Oral Vitamin K??

[Charlotte91]

I've signed the consent for bub to have vitamin k, but only in oral form.



Why do I have to have bub done more than once??
Can't I just let bub have the first dose at birth and be done with it?
Is it just better to have the injection?
After seeing DD have so many injections and procedures, I don't want Beez going through unnecessary pain.

Dose 1: at birth
Dose 2: usually three to five days later
Dose 3: in the fourth week, if your baby is fully breastfed. (If your baby is mostly fed with formula, she won't need the third dose)

Why does bub need a 3rd dose if I'm breastfeeding??

So confused.

[Little Chicken]

Because breastmilk has next to no vitamin k and it takes a long time for the gut bacteria tha produce vitamin k to colonise in large enough numbers to produce enough.

[HotI]

i consented to the vitk injection with my dd because there was an instrumental delivery - higher chance of bruising etc. my son was not given any vit k and is fine.

[HotI]

Because breastmilk has next to no vitamin k and it takes a long time for the gut bacteria tha produce vitamin k to colonise in large enough numbers to produce enough.

so maybe it is unnecessary ? people survived pretty well before formula and routine vit k at birth.

[Little Chicken]

I was just answering the question, wasn't saying it was necessary or not.

[PumpkinZulu]

We did oral vitamin K. It's super easy to administer, comes in little glass vials that you break the top off of.

[Rowellen]

We chose the injection. Just get it over with in one hit was my theory and that way they can't spit it out.

[Little Chicken]

Oral and injection are exactly the same drug, just different route of delivery.

[LionsandBears]

so maybe it is unnecessary ? people survived pretty well before formula and routine vit k at birth.

My Mum's cousin died at birth from lack of vitamin k. Not having a go. Obviously most people are fine, but some are not. I'm the last person to play the dead baby card, so I'm not scare mongering. Just factually, it can happen. But then so can many other things. I think do your research and make the best decision you can at the time.

[HotI]

yeah, i wasn't having a go at LC either. Absolutely, for some people VIt K can be useful or crucial. I just think it is important to question any routine procedure, it is for me anyway.

From an evolutionary viewpoint, i wonder if our definition of 'normal' is wrong if the majority of healthy, breastfed babies don't produce enough to reach the 'normal' level without supplementation.

[Cherished]

DS didn't have any vit K. We had decided that if he was bruised etc we would 'consider' oral vit K but only give him the first dose. The dosage in the injection and oral is WAY over the necessary limit. We were told that if you do oral then you 'had' to give all the doses. What a load of crap! YOU are in charge of your baby no-one else!!! Don't let people scare you into anything that isn't needed.

[BellyBelly]

Vitamin K is a very contentious issue because some studies have shown the shot to be linked to childhood leukaemia, and others said not. Like previous posters have also said, while babies are born with a low amount of vitamin K, they usually don't demonstrate vitamin K deficiencies either. I'm trying to make sure I have plenty of vitamin K in my diet and I wont be having either, unless there are complications.

If you intend on breastfeeding and have a normal, uncomplicated birth then you're less likely to need it. I think its 1 in 20,000 babies are said to get Hemorrhagic Disease of the Newborn (HDN).

"Both Dr. Palmer and Dr. Mercola recommend the administration of vitamin K on a gradual basis using an oral route. This reduces the effect of high doses on the body and the development of childhood leukemias. Dr. Palmer also notes that although infants demonstrate a lower blood level of vitamin K than a recommended amount, they also do not demonstrate vitamin K deficiency. Newborns are at higher risk of developing this bleeding disorder if they were born preterm; were low birth weight; had a forceps, vacuum or cesarean section delivery, or an extremely fast or prolonged delivery; have undetected liver disease; or if mother used antibiotics, anticoagulants or anticonvulsants during the pregnancy."

From the Natural News site:

"The observation that natural levels of vitamin K are low in babies and that vitamin K does not pass into the placenta suggests that our physiologies are fine tuned to keep this vitamin low initially."

"Also, wait! Immediate clamping or cutting of the umbilical cord results in a loss of up to 40% of the baby`s blood volume. Valuable platelets and coagulation factors are also lost. Indeed, a 2006 study in the journal Pediatrics showed that in low birth weight babies (less than 3 pounds 5 ounces and born before week 32) a delay of 35-40 seconds allowed an 8 to 24% increase in the baby`s blood volume compared to those with their cords clamped at 5-10 seconds. Two of the 23 male infants (about 9%) in the delayed-clamping group suffered from brain hemorrhaging while 8 of the 19 (42%) in the immediate-clamping group did. How much better off might they have been if the delay had been two or three minutes instead of 40 seconds?

Early cord clamping may partially explain the association between traumatic birth and HDN as well: forceps and vacuum births often cause bruising or internal bleeding, which uses up the baby`s available clotting factors; then baby is immediately cut off from his blood and oxygen source (the placenta) in order to be rushed off for resuscitation. In any of these events, as in normal births, delayed clamping ought to be standard practice."

FYI:

Excellent sources of vitamin K include parsley, kale, spinach, Brussels sprouts, Swiss chard, green beans, asparagus, broccoli, kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, collard greens, thyme, romaine lettuce, sage, oregano, cabbage, celery, sea vegetables, cucumber, leeks, cauliflower, tomatoes, and blueberries.