I wonder how much Vitamin K for your baby was discussed with you in your pregnancy or shortly after you had given birth? Sometimes it is the way it is presented as to what option the mother chooses. If it is offered as an injection to stop your baby having a bleed into its brain….the most likely response is, “ yes please”! However the subject of Vitamin K for a newborn is quite a complex subject. Vitamin K given to babies after birth is in a synthetic form.
What is vitamin K anyway? It is a vitamin essential for clotting. All babies are born with low levels of vitamin K, compared to adults, however one thought is that this may be physiologically normal, as they are small people compared to big people! Many years ago, only babies who were at risk of any bruising or bleeding during the birth e.g forceps, vacuum birth or caesarean section, were offered Vitamin K, to prevent a rare condition, then called Haemorrhagic Disease of the Newborn, now named Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding. Currently and for many years now, all babies are offered Vitamin K, irrespective of their birth.
There are options: a) A one off injection, usually into baby’s leg within a couple of hours of birth. b) Given orally, 2 or 3 doses, depending on the method of feeding c) Or not at all
Not all parents are given all of these options. As with anything, it is always worth weighing up any risks and benefits of all options, with statistics. I can strongly recommend that people read around this subject more thoroughly, as most people do not.
This is probably the first biggest decision that you make for your newborn baby. There is lots of evidenced based research in Sara Wickhams book here. Cost £10.00, read it and then make a decision which is right for you.
You can buy the book from here, just click on “Shop”:
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