possible, forcing her to push

uphill.

BIRTH PLAN

REFUSAL/WAIVER NOTICE

Of

mother's name

address

phone #

Due date: ____, for newborn infant, baby's name

I will sign all necessary medical

waivers. This document is intended to give all medical personnel

notice that, in order to give my child a natural and gentle welcome into

the world, I decline/refuse the following newborn tests, vaccinations,

and procedures:

1. NO vitamin K injection

2. NO newborn blood screening (blood test for PKU,

etc., drawn from heal cut)

3. NO hepatitis B vaccination

4. NO circumcision

Special directions:

1. A family member is to remain with the baby at all times, with

authority to reject any procedure. " Family " includes

mother ______, father _______, or grandmother ________.

2. In order to ensure that all medical personnel are aware and to

prevent these routine blood procedures from occurring, please write on

the bassinet identification card in plain view that, " Mother refuses

Vitamin K injection and PKU newborn screening (heal cut). "

3. Please ask to obtain parental signature before administering any

other shot to infant, which has not been mentioned here, by needle, IV,

or any other painful procedure, for any reason.

4. Mother will breastfeed; therefore, newborn should not

receive feeding supplementation. I expect the baby to stay with me

in my room.

___________________

signature

(on back)

WISHES REGARDING LABOR AND DELIVERY

1. NO EPISIOTOMY. If I tear, I wish to tear

naturally. I strongly prefer no operative vaginal delivery without

prior consent at the time. An exception to this includes a

life-threatening emergency to mother or baby that does not allow time for

the consent process.

2. Unless the cord is strangling the infant, DO NOT

CLAMP OR CUT THE UMBILICAL CORD BEFORE IT STOPS PULSATING, as this

deprives my child of his/her own blood supply.

3. No internal fetal electrode monitoring, if it would

puncture the scalp.

________________________

signature

Please note that this Birth Plan was followed exactly for the birth of my

first child, __________, who was born October 22, 2004, at 2:22 A.M., at

the Brady Birthing Center of et General Hospital in Morehead City,

North Carolina, without any complications whatsoever. I breastfed

_____ for 46.5 months.

[Guest guest]

I agree. Don't settle for random people deciding what is law and what isn't. Go over their heads to whoever is in charge and can make decisions to confirm your rights.

But also hawk-watching. Definitely. The staff who interacts with you directly will follow whatever procedure they're used to if you let them.

Winnie Re: Re: hospital denying Vit K refusalVaccinations > There is another backup option you can investigate in advance to > protectyourself against the hospital staff when you're refusing > the vitamin K> shot. During my last pregnancy I made a lot of phone calls. I called> various hospitals to ask what their policies were on refusing > the vitamin K> vaccine and PKU newborn screening blood test, which screens for > incrediblyrare diseases. (See link.> http://www.wvdhhr.org/nbms/Disorders_Expansion_02042009.pdf ) I > spoke to> random nurses who answered the phone in newborn nurseries, and I > often got> some confused responses. Often they would say, "It's a > 'mandatory' state> law that babies receive the vitamin K shot and the PKU > screening." However,> once I got the correct answer, which was, "Oh, yes, once we had > a mother> here who adamantly refused the PKU newborn blood screening (heel > stick).Sure enough, I called the state department, and she did > have the right to> refuse! So, yes, it's your baby and your right to refuse." > Sometimes it's> just a matter of setting a precedent at a hospital and educating > the staff> that this is a mother's right to refuse. The staff is taught hospital> policy to inform patients that "it's mandatory state law" to > perform x,y,> and z on every single baby.

[Guest guest]

That's kind of funny that he said the breastmilk caused it, just because it's called breastmilk jaundice. According to here ( http://pediatrics.about.com/library/breastfeeding/blbreastfeedingh.htm): "There is a condition commonly called breastmilk jaundice. No one knows what the cause of breastmilk jaundice is."

Further down, it said this:: "However, in our experience, most exclusively breastfed babies who are perfectly healthy and gaining weight well are still jaundiced at 5-6 weeks of life and even later. The question, in fact, should be whether it is normal not to be jaundiced and is this absence of jaundice something we should worry about? Do not stop breastfeeding for “breastmilk” jaundice."

Winnie Re: hospital denying Vit K refusal> > Vaccinations > > > > > Here is a good article on Vit K:> > > > >>http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/27/high-risks-to-your-baby-from-vitamin-k-shot-they-dont-warn-you-about.aspx> >x> > > >