How do you administer erythromycin eye ointment to a newborns eyes?

Answer 1

It is easier if you have two adults for this. First, wash your hands thoroughly if you wil be administering the ointment. Make sure the outside of the tube is clean also. While the helping adult holds the infant, cradling the infant's head in the crook of an elbow to stabilize it, ideally with the child's face turned slightly outward, away from the body of the bradley cradler. Uncap the tube of ointment and set it on a clean tissue. Expel a small amount of ointment from the tube to clear away any residual ointment that might be contaminated from a precious application., Use the thumb and index or middle finger of one hand to gently hold an eye open while carefully, steadily use your better hand to bring the tip of the tube within half a centimeter or about a quarter of an inch away from the inside corner of the eye. Begin gently squeezing the tube until the fresh ointment starts to exude, letting the ointment fall into the inner corner. Now, without putting the tip of the tube any closer to the child's eye draw the tube too toward the outer corner of the eye while simultaneously squeezing the tube to keep the ointment coming at the same rate as that required to prevent breaking the flow of the ointment, of possible. The ointment should fall into and across the entire eye from corner to corner. Stop when the ointment has reached the outer corner and stop squeezing the tube. Do not simply draw the tube away from the child's eye at this point, because you risk pulling the bead of ointment out of the eye. Squeeze enough extra ointment as you pull away the tube from the eye that there is rom for you to use a very clean fingertip to break the extended bead from the tube tip. It is okay if this extra ointment falls onto the child's skin around the outer eye. Use a clean tissue now to carefully wipe away this extra ointment so the bead ends just inside the outer corner of the child's eye. You may release the child's eyelids and the child will blink immediately. Try to do all of this fairly quickly, but don't sacrifice care for speed. Repeat with the other eye. You may find it best for your helper to change the child's position to the other side, again putting the other eye closest to you and away from the helper's body.

Don't be alarmed if the child's blinks seem to push some of the ointment out. Enough wil stay in to do the job. Also, like most mothers, I was able to do things without a helper with practice.